When we were in Naples for the first time, we really wanted to see the Amalfi coast, but we didn't have enough money and time for it. Luckily, 2 months ago, we met Jesus (lovely spanish guy, and yes we are always making jokes about his name) during a project, and he told us about a couchsurfing camp in Amalfi. The timetable seemed awesome, full of excursions and since it was quite economic with everything included (trips, food and also drinks), we immediately booked the tickets. The camp started on the 29th of June, but we had bus tickets for the 28th, so we stayed in Naples for a day in the house of the lovely volunteers Eleni & Lola. Visiting Naples is always a good choice if you want to eat a perfect italian pizza. We love that city even with the crazy traffic, and Tairi found new sandals - jackpot (fun fact, by now they already broke and I had to glue them back together - Napolitan quality + poor volunteer life - always need to glue shoes until there's nothing left to glue). We went to see the panorama view from the hill, and finally we could take a ride on the funicolare (if you have read the previous post about our stay in Naples in March, you know what we mean). The colours of the city were amazing after the rain. Next morning we took a bus to San Lazzaro to find our camp. We knew that there will be about 100 people from all around the world, so the excitement was big. We got a tent from the organisers, so we spent 3 nights sleeping there all together (us + Ruta). As we arrived we started to introduce ourselves to a lot of people and it was clear that everybody was opened and wanted to meet new persons. Everyone was easygoing and getting to know each other went very smoothly from the beginning. As we arrived we were super hungry, but luckily we were greeted with an incredible aperitivo. This was followed by a short excursion to a hilltop next to a castle, from where we could see a very nice view over Amalfi. After dinner we learned some traditional folk dance with live music. Also, we were dancing the Polish wedding dance which we know very well, thanks to the polish group we met in a project we organised in Lecce. DAY 1 - POSITANO We woke up early (8 am), but in the sense of the schedule it was too late. The bus left at 8.20 so we were late to have a cornetto for breakfast, but we were fine also with just cookies and coffee. The bus took us to the beginning of the Path of the Gods. It is an amazing 8km long way to Positano. It goes up and down on the hills, but it's not too extreme. Also what makes passing the road so much easier is that a marvelous view of the seaside and the island of Capri is accompanying you along the way. The path is full of cliffs and blooming with colourflul flowers. We cannot find words to write more about the beauty we saw, you should just go there and see for yourself. :) When we arrived to the end of the path, they gave us a choice to take a bus from Positano or walk there. The trick is that the walking way goes 1800 steps down the stairs. But it is totally worth going by foot, because of the view of the coastline and the cute houses on the way down are making you forget that you have 1780, 1779... steps more. Even though that after around 900 steps the legs start shaking a bit, and it gets worse after every 10 steps, the path is actually not so difficult to pass and the stairs end before you know it. As you can guess, we took the stairs, had muscle fever for days, but it is impossible to regret it, because of the view totally paid off the leg work. When we arrived to Positano we went straight to the beach. By that time the sun came out (we were lucky that during the hike the sun was hiding behind the clouds) so we were ready to get some sunburn and cool it off in the water. The beach is nice, but just a small part is for free and meant to be for lying. Also there is a small square of the sea that you can swim in. But the water is clear and when you turn around to take a look at the city, you find yourself gazing at an incredible view. We did not stay too long on the beach, because we wanted to discover the city. The main product of the area is Limoncello, we could see the yellow colours of the lemons everywhere in the small cute shops. After a short walk in the centre we found a “balocony” and stayed there to have an ice cream and a beer in nice company. In Positano, the more down you go towards the beach the more expensive the food and drinks are. So the best place to buy everything is a small gas station up the hill, near to the bus station. After enjoying the view for an hour and making one hundred photos the bus took us back to the camp. We had dinner and danced all night, even though we were totally exhausted. But we couldn't skip the evening, because it was the night of pizzica, the traditional dance from Salento. DAY 2 - Maiori &Minori After breakfast, we went to Maiori by bus. We were hanging on the beach until lunchtime, and then we went to a local pizzeria. The prices there were nice, it was much more economic than Positano. But of course the pizza couldn't be compared to what you get in Napoli. After stuffing our faces with Margheritas we put on sunscreen and started our next hiking trip. We took the Path of Lemons. It is an awesome way to avoid taking the bus to Minori, but to enjoy the beautiful nature that is between the two towns. On the way we could see plenty of lemon trees and panorama views to die for. The path was not so long like the day before, so after an hour (because we were very slow and stopped to make photos a thousand times) we arrived to Minori. The two cities are very similar - small, cozy, surrounded by cliffs, hills, the sea and lemon trees. We went to a Pasticceria to enjoy delicious local cakes. We didn't have much time in Minori, but anyway it is quite small and the best part seemed to be the seaside. So, 5 minutes before the departure of the bus Tairi decided to take a swim. The bus driver didn't seem too happy to see her entering the bus wearing a towel and water still dripping from the hair. That night happened amazing things. Tairi went to see the castle nearby with the guys and I (Sofi) went out from the camp with Ruta to enjoy the panorama. We were sitting and one guy appeared on a horse. I love horses, and I always look for an opportunity to ride them. I was brave enough to ask the man and he let me ride a horse by myself.(!) That made me sooo happy! Also, the guy told us that an observatory centre nearby had an open night. So after dinner we told everybody about the event, and went together. with a lot of people. It was amazing! We could see Saturn with the ring surrounding it and Jupiter with it's 4 moons. We also saw the Moon, with a very detailed view of it's surface. And last but not least, we enjoyed a beautiful view over the city of Praiano at night. Meanwhile in the camp a band from Brazil was playing, and we joined them later to dance samba. DAY 3 - Amalfi In the morning the bus took us close to the Valle delle Ferriere (Valley of Iron). We hiked a bit with a wonderful view. Even though we had been enjoying incredible views for 2 days already, we were still amazed and surprised once again how beautiful it was there. We knew that in the end we would reach a waterfall, but we did not expect so much, just a small one at least. BUT, that place was like a fairytale. Everything was green, and the waterfall was huge and amazing. And we could see two rainbows inside the falling water. The water was very cold, but it was a nice refreshment after hiking with hot weather. The last hours with the surfers we spent on the beach of Amalfi. Had very good seafood there, and buying an ice cream with a taste named after Amalfi is highly recommended. It is creamy, lemony and super delicious. From Amalfi we had to go back to Napoli because the camp had ended. We really loved the 3 days with the people from all around the world. We made new friends, talked about our experiences with travelling, heard interesting stories about Dubai, Algeria and much more. When applying to the camp we didn't expect to be hiking so much during the 3 days, but it was perfect. If you just use the bus to go everywhere, you miss a huge part of the beauty that is hidden on the coast of Amalfi. Big thanks and a hug to the organizers, we would not have found a better place and people to see the wonderful coast of Amalfi.
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