Calabria: Southern Italy's Heartland Day 7

Day 21-7 - October 10, 2015 - Saturday - Vietri sul Mare; Farewell Dinner

While we were at breakfast, we could see the rain coming down over Salerno to the southeast. Vic took advantage of the light to take a few photos of the coast and of the storm brewing in the distance.

The optional tour to Positano and Amalfi had been cancelled because of the rain and the thunderstorms predicted for the day. The 50-kilometer Amalfi Coast road is treacherous on a sunny day, but with the rain, the drivers were very hesitant to make the journey.

Maurizio met with us at 9:00 and gave everyone about five other options for the day. He always has a Plan B! We agreed to take the hotel shuttle to Vietri sul Mare just about two miles below our hotel.

The shuttle driver let us out in the small village, The Ceramic Capital of the World. Being thousands of miles from Elephant Rock might have been a good thing as Gennie had her eye on several gorgeous pieces of cobalt blue glazed pottery. Even though she saw signs that said “WE SHIP”, she walked away empty-handed.

We took advantage of the light drizzle and walked up to see the Duomo at the crest of the hill and then we did a little window-shopping. As we were walking the length of the town, we saw the immense brick pottery factory with its many tall smoke stacks.

Umbrellas up, we walked in the pouring rain and thought about how lucky we have been to only have significant rain on this last day. We ducked into a small coffee shop and bar and found that the rest of the group had the same idea.

We ordered a cappuccino and hot chocolate and thought we might sit out the storm. The thunder rumbled and the lightening flashed and the rain continued. Our return shuttle was not until 12:15, but at 11:15 Maurizio called the hotel and arranged for us to go back at 11:35.

Back at the hotel, we found their Internet was out – storm problems for them also. We were able to work offline on the journal and the photos.

All of us in this group have very early departures back to the United States in the morning. Maurizio convinced the restaurant, Ristorante 34 Da Lucia, to serve dinner at 6:30, unheard of in late dining Italy! We met at 6:15 for the shuttle ride to our Farewell Dinner.

After 22 days together, we could concur that this was one of our most memorable trips and that Maurizio had been a fantastic guide.

Returning to the hotel, we set the alarm for 3:30 am and tried to get a few winks before leaving for Naples at 4:20 and our 6:45 flight to Paris.

The journal for this adventure will conclude on Monday, when we return to Colorado and we update everyone on our travel day home.

Accommodations: Raito Hotel - - - Meal: B, D