tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3115353799531810122012-01-24T09:59:53.037+01:00TRIPPING THROUGH LIFE IN POSITANO AND THE AMALFI COASTScintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.comBlogger1311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-40457938906368318502011-12-24T14:34:00.001+01:002012-01-12T16:19:21.478+01:00

Few of you will be aware of this, but in the midst of Christmas celebrations in Positano, a very special Festa takes place with contestants vying for a prize for sponginess, taste and hole-liness. La Festa della Zeppola in Positano is a winter get together on the main beach which in amongst the organized games of football and treasure hunts, homebodies hibernate in their kitchens levitating dough

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-68196328669339905242011-12-07T19:27:00.001+01:002011-12-24T15:53:08.512+01:00

I was in the kitchen and I discerned the thud of a soft tread of footsteps running down the stairs past my window. Not having heard the wrought iron gate clank on opening, I was sure it would be someone familiar with the house. As I pulled the ancient front door open, a bundle of leaves appeared round the corner of the stone wall and our gardener followed them to the landing. He was holding a

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-71030573970522016402011-12-05T09:58:00.001+01:002011-12-24T15:53:08.511+01:00

  I put down my book. I’d barely read a page. It was high summer and the cool winds were blowing hard. Distracted by the view, I got up and watched bathers hold on to dear life as the orange umbrellas fought to free themselves and wheel across the beach. My son approached and I asked how him the studying was going. The two full days he’d spent reading a small book and doing online quizzes was

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-19302587979065260142011-08-01T11:04:00.001+02:002011-12-24T15:53:08.513+01:00

A plethora of yachts dots the harbour these days. The uncertain weather, the threat of rain and  consequential cold water hinders no one intent on enjoying a privileged holiday on luxury boats which look like they came straight out of the harbour of Monte Carlo. Locals proudly bandy names of visiting famous people around taking personal pride in the beauty of the coastline as if it were they

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-27116306559784917962011-06-07T16:22:00.001+02:002011-10-18T17:16:13.131+02:00

  There are no tentacles in my bikini bottom! You got to hand it to the BBC. They sure know how to make an excellent series. When Italian Reflections alerted me about the upcoming series Two Greedy Italians - Poor Man’s Food in the Amalfi coast on BBC television, I was terribly disappointed to be in the wrong area to watch. But then my enterprising daughter found it on You Tube and I have

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-73501519828595699862011-06-03T21:47:00.001+02:002011-06-09T09:12:40.429+02:00

My neighbour Laura Thayer from Ciao Amalfi blog absolutely loves the town of Amalfi and has spent a good amount of her time living in the Coast walking and exploring the villages surrounding it. Who would be better to bring you a guest post about the wonderful places the Secret Costiera has to offer in her corner of the Amalfi Coast? Enjoy her wonderful descriptions and drool over her beautiful

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-1184407841993427512011-05-25T20:02:00.001+02:002011-10-10T17:25:54.310+02:00

  Living in Positano is not about lounging around on a sunny beach all day and having beautiful views to console you when things get rocky at home or at work. A holiday here does not easily translate into everyday life especially if you are an ex-pat from a faraway continent. Living in Italy in a small summer tourist orientated town with barely any winter entertainment because your friends move

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-82992991224361073642011-05-16T17:56:00.003+02:002011-06-09T09:12:27.382+02:00

There is no better place to linger over a meal on holidays or weekends, than one in which you can watch ships cruising past in the distance or waves crashing on the shore. Meals on the Amalfi Coast and all of Southern Italy often involve the simplest fresh locally seasonal ingredients. Frozen ready made meals are unheard of and pizza if not home cooked, is a meal that comes directly from the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-51483482951719378812011-05-15T15:14:00.001+02:002011-10-10T17:26:35.383+02:00

Dear Readers, I’m back in control of my blog! Blogger finally answered my request and ousted the hacker who had hijacked my account. I will do my best not to let him back in, the scoundrel, although I really don’t know what the benefit would have been too him in the long run. He has deleted pages including your bloglinks. If you have linked back to me please leave me a note in the comments

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-66870549592734739142011-05-15T15:05:00.001+02:002011-10-10T17:26:35.384+02:00

  ‘A picturesque cascade of pastel coloured houses tumbling seemly haphazardly down the mountain wall.’ How many euphemisms can one find on the internet for my pretty town… Positano is justifiably one of the most photographed towns on the Amalfi Coast. The juxtaposition of the mountains, arched windows, bougainvillea and incredibly blue skies enchant the visitors all year round who click

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-5399787288715685252011-05-15T15:04:00.001+02:002011-10-10T17:26:35.385+02:00

Even boats seem to get into the spirit of things here. Rocking gently, floating on air, the crystal clear water can give the illusion of levitation when the sea’s transparence couples with the light at certain angles. The video is a bit wobbly. I hope it doesn’t make you seasick.     I’ve decided to strike back at the hacker who stole my Bell’Avventura blog . It’s not just the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-11982250834542812562011-03-09T09:38:00.001+01:002011-10-10T17:26:35.386+02:00

I just had to share this: Italy Vacation are having a contest where the winner has to guess the number of steps in Positano!   Has anyone ever counted all of them? It’s like asking how many stars are there in the sky! I know the number of steps going from the Grotta to the Fornillo Beach (too many especially uphill at midday); from Via Trara Genoino  (La Scalinatella) to the main beach; from

