Secret swimming holes & beaches under bridges, Amalfi Coast, Italy.

We took our time the next morning as our bus wasn’t until 10:30. We were set to meet up with our next AirBnB host, Lucio (Lu-cho) at one of the seaside towns, Minori. We caught the busy bus no problem, however it dropped us at a unmarked stop so we ended up having to find wifi to find our man! Alas, we were soon in his tiny car heading up the mountain side which at one point in the road goes so narrow they need traffic lights in the daytime! Pulling into a gated carpark, we arrived at his house in Ravello. It was a big home with many levels, all inhabited by his family or family friends. We dropped our bags in our room & headed out to scale back down towards the ocean. 
The walk was intensely steep, & after a good half hour, we made it to a town called Castilliglio. Once again taking crazy steep steps down to the actual beach, we wasted no time in stripping off & charging on in. The swim was replenishing, & exactly what we needed. We clambered back up the stairs & walked towards the town of Amalfi (Overrated) for a browse before returning to the middle beach, Atrani. We swam off a massive concrete slab for a good hour before heading back to Ravello on the bus.

Feeling starving for dinner, we threw on some clothes & walked across the street to a big open garden with lots of tables in it. We had a delicious pizza dinner in a nice breezy setting before we paid up & stumbled across the road & straight into bed!
The next day we had a big one planned, a two hour bus ride out to ‘Bagni Della Giovanna,’ a secret waterhole I had seen & had been dying to get to. We packed a spare change of clothes for dinner in it’s closest city Sorrento, & set off for the bus. The ride was nauseating, dangerous and kept us on the edge of our seats. It entailed two hours of twists & turns along with the slamming of brakes when meeting another vehicle on the almost one way cliff side roads had me feeling woozy, so once we made it to the bus stop & grabbed a snack, I was on the mend! We walked down a path following directions off the internet, veering off the road & down a skinny path lined with ruins. What we found at the end of our decline was an extraordinary hole in the ground with a shining emerald & blue pool at the bottom. 
We navigated our way down to a small strip of beach, the place was scattered with primarily locals, which was a great sign. We wasted no time in diving under the cool, refreshing blanket of water & we marvelled at the moment. Sean decided to take it to the next level & he made yet another leap of faith straight from the top of the path into the surprisingly deep ocean. We swam out through the hole in the rock & were met with gorgeous blue ocean. Deciding to move our stuff to the cliff on the other side, we leapt from an old bridge into the sea, & splashed around soaking up the sun and all its glory. 

After a wonderful few hours spent at our new favourite swimming spot, we decided to gather our gear & head to Sorrento on foot which was only about a half hour track. After browsing bars we settled on an Irish pub for a cold pint of Nastro Azzuro. Getting changed in the process, we were ready for dinner, which was a few doors down. The restaurant, Parrucchiano, is a Sorrento institution & one recommended by Cristina & family. The restaurant itself is huge, with countless tables & an army of waiters. We were sat at the most picturesque end of the restaurant, with lemons everywhere you looked, & our romantic dinner for two was set. A delicious Italian meal & fantastic local white wine later, we were out & back on the bus home. Thankfully I slept the way back so it was nowhere near as bad as the morning!! We climbed into bed ready to take on the next day. 

The next morning we woke up & immediately met two new faces who just checked into the other room. Mike & Fhum, a newly married couple from Montreal were super friendly, & they offered to drive down in their hired car to our next swimming destination, Furore with us. Before long we were on the road, & we made it to the giant bridge which connects the main road over a cove. Heading down the steps, the boys were picking out the best places to jump from, & were so excited they would’ve leapt straight away, fully clothed! After wisely deciding to check the depth, they were back up the stairs & off they went, free falling into the deep, picture perfect sea! It was my turn next, & after standing on the edge for a while, I let myself go, & I plummeted into the beautiful, refreshing ocean. It was fun but once was definitely enough!

We swam, chatted, & the boys continued to jump off things for awhile before we unanimously decided we were all hungry for lunch. Heading to Lucio’s favourite restaurant spot, Atrani, we hit up a restaurant called ‘Ristorante Salvo,’ & tucked into some fresh, tasty seafood. Finishing up & headed home, we pulled up at the supermarket & picked up a few supplies. We made it back home & it ticked over to beer o’clock. Sharing a few beers with our new friends & also Lucio & his gf, we swapped stories & marvelled at the massive downpour that swept over us. 
As night crept in & a few beers later, we decided it would be an fantastic idea to head to the eggplant festival down in Maiori. The four of us piled into the car & navigated our way to the festival. Unfortunately, it had been rained out & our craving for eggplant parmigiana was looking like it would go unfulfilled! That is, until the boys went into a small family restaurant & walked back out with a whole tray of the stuff!! We headed back to the house & each dished up the delicious parmigiana. We got through a couple bottle of wines, & after an evening walk around Ravello checking out the fanciest hotels, we were back home & into our beds! 
We woke up, packed up yet again & then bid farewell for now to our French Canadian & Italian friends. Hopping on the bus back to salerno we arrived, boarded our train back to Rome, & said sayonara to the sea, & the phenomenal Amalfi Coast!

