We crossed to the west coast of Italy and exchanged our car in Salerno for a slightly larger model. Then we headed north to Praiano to meet up with our friends, John and Sheila, for a week on the Amalfi Coast.

The four of us moved into a pretty villa, perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in the town of Praiano.

Fortunately, the views were lovely, both up the hill to the church and down over the water. Unfortunately, there were about 200 steps to climb up to street level, every time we left the villa. And then 200 steps down when we returned. Every. Single. Time.

Aside from scaling the cliffs, we had other adventures. One night we took an evening boat ride along the Amalfi Coast.

Raffaele showed us the different towns along the coast (there’s our villa!), and we stopped for dinner at a waterside restaurant.

Then we headed back along the coast after dark and enjoyed the lights. The seas were calm and the views were lovely.

Another adventure was visiting Positano for Kathy’s 60th Birthday dinner. We walked up the street through the beautiful town.

We stopped at a roadside bar and Kenton invited our waiter to drink wine with us. He pretended to join us, but other waiters ran over, insisting he drink espresso. They were silly and fun and made us laugh!

We had dinner down the road at the incredible Mediterraneo Positano restaurant. Lorenzo and his staff were friendly and fun, and we spent hours eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying the music.

Of course there was a Happy Birthday song at the end!

Clouds were swirling as we drove to see the busy town of Amalfi,

its attractive shops, and striking waterfront.

Then we stopped for drinks at Il Pirata and enjoyed the cool breeze and the view.

Driving along the Amalfi Coast was always an adventure as Captain Kenton navigated the narrow twisty streets with scooters whizzing by and huge buses squeezing past.

We spent a lovely day wandering around Ravello and the manicured gardens of the Villa Cimbrone estate.

It was beautiful and we enjoyed the sculptures, architecture and views of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

We wandered the nearby Piazza Vescovado and visited the Cathedral of St Pantaleone.

A beach day along the Mediterranean was fun, though the beaches are actually concrete slabs along the coastline. It was many hundreds of steps (up, then across, then down) to reach the beach, but we had a wonderful day so it was worth it!

Every adventure was fun, but the highlight was a boat trip to Capri on our last day. The boat was a gorgeous, 40-foot, Apreamare yacht. (Amal and George weren’t available to join us – maybe next time!) Our captain, Vincenzo, was lively and fun. He showed us different towns and sights along the way, poured champagne,

and tucked into several caves, so close that we could touch them!

We drove around, and then through, the Faraglioni Rocks.

We stopped to swim in the gorgeous water and under a natural arch. Then we had a fun and delicious lunch at Conca del Sogno.

There were more caves and views as we headed back. It was the perfect last day on the Amalfi Coast!