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-69374299445791039062011-02-28T21:30:00.000+01:002011-03-01T11:40:01.519+01:00

Few people are as passionate about a place as Bonnie Alberts from Napoli Unplugged is about her adopted city Napoli. She shares an extensive guest post about the deep heart of  Naples wandering off the beaten tourist paths into the soul of the city and walks us through it’s history, it’s culture and into the Neapolitan daily life.   A Few of My Favorite Napoli Things Bonnie Alberts,

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-40035134510352467462011-02-13T15:26:00.001+01:002011-02-28T13:33:53.119+01:00

Thank you for a lifetime of seduction, of  shy morning’s soft light, waves whispering between pebbles rolling gently on the shore. Thank you for the ancient houses unheated, their walls seeped in history, wood fire’s smoke and crackle on cool nights. Thank you for the Rose’s bloom throughout winter, the bougainvillea dashing colour along the walls, the first blossoms of Spring

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-24223411221864126982011-01-25T11:36:00.001+01:002011-02-28T13:33:28.295+01:00

Blog Stains is a new series of posts designed to be useful references for people visiting the Amalfi Coast. I’ll try to bring you fun things to do which may not have been mentioned in the guide book. 10 top things to do in Positano So you’ve been to Positano, crept up through the clothes store alleys, peeked into the Church and walked geriatric style (in summer) through the bougainvillea laden

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-39749228787989008192010-12-24T14:37:00.001+01:002011-12-24T15:53:58.015+01:00

  Is that your families and friends are safe and sound, and hopefully where they want to be.     Most of Europe has been in turmoil with snowfalls playing havoc on transport systems just when the season was at its very busiest meaning that travelers were left stranded for days or having to choose longwinded means of reaching their homes. Luxembourg was also hit by blizzards and the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-77737637832550433152010-11-01T16:11:00.001+01:002010-11-01T16:11:15.383+01:00

  Remembering those in Positano.                                                                                                                                           Especially Giovanna.

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-63492631427035894712010-10-25T13:06:00.006+02:002010-11-11T11:19:36.570+01:00

Our little boat chugged along the lake-like sea hugging the rugged coastline between Positano and Praiano on the Amalfi Coast. It was the first days of September and the climate was ostentatiously spoiling us with a soft gentle sunshine and deep crisp colours. I could well imagine this lazy rocking in the sea being called the Dolce Vita now that the noise and traffic from the motor boats and

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-53762453055396284832010-10-18T00:01:00.010+02:002010-10-21T13:59:41.234+02:00

A heavy family history of Breast Cancer in my home makes this a cause close to my heart.   October has seen the Pink Ribbon Campaign against Breast Cancer come into full swing remembering those who have died, those who are suffering but also the survivors of this insidious disease. Prevention is perhaps too optimistic a word but there are healthy changes that you can make to make

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-7291330521912095512010-10-13T21:35:00.001+02:002010-11-11T11:19:36.571+01:00

  Capri.  The most clicked on Island in Italy. Websites abound with passionate descriptions of picturesque alleys and piazzettas, churches and azure waters don’t they?  So when you send two beautiful twenty year old Italian girls to Capri  for a day trip, and you advise them where to go and what to see, you don’t expect them to return to Positano with a list of what not to do: What not to do

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-54229394562754568672010-09-30T17:01:00.002+02:002010-10-18T14:00:41.184+02:00

  The cat scooted out over the restaurant’s window trellis, skirting the purple bougainvillea that gripped the iron work. Totally deaf, it wasn’t an alley cat for nothing and could tell when it wasn’t wanted.  Daniele the waiter, having dealt with the cat before, let out a few mild expletives under his breathe in Italian. Slinking amongst the tables, the white gatto  been attracting admiring ‘

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-33776438603644201982010-09-11T10:24:00.001+02:002010-10-14T16:26:59.262+02:00

This is why I don´t go out if it rains in Positano: except with a shovel to clear the single drain where all of the neighbourhood´s rain water is channelled, of the mud and debris. But when the Fornillo storm water drains alongside our house look like this: you can hardly blame it for not coping.  I only hope that the gardens below don´t give way into a repetition of  the tragedy at

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-75566470290433967592010-07-06T21:14:00.002+02:002011-09-18T14:59:36.652+02:00

As the bride in her long cream dress and the  attired groom  in his spanking new suit walked back down the aisle, ladies held platefuls of flower petals mingling mimosa, bougainvillea, roses and orange blossom with the rice and young men hid handfuls of sugar coated almonds in tight fists and coat pockets waiting to be hurled at the newly wed couple. The trepidation of the newly married was

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-87817885689957054602010-06-06T15:09:00.001+02:002010-10-14T16:29:54.245+02:00

CONGRATULATIONS to the random generated number winners…      (drum roll…)  Bea who won  Susan Van Allen’s ‘100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go’ book. Please email me so that I can get your address! I’m sure that you’ll love it. The runners up were: Leanne in Italy who wins Travelers' Tales Italy- True Stories of Life on the Road   Leanne incidentally, from Australia to

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-44623512798716397272010-05-18T21:37:00.001+02:002010-10-14T16:31:27.289+02:00

  Susan Van Allen is taking the travel book industry by storm. Her new book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go  full of beguiling tales and magical places as seen from a feminine perspective,  add richness to any trip to Italy. The practical information combined with intriguing details are a must have for those who are hunting for the hidden gems d’Italia.  See for yourselves….