We took our time the next morning as our bus wasn’t until 10:30. We were set to meet up with our next AirBnB host, Lucio (Lu-cho) at one of the seaside towns, Minori. We caught the busy bus no problem, however it dropped us at a unmarked stop so we ended up having to find wifi to find our man! Alas, we were soon in his tiny car heading up the mountain side which at one point in the road goes so narrow they need traffic lights in the daytime! Pulling into a gated carpark, we arrived at his house in Ravello. It was a big home with many levels, all inhabited by his family or family friends. We dropped our bags in our room & headed out to scale back down towards the ocean. 
The walk was intensely steep, & after a good half hour, we made it to a town called Castilliglio. Once again taking crazy steep steps down to the actual beach, we wasted no time in stripping off & charging on in. The swim was replenishing, & exactly what we needed. We clambered back up the stairs & walked towards the town of Amalfi (Overrated) for a browse before returning to the middle beach, Atrani. We swam off a massive concrete slab for a good hour before heading back to Ravello on the bus.

Feeling starving for dinner, we threw on some clothes & walked across the street to a big open garden with lots of tables in it. We had a delicious pizza dinner in a nice breezy setting before we paid up & stumbled across the road & straight into bed!
The next day we had a big one planned, a two hour bus ride out to ‘Bagni Della Giovanna,’ a secret waterhole I had seen & had been dying to get to. We packed a spare change of clothes for dinner in it’s closest city Sorrento, & set off for the bus. The ride was nauseating, dangerous and kept us on the edge of our seats. It entailed two hours of twists & turns along with the slamming of brakes when meeting another vehicle on the almost one way cliff side roads had me feeling woozy, so once we made it to the bus stop & grabbed a snack, I was on the mend! We walked down a path following directions off the internet, veering off the road & down a skinny path lined with ruins. What we found at the end of our decline was an extraordinary hole in the ground with a shining emerald & blue pool at the bottom. 
We navigated our way down to a small strip of beach, the place was scattered with primarily locals, which was a great sign. We wasted no time in diving under the cool, refreshing blanket of water & we marvelled at the moment. Sean decided to take it to the next level & he made yet another leap of faith straight from the top of the path into the surprisingly deep ocean. We swam out through the hole in the rock & were met with gorgeous blue ocean. Deciding to move our stuff to the cliff on the other side, we leapt from an old bridge into the sea, & splashed around soaking up the sun and all its glory. 

After a wonderful few hours spent at our new favourite swimming spot, we decided to gather our gear & head to Sorrento on foot which was only about a half hour track. After browsing bars we settled on an Irish pub for a cold pint of Nastro Azzuro. Getting changed in the process, we were ready for dinner, which was a few doors down. The restaurant, Parrucchiano, is a Sorrento institution & one recommended by Cristina & family. The restaurant itself is huge, with countless tables & an army of waiters. We were sat at the most picturesque end of the restaurant, with lemons everywhere you looked, & our romantic dinner for two was set. A delicious Italian meal & fantastic local white wine later, we were out & back on the bus home. Thankfully I slept the way back so it was nowhere near as bad as the morning!! We climbed into bed ready to take on the next day. 

The next morning we woke up & immediately met two new faces who just checked into the other room. Mike & Fhum, a newly married couple from Montreal were super friendly, & they offered to drive down in their hired car to our next swimming destination, Furore with us. Before long we were on the road, & we made it to the giant bridge which connects the main road over a cove. Heading down the steps, the boys were picking out the best places to jump from, & were so excited they would’ve leapt straight away, fully clothed! After wisely deciding to check the depth, they were back up the stairs & off they went, free falling into the deep, picture perfect sea! It was my turn next, & after standing on the edge for a while, I let myself go, & I plummeted into the beautiful, refreshing ocean. It was fun but once was definitely enough!

We swam, chatted, & the boys continued to jump off things for awhile before we unanimously decided we were all hungry for lunch. Heading to Lucio’s favourite restaurant spot, Atrani, we hit up a restaurant called ‘Ristorante Salvo,’ & tucked into some fresh, tasty seafood. Finishing up & headed home, we pulled up at the supermarket & picked up a few supplies. We made it back home & it ticked over to beer o’clock. Sharing a few beers with our new friends & also Lucio & his gf, we swapped stories & marvelled at the massive downpour that swept over us. 
As night crept in & a few beers later, we decided it would be an fantastic idea to head to the eggplant festival down in Maiori. The four of us piled into the car & navigated our way to the festival. Unfortunately, it had been rained out & our craving for eggplant parmigiana was looking like it would go unfulfilled! That is, until the boys went into a small family restaurant & walked back out with a whole tray of the stuff!! We headed back to the house & each dished up the delicious parmigiana. We got through a couple bottle of wines, & after an evening walk around Ravello checking out the fanciest hotels, we were back home & into our beds! 
We woke up, packed up yet again & then bid farewell for now to our French Canadian & Italian friends. Hopping on the bus back to salerno we arrived, boarded our train back to Rome, & said sayonara to the sea, & the phenomenal Amalfi Coast!