Catching Up

A couple weeks ago J's parents came to Italy and we went to meet them on the Amalfi coast. We did some volcano tourism:

Here's ancient Herculaneum, with modern Ercolano above it (we heard it's one of the toughest towns in the area), and then Vesuvius, the overdue volcano. Everything is still within lava's reach. Although the volcano is monitored enough for advance warning of impending eruption, there is a fair amount of concern about how to excavate millions of people from this area efficiently on tiny, winding roads. An archaeologist we met said that her plan would be to run to Sorrento (since she is a runner)-- with good incentive to keep a brisk pace.

We also visited Capri...

...and made it into the Blue Grotto. The recommended means of entry is via rowboat-- after you squeeze into the boat, the boatman rows you through the tiny opening of the grotto (you have to duck). Six or eight little rowboats go in at a time, and when the boatmen sing it echoes in the grotto. The experience is amazing, the photographic conditions challenging. 

I really enjoyed Positano. One resident we talked to proclaimed it the best place to vacation in Italy and the worst place to live, given the challenge of parking and lack of essentials such as a hospital and movie theater.

We went for a day-hike on the "Sentiero degli Dei" ("Path of the Gods"). Technically it seemed more like the path of the French tourists, but the views were incredible. And the descent incredibly steep. 

Do I have something in my teeth?

We also spent a day in Ravello, a little town with stunning views and a church which boasts these fantastically grim 13th-century (I think) mosaics and an equally grim relic, the congealed blood of St. Pantaleone. The miracle is that it liquifies once a year.