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-19427697700219371532010-05-10T18:47:00.005+02:002010-11-11T11:19:36.572+01:00

  SANTA MARIA DEL CASTELLO ‘Get up you lot, we’re going mountain climbing!’ My sleepy family was coerced into getting out of bed at 9:00am on a school holiday and amidst grumbles and more importantly, cries of ‘where are we going to eat?’,  I managed to have everyone on the Montepertuso bus for 10:20. Unlike my husband who had often visited Santa Maria Del Castello, a small village at the tip

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-42337449521557669782010-04-28T21:39:00.002+02:002010-10-14T16:30:38.092+02:00

Positano been twice honoured this week. Thanks to Pat Eggleton from  Sicily Scene who also writes for Italy Magazine, I was interviewed in the new Blog of the Week  feature. Italy Magazine.co.uk  is an online magazine with top Italian News stories and feature articles on anything Italian.  It always makes a great read. Subscribe on Facebook  for updates. Yesterday Ali Filmer from

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-92174481195744190352010-04-26T21:28:00.002+02:002010-11-11T11:19:36.573+01:00

Sorrento. Chaotic, loud, irreverent, as a local I’d only visit with a purpose and fight my way back home.  The pretty alley ways were full of tacky souvenir shops with handwritten signs assuring buyers of cheap wares made in Italy.  An occasional local with bags of vegetables battled their way through English crowds dressed in shorts and flip flops,  past an art shop selling prints of the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-16629390861727823012010-04-11T14:46:00.001+02:002010-04-11T19:51:08.781+02:00

  In the impossibly bright days of early April, all superlatives felt meaningless against the glory of early Spring on the Coastline. Energizing and exhilarating,  the perfection and beauty of  the  Amalfi Coast  had me awestruck even after twenty four years here.                            My days would begin drowsily, the shutters thrown open to the early morning so as to not miss one

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-50808192915647746982010-03-11T12:10:00.001+01:002010-03-11T18:53:54.675+01:00

Positano hibernates in winter. At least that’s what I thought as I walked along deserted streets lined with closed shops and bars. No pizzerias open in my neck of the woods. All movement seemed to be uphill where the only bar open teemed with locals steaming the windows.   There was little to write about so I gave myself a blogging break.  Stormy nights with a wild sea that seemed to be

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-55221444844293716552010-02-01T20:30:00.001+01:002010-02-02T14:17:08.225+01:00

Would you like to see the best of Italian expat blogs for 2009?  Head over to the Blogging from the Boot Contest to see the finalists in their categories and like me, discover great new blogs. I have had the surprising honor of being a finalist in the Paparazzi Photos from Italy category, and would love your vote for the photos on my post on the Path of the Gods (or How to be thankful for

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-69320698812326423402010-01-22T15:42:00.001+01:002010-10-14T16:31:55.277+02:00

A Guest post from Cherrye Moore in Calabria: People move to Italy for all kinds of reasons … some come for work, others for adventure, and still others, like me, come for love. No, I’m not talking about love of the bel paese, which in the last three and half years has imbedded itself in my soul and taken a hold on my heart. I’m talking about love of man. Or in my case, the love of one. As is

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-34358197674029986692010-01-19T16:23:00.001+01:002010-11-11T11:19:36.573+01:00

The gorge in the mountain dropped steeply before us. Stepping carefully to it’s edge, I peered over to see if a path was discernable. Nope. My friend was going to get us all killed. The church on the other side was her target and following goat tracks down steep slippery embankments, children in hand, her only means. It was a few days after Easter Monday, the traditional ‘must picnic or

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-90929976220439312972009-12-24T14:23:00.001+01:002011-12-24T15:54:24.644+01:00

Leafing through a battered old book from the shelves at Positano, a handmade Christmas card from Christmases past came fluttering out. This card had travelled from Positano to Paris in the fifties when the village was in it’s hey days of glamour and glitterati, then made it’s way back to town in a borrowed French novel as a book mark. It’s hand printed and I believe that the artist was Michele

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-41303026786195245812009-12-10T20:44:00.001+01:002010-10-14T16:31:55.278+02:00

A reader who has been following and commenting on my blog for some time now, having worked out who I am, recently introduced herself to my husband in Positano. Dollyna, who knows the ins and outs of the town better than I do, has a home that overlooks our area. Late this afternoon, being on her terrace cleaning up the leaves after the strong wind, she saw a helicopter rise up behind the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-39764375012243574682009-12-09T09:12:00.002+01:002009-12-09T09:17:51.087+01:00

  When the oranges you pick look like this:      You know that they are sweet enough to eat. First come, first served…

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-65239230125046358582009-11-28T16:54:00.003+01:002009-11-28T20:02:31.797+01:00

The winter season is rolling into town, though  it’s not  the rain that announces it but rather the buzz of work beginning on houses, and hotels in the area. With the elections coming up in a couple of months, it may be that a blind eye is turned to ‘construction without authorization’  this year and many seem to be taking advantage of it. Most of the people who worked in the tourist industry

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-81333371094347336212009-11-24T20:39:00.007+01:002009-11-25T14:12:33.021+01:00

