UN GIORNO SULLA MONTAGNA
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 3, 2017
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 10, 2022
This morning, the alarms went off bright and early. It’s hiking day. We got ready, packed a backpack, and grabbed a bar for breakfast before meeting our guide in the hotel common area.
In order to get to the trailhead, our guide drove us about an hour. The roads here are crazy. I’m so glad we aren’t driving. On the way, he stopped a few times to show us scenic views and tell us about the areas. Not going to lie, Joey and I kept dozing off in the back seat. However, when we approached Positano, Joey and I both perked up. The houses were literally built into the mountain, sloping up steeply. It is incredible.
The guide stopped the car in Nocelle’s parking lot. Nocelle is a town on the Amalfi Coast. It may seem strange for a town to have its own parking lot, but it is because the town is built into the mountain. There is no road through the town. You must walk up and down lots of steps to get around. While the guide was parking the car, we noticed donkeys. That is how all of the town’s supplies are carried in and out, on a donkey’s back. When the guide returned, we walked the steps down into the town. From there, there were sidewalks running along the mountain and stairs running up and down it. The guide said it was typical for people to walk about 300 steps home from work everyday. That seems crazy to me.
We wound through the town a little bit until we reached the trailhead. This is where it turned to dirt and rock. The trail linked Nocelle to another town, Praiano, and used to be traveled often to get from one town to the other. Now tourists walk it for the gorgeous views. For the first few hours of hiking, we were completely shaded, which was so nice. We stopped every once in a while to take pictures, listen to the guide, and smell herbs. Herbs that we try so hard to grow in our gardens at home just flourish here, all over the mountain. No wonder they are in all of our Italian dishes. Mint, thyme, lemongrass, oregano, rosemary, they all smelled delightful.
The guide stopped to show us what was left of the old village throughout the hike as well. We saw their walls, farmhouses, factories, and limestone burning buildings. It was incredible how much was left, tucked away in the trees and hidden. The walls had arches made out of the stones in them, which is Greek architecture. Those arches are the reason the walls still stand.
Soon enough, Praiano came into view. The modern city could be seen hanging off the cliffs above the ocean. Just above that, farms and farm houses could be seen lining the mountain. Finally, at the top of the mountain, above everything, the limestone burning building stood. When burned, limestone is poisonous, so it must be burned at a point higher than the rest of the town.
Having completed the upper section of the trail, we looped down to the bottom section to return to Nocelle. The sun was becoming more intense now and the mountain was no longer shaded. There were more people now too because it had gotten later. The views were still just as amazing, but it was a little more obvious that you were walking on a cliff. There was a guard rail for sections of it, but for other sections you simply kept right, toward the mountain. About halfway back on the lower trail, our guide pulled out some fresh apricots and plums. We snacked on those, which were delicious. Continuing on, we finished the hike back to Nocelle walking along the cliff and winding through the trees. We were glad we started early because the day definitely heated up.
In total, it was about a five mile hike. Dad’s elevation map had us going up and down quiet a bit, but the views into Positano and along the coast were worth it.
Back in Nocelle, we went into a cute local restaurant that, like everything else, was hanging off the mountain. That made for great views. Oranges were being squeezed into orange juice right before our eyes, so we couldn’t resist and got some. As you may imagine, they were absolutely delicious and very refreshing.
As if the hike itself wasn’t enough, we now needed to walk back through the town and up the stairs. Those stairs were sure a quad burner. At the top of the stairs, a donkey stood, ready to be loaded up. Mom and Joey went right over and started petting him. It was pretty cute as his lip started to relax into the petting.
Back in the car, our guide drove us a little ways to a restaurant our Capri guide had recommended. It was called Fattoria La Tagliata. It was the most authentic Italian meal we’ve had the whole trip, and everything is so fresh. The restaurant is surrounded by gardens and animals, which all the food comes directly from.
When we sat down, the waiter asked us three questions: still or sparkling water? white or red wine? light or heavy lunch? He also clarified that we needed vegetarian meals, which our guide had tipped them off about. Dad thought those three questions were just getting started, but I realized we had just ordered. The food started coming, and it never stopped. Appetizers were first: peas, spinach, eggplant, mixed veggies, pizza, zucchini, egg and cheese dish, buffalo mozzarella, and bread. The main course followed: gnocchi with tomato sauce and zucchini pasta. The zucchini pasta was so good. The gnocchi was too, but I think I’ve had too much of it. Lastly, desert came: four slices of cake, each a different kind, and fruit. Let’s just say we were totally stuffed. That was a very traditional Italian meal. When the chef asked if we liked it and we answered yes, he said “thank you” as if he already knew the answer.
Following our meal, we went out to look at the gardens and see where our meal had come from. They had lots of fresh veggies and herbs planted. There were rows and rows of them. Below that, there were animals. It was a full on farm. There were chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, pheasants, rabbits, donkeys, many more that I can’t remember right now, and even two English Setters. Our hearts melted when we saw the English Setters. We miss Millie. Mom, Dad, and Joey went straight over to pet them, and I took pictures.
Finally, we returned back up to our guide. I think he had started to worry about us. Dad, Joey, and I all passed out in the car, and, apparently, missed quite a bit. Mom has a cough, and, while we were hiking, she got a cough attack. That made our guide a little worried about her, so he took us to a pharmacy to get cough syrup. I know the rest only through Mom’s retelling of the story. The pharmacy was closed when we got there, so the guide called someone to open it up. However, only the person who came could enter the store, so he paid for it with his own money. Mom then paid him back for it, and all I can recall after that was her saying to the guide, “that was really nice of him. They missed all the excitement.”
The three of us woke back up just as the guide pulled into our hotel. Dad made it down to the beach, but the rest of us returned to the bungalow to relax for a few hours.
Stomachs talking to us, we headed into town for dinner. I switched it up this time by ordering a vegetarian pizza, and it was delicious. I’ve had so much pasta, so it’s nice to switch it up. After dinner, we walked into the town’s gelato shop. Mom and Dad each got lemon sorbet, and Joey and I ordered fresh pineapple. They cut up a whole pineapple for us, and it was delicious. We finished the whole serving about halfway through our walk home.
Sore legs finding bed, tomorrow will be a relaxing day.
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