ITALY: AMALFI COAST

I've been away from my blog for waaaaaay too long.  In my defense,  I just got back from a 2 week trip to Italy AND I've been working more than usual. ;)    The trip to Italy is clearly more exciting to blog about so here we go....

ITALY IS AMAZING!!  I went with my husband for our extended honeymoon.  We were married September 3rd 2011 and had a quickie honeymoon on Martha's Vineyard immediately following our nuptials, which was wonderful, although it rained for 4 days straight.  We had always planned to have a  "big" honeymoon abroad.  Having backpacked most of Western Europe after graduating college,  I knew Italy was a country I really wanted to return to... with someone I love.  It is very romantic, beautiful, the people remind me of my Italian father, the food...  I could go on forever! SO to Italy we went!   I had already been to several cities and towns in Northern Italy so we decided to head South.  We spent about one week in the Amalfi Coast and one week in a tiny ancient town called Tropea (the Calabria region almost to the tip of the "toe"... just before you get to Sicily).  There are lots of encounters and adventures I could share with you about our trip, but this being a plant blog I am going to focus on the amazing horticulture in Southern Italy.

THE AMALFI COAST: POSITANO

This was our view from our balcony.

When we arrived in Positano (one of the towns along the Amalfi Coast),  I literally felt like I had died and gone to succulent heaven.  They were EVERYWHERE!  Clearly the hot and fairly dry climate was perfect for succulents, flowers, fruit trees (Positano is famous for it's lemons).  Positano is built on a mountain overlooking the sea.  Every which way you look there are potted plants, flowers, and bougainvillea growing everywhere!  It was truly the most beautiful place I've ever been.

As you can see Positano is built vertically on the face of a mountain

Literally built into the mountain...

              There were 450 steps to get down to the beach from our hotel...
On our third day I literally could not walk without looking
 really strange, my calf's were SO SORE! Hence the smile on my face,
 this photo must have been taken day 2, 5 or 6. ;)

      

This is a cactus that is climbing up the wall of
this home.  I've never seen a cactus act like a vine. So cool!

As I mentioned before, there was Bougainvillea everywhere! Covering entry-ways,
canopying balcony's, lining the multiple stairwells throughout Positano.  It was amazing!

Flowering succulents growing out of rocks.

Potted Haworthia (much larger than the ones I have at home).

To be continued... next post: Tropea!