You know that you’re  ‘The Head’ (who said Mayor?) of  Positano if: You repeat the same Promises to get work done  over a twenty year period, without keeping your word. You know that people won’t believe you anyway. You find an infinite amount of excuses ranging from funds, contract work, other emergencies in town, file work, lost phone numbers or the weather (too hot, too wet, too near Xmas

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-22666120502488954082009-11-16T22:16:00.006+01:002011-01-03T09:49:30.016+01:00

When the sun shines brightly in summer from  a cloudless sky, and the calm sea mirrors the vertical cliffs of the town with their flamboyant pocket gardens, we often pack hefty lunches, lilos, beach gear and tiny dog into our even tinier boat and head round to our favourite beach which our family has nicknamed La Spiaggia delle Balene.  With it’s compact outboard motor strongly resembling an

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-63089910478333555792009-11-07T15:02:00.003+01:002009-11-12T14:47:26.220+01:00

I’m touched by individual stories of foreigners who have come to the Amalfi coast and have left their hearts behind.   After all it happened to me.   When the individual in question is a little boy who’s barely ten and spent two weeks on the Coast a couple of summers ago, it’s even more poignant. Annika, who’s blog many of you read, has launched an appeal to pay for her son’s trip to Siena

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-50429526011165059962009-11-03T20:55:00.001+01:002010-05-02T10:17:42.316+02:00

My mind may have waffled by age, but the few remaining neurons tell me that we left a lot of lemons behind on the trees in our garden this summer. It just isn’t possible to consume the quantity they produce, all at one time.   Hundreds found themselves in  granita (seeing that I bought an ice-cream maker at a 70 percent discount).  Others in lemon curds, and lemon tarts non stop.   A large jug

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-75080274362726460442009-10-30T14:36:00.002+01:002009-10-30T15:46:37.902+01:00

It’s been Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and these lovely ladies have joined in with me to promote the campaign by posting pink pictures and information on their blogs. I’m offering a virtual flower from my garden to each one ♥ Laura from Ciao Amalfi gave us a whirlwind tour of the towns of the Amalfi Coast and amongst the rainbow of colours, she found pink in the most unexpected

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-25632790555093308692009-10-12T16:06:00.001+02:002009-10-30T14:39:58.024+01:00

The tags on blogs have been tinged with colour lately.  Laura from Ciao Amalfi saw red, and Anne from Oxfordshire, and Rowena from Rubber Slippers, to name a few, have both posted with blue objects from their houses . That gave me an idea. Many of you will be aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I thought I might see things through Rose Coloured glasses with hope for a cure

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-88228785350684147102009-10-03T13:37:00.002+02:002009-10-03T13:40:45.806+02:00

I often switch terraces to compare views, to take a stroll while waiting for the pasta pot to boil or simply to spy on my kids on the beach. Sometimes I even feel like waxing lyrical about the poetry of the Positano coast streaming before my eyes. But every time, before I make myself comfortable on the low wall, I take a peek over its ledge to its rocky side to ascertain that I am the only

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-65791410996539804532009-09-20T14:53:00.002+02:002009-09-20T15:00:26.714+02:00

Where have all the cats of Fornillo gone? In our area of Positano, the alleys between villas were a haven for the whiskered felines. Huddled together behind corners, cats and their litters would scatter briefly as someone came down stairs or dodge feet by clinging to the wall’s side in the alley behind Pensione Maria Luisa . There would always be a pair of eyes watching nervously from the top

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-51082694975600021442009-09-12T10:03:00.003+02:002009-09-12T13:43:03.117+02:00

The wind has returned to the Coast. The gales whip shimmering curtains of light across the turquoise water. Umbrellas are folded politely across the back of the deck chairs and bathers roast unfeelingly in the noon sun. I love to watch the wispy veils of silver graze the surface of the placid sea. The boats, their weight lightened by the force of the air, twist and turn in unison.The colours

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-42180047556808507122009-08-30T15:42:00.003+02:002009-08-30T15:58:35.724+02:00

You know that it’s August in Positano if…You wish, really wish, that it would rain to bring relief from the heat.You make do with whatever you have at home because everyone refuses to brave the hot stairs to do the shopping.There are zillions of ants everywhere.You burn yourself in the water that comes from the cold water tap.You have figs from the garden for breakfast (and lunch and dinner).

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-20138747038796843992009-06-25T20:59:00.001+02:002009-11-07T16:41:31.579+01:00

More, more, more.  We are certainly being spoilt for choice here as three new webcams have been set up in Positano. Take your pick of the hour to watch and enjoy splendid photos of the town in sunset and sunrise. Perched high above in Liparlati (meaning ‘once spoken of ’), one can almost take in the scenery as you would from the town’s gorgeous cemetery which reflects the architectural

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-20438648879012327242009-06-23T16:06:00.001+02:002009-11-11T11:19:30.024+01:00

I swayed in my seat as the taxi swung round the tight bend. Sea view to my right, I could pick out the large pointed cliff in the twinkling sea below. “There’s the Germano” I pointed out to my son. “You know, the one that looks like a pharaoh.”                                                                                                                   Photo Credit: Francesco Fusco ‘

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-1253269071060408592009-06-06T20:27:00.000+02:002009-11-07T16:39:50.974+01:00

