Inna reserved a private, charted boat tour of the Amalfi Coast for my birthday. However, unfavorable marine conditions required changing plans one day before my birthday. Inna rescheduled the time for Thursday, September 28th, hoping the Tyrrhenian Sea would get calmer.
Luckily, the weather improved, and we were first picked up by a driver from Corso Italia (flags). He took us to the Marina Piccola (little marina), and we waited for the blue boat to dock.
We boarded the small powerboat with Joseph and Antony (skipper) in a few minutes. We started to sail out of the marina. I noticed that 2 cruise ships were anchored in the harbor:
- Azamara Quest (on a 10-Night Italy Intensive Voyage)
- Star Clipper (on an Amalfi and Sicily 7-Night Cruise)
We noticed lots of tour groups arriving by tender. We were happy to be on our way (and away from the tourist crowds).
On the way to our destination, we noticed many exciting sites, including:
- Medieval-built coastal towers (used for warning of nearby pirates)
- Torre di Fussa Papa
- Torre di Muntalto
- Torre di Recommone (1567)
Our first stop was to swim among the Dolphin islands along the Amalfi coast:
- La Castellucia
- La Rotonda
- Gallo Lungo (looks like a Dolphin or Rooster)
Antony dropped the anchor, and we jumped into the deep blue waters between the islands. The sea was much calmer (being blocked by the 3 islands). Gallo Lungo is an island with a private hotel that hosts weddings.
After we finished swimming, we motored toward Positano. We sailed close to the beach and took plenty of photos (as we did not plan to stop there). We have been there twice already and wanted to avoid the crazy crowds.
Our next stop was the Grotto del Buco. It was a lovely little Grotto with beautiful crystal blue water. We took a few photos and continued on.
Our next stop was to eat lunch at Nerano. Antony made lunch reservations for 12:30, and we motored there. Since Nerano does not have a dock to accommodate our boat, Antony picked up a tender, mooring in the harbor, and waited for a small inflatable boat to pick us up.
After landing at Nerano, Anthony and Joseph walked us to the Bagni Africano restaurant on the pebble beach. Our table 1 was all ready for us.
We immediately liked Nerano (much more than Positano). It was much less crowded, with far fewer tourists. The water was clear and sparkling blue. This would be an ideal getaway spot for 1-2 days of relaxation from Sorrento.
After looking at the menu, we liked the selections and the reasonable prices for most items. We ordered the following selections for the menu:
- Appetizer: Caprese Salad with Buffalo Mozzarella
- Pasta: Pacchere con Genovese
- Inna: Calamaro Alla Brace (Squid)
- Boris: Freshly caught local fish
We loved the delicious tomatoes and mozzarella in the Caprese Salad. We don't get such delicious tomatoes in the United States.
The pasta was excellent, too! I really liked my freshly cooked local fish.
Our dinner was excellent and reasonably priced (unlike crazy high prices in Capri or Positano).
Although Nerano Beach was rocky, the Tyrrhenian was clear, and the beach resort seemed excellent (without the mob of tourists, like in Positano). Next time, we should stop there for a day's rest.
After lunch, we returned to our boat for another lovely swim in the Tyrrhenian Sea. We could see quite far in the deep water below.
We also stopped briefly under a natural waterfall. The water was so cold!
Amalfi Boat Trip Report
Highlights
- Swimming among the Dolphin islands
- Viewing the beautiful Amalfi Coast from a private boat
- Eating lunch at Bagni Africano restaurant on Nerano
- Seeing various Grottos, including Grotto del Buco
Lowlights
- Could not get to the city of Amalfi by boat (it would require 3.5 hours of non-stop motoring)
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