Long ago, in my past life before my Italian chapter, I saw a beautiful photo report about the Amalfi Coast. My verdict back then was: «A lie! It can’t be real!» I thought it was just the fantasy of a glamorous magazine journalist, pure photo editing and retouching. There were no smartphones, no Wi-Fi, and no Photoshop even in our dreams. But as soon as fate brought me to Campania Felix, my very first trip was to Amalfi.
I remember that windy winter day: the sea was rough, and shaggy leaden clouds covered the sun. Standing in front of the stairs of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, looking at the gold of its facade, my very first question was: «Why is there such a massive temple in such a tiny town?» — «Because the faith is big,» was the answer. Since then, I have never had the desire to ask anything else about it.
I was raised and educated as an atheist, but this unwavering commitment of the locals to their faith commands my deepest respect. They believe not only in the Almighty and His family, but also that this rocky, precipitous land with its tiny, inconvenient beaches is the best land in the world. And they are absolutely right!
Every time I come to Amalfi, I am filled with admiration for the masters who built these roads, towns, and this cathedral thousands of years ago, and for the ordinary residents who have protected it for generations from barbarians, vandals, and natural disasters, honoring it as their greatest treasure. Nature and the landscape here are treated with the same respect and care: everything remains just as it was hundreds of years ago. This is exactly why the entire coast, from Vietri to Positano, from the Lattari mountain ridges to the tiniest nameless grotto in the sea surf, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
And there is a good reason for that! Every turn of the serpentine road makes you gasp: "Ah, how beautiful!" — "Oh, look at the color of the sea!" — BEAUTY! — "Wow, look at those cliffs!" — BEAUTY! — "Oh, what yachts!" — "Look at that height!" — "Ah, the flowers!" — "Oh, what gardens!" BEAUTY! — And then... "Oh, well, look at that traffic!" :) As soon as the desire to trade the office for a beautiful picture before your eyes appears, you must drive to the Costiera Amalfitana. Here, wherever you turn your head, your eyes find only incredible beauty that is impossible even to dream of in the city bustle. Everyone sees through their own eyes, and everyone finds their own beauty. That is the trick.