View Full Album I’m terrible with awards…. I was given two blog awards some weeks ago from my blogger friends, but have let time slip by before passing them on. Lola from Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino gave me a Kreativ Blogger Award.  Do go visit her.  She has a wealth of wisdom , witty information and real Italian recipes, and sometimes posts about Positano. For this award I have to

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-31906620741992880842009-06-06T20:20:00.004+02:002009-06-07T10:27:34.420+02:00

Another award was given to me by Ciao Chow Linda back in April, and I guarantee that if you click on this link you will want to lick the screen. Her recipes are mouthwatering.I’m mean’t to list another ten things about myself, but you don’t have to read them.1. Put a mozzarella in the fridge in Campania and your husband will have grounds for divorce (MEA CULPA). 2. Cherry tomatoes (piennoli)

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-69577718061338200892009-06-04T17:53:00.002+02:002009-06-04T18:29:47.072+02:00

  Ecostiera published an alarming article showing a video of untreated sewerage being poured directly into the water adjacent to the Marina Grande at Sorrento.  So far in thirty days there have been ten official complaints from ecological movements as it seems to be an occurance which dates from the end of April . Locals reported large bands of malodorous scum floating along the water’s edge

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-84554099595095540042009-05-30T20:48:00.003+02:002009-05-30T21:01:34.409+02:00

1. Positano News reported a woman in Sorrento who’d clock into work each day at the hospital as a nurse , then promptly change direction and go and work at her son’s bar. 2. Yesterday morning, a lady cleaning outside at Positano Town hall got hit directly on the head by an empty fruit case which fell from above. She was taken to the Sorrento hospital for first aid. Naturally the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-13592617082351289782009-05-27T17:57:00.006+02:002009-11-07T16:41:14.792+01:00

If anyone is interested I have just discovered a new webcam over Positano Spiaggia Grande . It slowly pans the main beach at a close range ( but a little out of focus), so you may recognize people that you know!Click on the picture for the link then insert ’spiaggia’ as the username and password.Thank you to some readers for pointing out that you need to install ActiveX control for Internet

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-35804337298643538592009-05-26T17:44:00.008+02:002009-05-27T10:38:19.851+02:00

A scooter buzzed past the restaurant balcony window at Positano. There were two people on board, the person sitting at the back had long auburn hair streaming out from beneath her helmet. I didn’t think twice about it as we were celebrating my second eldest’s nineteenth birthday and we were concentrated on perusing the menu and filling our stomachs. Or rather, my voracious son’s were. The rest

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-73274160932814337082009-05-19T17:53:00.015+02:002010-11-11T11:20:19.876+01:00

There came a time where I wondered what the path to heaven actually looked like, so a friend from Positano (an angel in disguise ?) offered to guide me in the mountains above the Coastline. We rose above the tiny village of Nocelle (by bus) and took the stairs leading up from the houses where the Path of the Gods began. The track was originally that used by villagers to go to Agerola before the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-64816730589427064972009-05-12T17:34:00.004+02:002010-11-11T11:20:19.877+01:00

The sea beckoned in the glorious weather in the week preceding Easter. The morning was such that I was determined to rouse my sleepy kids and make something special from the day. I decided on visiting the town of Amalfi just for the boat trip, and we raced down to the pier to catch the 10am ferry. The dock was crowded with tourists, a little presage, I imagined, of the confusion that we would

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-43784433295618286932009-05-03T16:18:00.006+02:002009-05-06T11:06:03.202+02:00

If Mother Nature was really a woman, she'd probably be put on hormonal replacement therapy.This spring has seen a fluctuation of temperatures and mood swings in the daily weather worthy of any pre-menopausal woman with PMS. The locals, dependent on the sun for the start of the season, look to the skies and pray before putting out their boats and sun loungers. Work has started spasmodically, as

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-82290745881970503672009-04-28T16:15:00.003+02:002009-04-29T11:22:51.112+02:00

The snails are enjoying the wet weather this year, even if the locals aren't.

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-61184093488708948172009-04-27T16:32:00.002+02:002010-05-02T10:18:20.304+02:00

Walk with me on my daily shop at Positano.I no longer go to the Deli nearby for personal reasons, but prefer to shop at the mini market right at the very top of Positano. The walk is a trek up steep stairs but they're preferable to darting in between parked cars to avoid being hit by buses and vans on the narrow road.There are no sidewalks in Positano, not real ones.I start off by going downhill

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-48630051317888748042009-04-22T13:23:00.020+02:002009-05-03T16:55:23.733+02:00

The fruit shop where I go to in Positano, is little more than a hole in the wall where the poor lady stands weighing vegetables and cashing in. A great deal of dexterity is needed, to cross over bulging bags of fruit to customers without knocking over displays of oil, mozzarella and canned dog food. Even more is required to actually step out of the shop with these bags, as there is always a line

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-53666664785627971922009-04-18T22:03:00.009+02:002009-04-25T13:44:20.141+02:00

I'm just back from two weeks in paradise. I baulk when I see my brown face in the mirror having become so used to my pale winter skin. I've absorbed the sunshine in the shade.My garden was singing the blues for me when I arrived in Positano.It was all so pretty, so fresh, so calm and quiet apart from the sea and the birdsong that I was moved to tears. The Dutch irises and the bearded irises

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-49973841819491992152009-04-02T20:15:00.006+02:002009-04-02T20:57:27.164+02:00

