After accomplishing my “dish mission” in Positano, I headed down the Amalfi Coast for Villa Velina. I thoroughly enjoyed my short stay in this town, that will always and forever hold a piece of my heart, but this day would mark the very first time I would stay overnight at Villa D’Amore and stay for more than an hour! I had driven from Positano to Casalvelino before with Luisa, my realtor, but this would be the first time on my own.

I gawked at the scenery more than I should have while navigating the narrow areas and blind hairpin curves of this absolutely magnificent stretch of road that was designed and installed first by the Greeks and later improved by the Romans. “They sure knew how to live”, I thought as I benefited from the views of such beauty that were beyond description. Back in the day, we’re talking horse traffic, so there was no need for these roads to be very wide.

It was stormy and a bit overcast along the Amalfi Coast that day, but nothing can take away from the spectacular experience (except maybe if you try to do this in July/August when these towns are bulging with tourists and the Amalfi Coast Road is gridlocked. And you get to back your car around a hairpin curve because a tourist bus cannot fit. I witnessed many amazing sites along the way.

Then, I reached Salerno. From this point on, I would be driving my local turf through Bufalo Mozzarella territory and the roads would get more and more provinciale until i reached Villa D’Amore.

As I skirted around Salerno and continued my journey, I could see the skies brighten, until a beautiful blue sky with an interesting cloud formation appeared near Paestum. It was just magical!

As I exited the Provinciale Autostradale 18, I could barely contain my excitement! Just a couple of kilometers and I would be home in Italy (casa in Italia)!! Even as I drove, I took some initial shots of my town. There had just been a storm and the skies were so dramatic.

After a left turn (gira sinistra) and climb up the hill, I identified my dirt road (strada bianca) and turned right. The name of my street is painted on the gray pole: Contrada San Nicola (Saint Nicolas Street or Santa Claus Way).

I continued down the strada bianca and as I turned right to enter my driveway, this view was waiting for me. At this point, the driveway takes a very sharp turn to the left. Anyone missing it (due to the beverages they chose to drink or inattention), will suddenly find themselves tumbling 600 feet down the hillside into town!

Ahhh, Villa D’Amore at last! As I entered my Casa Dolce Casa (home sweet home), she gave me views that will always possess my mind when I leave and keep me coming back!

Giò