[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
May 10 - Amalfi
Amalfi reminds me of Venice in that you can sense its past elegance but now the buildings are seriously in need of maintenance and it survives on tourism and a spectacular setting. As in most tourist areas, the real town comes out when the last tour bus has rumbled into the sunset and the place is returned to the locals.
During the day it is all about separating tourists from their money. The crowds are oppressive ... and it is only May. I can't begin to imagine what walking around town (and trying to drive that highway) must be like in the height of the summer crush!
In the evening, the busy business of commerce gives way to the Italian sense of family and community. Families come out and walk the streets together -- the evening passagiata. Restaurants fill, knots of people chat in the piazza and life, for a moment or two, is sweet.
For all its daytime frantic-ness, there is an evening calm and sensibility to this country in general -- and this section of it in particular -- that is irrepressible.
© 2007 Restaurant Doctor