Basta! I've had enough. I read on the Positano News today that a iron pergola has been mounted along the road to shade customers at Cafe Positano.This corner of paradise, formally Bar De Martino, had already been disfigured from the simple local bar/hangout for locals and artists into a trendy restaurant for tourists. I say for tourists because since Ciro lost his lease on the bar, the locals,

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-66914675999054287032009-03-24T14:29:00.015+01:002009-04-25T13:44:35.607+02:00

You know that you're in Positano, if you go there for your Easter holidays and get given at least three Pastiere, one of which is from your Taxi driver.I could not step past Easter without mentioning this traditional Neapolitan tart which graces the table of any self-respecting family from the Campania region. Not being from here myself, locals take it upon themselves, with their ever-present

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-10326385258888379792009-03-15T16:00:00.005+01:002009-04-25T13:45:15.293+02:00

A single peach blossom.Uva Fragola -strawberry flavoured grape vine.There is nothing like the rebirth of Nature for inspiration. What's flowering in my garden at Positano will have to do till I get my head around my capricious computer problems.Notice the bare earth -Many thanks to our gardener. Sage - Rampant and huge if not pruned heavily each winter. It easily smothers any herbs sitting beside

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-74884250452134836282009-02-27T16:47:00.009+01:002009-03-02T20:54:58.857+01:00

It's been a rainy season on the Amalfi coast and with the constant water there are always the inevitable landslides along the road side. The land slides where boulders or rocks fall on to public ground mean road closure at the worst or alternative traffic at its best, often creating a physical barrier for the inhabitants of villages effectively blocked on both sides or upsetting routine for

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-83565505363849844352009-02-16T15:06:00.012+01:002009-02-16T17:13:40.762+01:00

Italy, the land of contrasts, where tradition and modernity mingle merrily...You know that you're in Positano if ...You get periodic phone calls trying to sell you Info Strada telephone subscriptions, Sky Satellite television and then also the region's specialty of fresh Mozzarella made from Buffalo milk(all on the same day). What do they try to sell you? Credit: Ed.Vincenzo CarcavalloAn old

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-71763174579313910112009-02-11T16:12:00.003+01:002010-10-21T20:14:50.681+02:00

'Do you think someone could put their hands in our mail box and pull out letters ?', my other half queried. 'Why would they want to do that?' I replied. 'Apparently the witch has other tricks up her sleeve now.' Which witch? Fornillo, a historical part of Positano has it's own residential eccentric who lives a mostly nocturnal life. Her meandering barefoot, rain or shine around the stairs,

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-72565058349874943872009-02-05T13:00:00.003+01:002009-04-25T13:45:44.559+02:00

My fingers are itching to get out into the garden, tidy up and look for signs of spring. In Luxembourg, we are still in sub-zero temperatures, with ground frost and snow. The only thing that seems to be growing is the city of mole hills spreading it's way across the lawn and into the garden beds. I can probably say goodbye to the tulip bulbs I planted.In Positano, it's quite a different

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-48050000842684732082009-01-23T12:05:00.003+01:002009-04-25T13:45:51.465+02:00

Pockets of earth housed in the ancient walls of forgotten villas, bed lemon groves, abandoned to themselves in the heart of Positano.Smells are so evocative. Oregano reminds me of my grand-mother. Herbal shampoo takes me back to our beach house in Australia. But basil and lemons are the smell of Positano.The Amalfi Coast is Lemons. One is inextricably linked to the other.They do so well in the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-72776986988538761632009-01-21T19:43:00.007+01:002009-03-02T20:55:23.433+01:00

There were two articles in Positano News today which made my hackles rise.The first regards the state of the road that goes through the town of Positano.Via Pasitea is the only road to wind its way down through the town and connects with the state road at both ends. It is a one way road.Recently a water pipe was reported leaking half way down the hill, but attempts to repair it were only started

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-22681741436292069522009-01-12T13:02:00.003+01:002010-11-11T11:23:05.394+01:00

Are you sick of the cold ? Let me heat you up a touch.It's high summer. I decide to go for a late afternoon trip to the village of Nocelle in the mountains above Positano, to catch the last rays of sun long after Positano sits in the shade.The bus from Positano to Nocelle quickly fills with sticky bodies scantily clad in after-beach wear and after the main Mulini bus stop it is impossible to fit

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-75539977670683858702008-12-24T14:38:00.004+01:002008-12-27T09:34:19.226+01:00

As Christmas hits my home town in Australia,I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of good health and happiness. Thank you for being so encouraging !

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-28093937662730799812008-12-16T14:24:00.008+01:002009-10-30T14:40:41.524+01:00

I have had more than my fair share of wallowing in self-centered pity these last few months as the nightmarish quality to this year, where I lost my mother to breast cancer and had my father lose a kidney to cancer, has taken a recent plunge in what feels like the descent to hell.Everything happens for a reason I try to tell myself, and as my own health suffers too, I try to look at the whole

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-35897994931703689512008-12-06T20:20:00.018+01:002009-05-26T20:18:57.697+02:00

Christmas is just around the corner. For those who haven't yet thought of gifts for family and friends, I have some suggestions from two expat blogger friends in my part of the world whose creativity and resourcefulness has resulted in exceptional products for luxuriating and dreaming without breaking the budget.The Amalfi Coast, as any of you who have been here will know, is a place which

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-18106273905445550052008-11-22T14:32:00.008+01:002009-04-25T13:46:37.615+02:00

Just look at the bounty from our garden. Our wanderings to and thro from Italy, inevitably involve foodstuffs from the garden, who's weight in a sore arm and hand luggage sometimes outdoes that of their taste, especially if they are slightly out of season. But we just can't leave them behind to rot in the soil. While we are in Positano in autumn, resounding thumps in the garden announce the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-6271824909443827292008-11-09T14:18:00.003+01:002009-05-26T20:20:24.278+02:00

When you live in a small village with international fame, you don't necessarily get to know your neighbours. You may overhear snippets of conversations or pick out a foreign accent from over the wall, but you may be just as likely to learn more about them from a third party. I heard something from a third party which really saddened me.About five years ago, one of the properties was sold, with

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-64697719642160423702008-11-06T02:17:00.005+01:002009-04-22T08:40:08.740+02:00

At the moment the garden is a buzz with bees concentrated on the Nespoli or loquat tree in full flower. The creamy white flowers, clustered in posies inundate the terrace with a heady sweet fragrance. Offerings of nectar to the bees are raised on furry erect twigs. Broad dark leaves crackle underfoot, the tree shedding all year long like an annoying dog.The roses in the garden are little

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-5832080958252805332008-11-03T18:33:00.001+01:002009-03-02T20:56:04.589+01:00

With all the talk about the US Elections on at the moment, I thought I'd change the argument entirely :You know that its the end of season at Positano if...The sea becomes rough more frequently and reaches right up to the restaurants in Fornillo.The Mayor issues a by-law which ensures that at least one bar, one restaurant and a few shops remain open by rota in each of the six localities of

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-83777656065719169682008-10-29T10:28:00.007+01:002008-11-05T14:06:50.407+01:00

Our house in Positano, is quite close to others, but isolated by a long stairwell which leads to abandoned gardens just above the sea. Neighbours rarely live in the houses, coming on occasions for weekends or for the two weeks in the August holidays, so we feel quite alone. The stairwell at night leads into darkness, lit only by moonlight and the shadows of bougainvillea moving in the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-59631290675136306902008-10-27T19:04:00.007+01:002009-03-02T21:02:50.470+01:00

The clocks have been set back and the season is closing in Positano too.Late Sunday afternoon, a huge bonfire blazed and crackled on Fornillo beach with the remnants of wood left from the beach restaurants /bars. The wisps of smoke trailed well into the evening.The warm weather belies the season. My other half still swims every afternoon. His days are spent in the kayak, fishing with his friend

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-38374351416034519682008-10-25T10:49:00.002+02:002008-11-05T13:43:15.793+01:00

My two eldest have been sick with fever over in the UK this week, but it seems that a virus has hit bloggers too. 'Tags' have been spreading all over the web. I caught my tag from The Cottage Smallholder whom I visit regularly for useful information on gardening and keeping animals on a domestic scale with an English twist.In order to be cured, I have to abide by the following rules:1. Link to

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-65642548037784476022008-10-22T09:47:00.006+02:002008-10-22T09:59:26.257+02:00

I was pulling on my wellingtons, at the back door, for a dose of leaf sweeping, when my eight year old son called out "Mum, what does persuade mean?"."Sort of ' to make someone choose to do something , by telling them things." , I replied distractedly, my mind already on where I'd left the rake.Later, while putting away his homework, my eyes fell on the book report.Last question : 'What would you

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-86200134333499705762008-10-21T17:30:00.000+02:002009-03-02T20:56:44.761+01:00

Although the sea in Positano is still warm enough for swimming, most of the bars along the beach are beginning to close shop in a reversal of their frenetic hammering of May. Plank by painted plank, the faded blue platforms, worn down by many bare feet crusted in black sand, are dismantled. The boards will be stacked for winter in the hotel, a fresh coat of azure blue applied in May to camouflage

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-73224189706955903022008-10-16T14:54:00.002+02:002008-10-19T09:19:58.861+02:00

Don't you just love local festas with their catchy traditional Neapolitan dance music.We had a gardener at Positano a long, long time ago, long before I arrived on the scene who loved to get up and dance the tarantella at these local parties. The music was improvised and spontaneous with tambourines, castanets and guitars. The mood was inebriating, the food cooked on the spot. Michele, our

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-12508907870026613392008-10-13T16:11:00.013+02:002008-10-14T11:28:50.271+02:00

When you go to Church on Sunday and the priest announces that he is organizing a Missionary trip for his Parishioners, what do you expect to hear ? Certainly not that this trip is going to be based in the Caribbean Island of Cacun, and that in two weeks of travel, only four days will be dedicated to the Missionary 'experience.' Yes Folks, some things are particular to Positano.A hefty 2,000

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-31354120314629853192008-10-09T12:12:00.011+02:002009-01-07T11:26:50.106+01:00

Anyone Love Custard filled Cakes?Annika does !Sorry it's late...This cake is an absolute favourite in my house for birthdays. It comes from a well used recipe of my darling late mother, who made this cake her speciality. Today is my son's eighth birthday and he has ordered this cake with the chocolate cream. I have already baked two chocolate cakes for his class to share, he will have another

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-54332150796176611502008-10-05T14:45:00.013+02:002009-03-02T20:57:22.352+01:00

You may find this post dull, but this is a problem in our house at Positano which I have at heart, because in the twenty years that I have been there, it is still not resolved and gets worse.I read with interest the report on Positano News regarding the sewerage build up due to clogged drains in the Grotta Di Fornillo area and the subsequent flooding of the street after the first seasonal rains.

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-1915912407641223782008-10-02T08:29:00.012+02:002008-10-02T17:36:39.183+02:00

Positano has been bubbling with celebrities in these past few days. Beverley Mitchell from 'Seventh Heaven has her wedding celebrations at Positano and invited her famous friends from the Hollywood scene. They are lodged in all directions in the town and apparently even Madonna was seen arriving at a Villa at LiParlati last night. Jet setter's names thrown about are Justin Randall Timberlake and

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-46987985440247040402008-09-29T16:24:00.002+02:002008-09-29T16:25:27.924+02:00

My creation, originally uploaded by bellavventura.Yesterday in our garden.Why is it , that for every three apples that I pick, one has to land on my forehead ?

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-21265467159748563242008-09-26T11:13:00.005+02:002008-09-26T11:38:57.927+02:00

Best things I heard this week:I was in the UK and out shopping with my daughter, buying the bare necessities for her new home away from home.I had a kitchen knife, and a small pot and pan amongst the goods.When I went to pay, the shop assistant said apologetically,' Are you over 18 ? Sorry but I'm obliged to ask'.'Yes, but thank you for the compliment !', I exclaimed flattered.Later: The Taxi.A

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-46564444232446584382008-09-21T17:25:00.003+02:002008-09-21T17:30:59.653+02:00

Update - My daughter has found a decent house to share with four others, only newly completely renovated a ten minutes walk from Uni ! She can even move in a few days early if she doesn't mind not having curtains at the window for the first nights.Many many thanks to Casalba and Anne for your offers of help with the accomodation !

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-62807364366530167782008-09-20T20:15:00.008+02:002008-09-29T16:26:56.725+02:00

I've been a bad blogger lately, but a good mother. I have been glued to the computer (in between gardening for sanity), but not for entertainment. My second fledgling is about to leave the nest and go to Uni in the UK so we've been looking at the student digs in desperation. My daughter applied too late to get a place in the Student Halls and now skims the student notices for flatmates wanted,

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-88054418270370561162008-09-15T16:09:00.015+02:002008-09-16T20:25:08.094+02:00

The rain finally arrived in Positano over the weekend. After two and a half months of sunshine , it wasn't the after-summer deluge we expected. It was enough to water the very dry garden, but even though it had been a waterless summer, it hadn't felt like one of its hottest, with the exception of only a few days. The thunder in the morning flickered the lights several times and the sky clouded

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-93938362967152952008-09-08T08:14:00.005+02:002008-09-08T08:49:04.370+02:00

"Dai Claudio, vieni !" Maria yelled.The August night sky was unusually clear, notwithstanding the warm air. My father and I lean't on the railings on the terrace overlooking the beach. I could just make out my two sons and their friends fooling around on the beach sun loungers. I straightened up and shook my hand to get the ants off.Alexia and her two American friends grabbed a lilo from under

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-71253675051285443052008-09-04T12:31:00.010+02:002009-03-02T20:58:15.567+01:00

Positano News recently published an article on the work done around the Amalfi Coast and in particular Positano dock. If you look at the webcam on any given day, you can see a barge with a huge crane on board . What exactly it is doing there we don't know. The fact is that the extension of the Positano dock to a platform which resembles a sea of cement, has altered the shape of the beaches. In

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-53077749471930416572008-09-04T10:25:00.004+02:002009-03-02T21:03:48.618+01:00

My favourite part of the day at Positano has to be the early morning. We always have breakfast outside on the terrace in summer. The light is soft, the colours brillant and the sun still not too warm as to become unbearable. The day ahead is always full of promise.Come and have a coffee with me.

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-424717415136636542008-09-03T11:28:00.014+02:002009-03-02T20:58:42.063+01:00

Just a few contrasts from our beach in my home country.Positano. June 2008. One and a half hours drive from Naples.Fornillo beach at 8 :00 in the morning.Mornington Peninsula. Safety Beach, one and a quarter hours drive from Melbourne.Height of Summer holidays. 9:30 in the morning on the public beach - Private beaches don't exist.Looking towards Dromana.Looking towards Mt. Martha.Time necessary

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-41625329577393338202008-09-02T08:01:00.003+02:002009-05-20T18:01:57.505+02:00

My last night in Positano was interrupted by fireworks (again) at midnight as part of 'La Notte Bianca' celebrations. They were being held at La Marinello at Fornillo beach so we had a bird's eye view of them. A light in the mountain caught the corner of my eye and I lifted my head to see flames rise high above the village of MontePertuso. There were three fires burning in the same area, the

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311535379953181012.post-49191395570187473652008-07-06T21:27:00.002+02:002008-07-06T21:31:58.087+02:00

And I'm off for the long summer break. I've had to wait for my youngest to finish school and for my second oldest daughter to graduate with her European Baccalaureate. Now I'm organizing house and suitcases and early tomorrow morning we'll be gone. Don't try to burgle me because my eldest son will be here for a while yet!To all of you, have a lovely summer. See you in September!

Scintillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11556403160595972518noreply@blogger.com9