Day 10, Sept 7. We left Matera driving along the Appian Way, now a highway. We passed agricultural landscape-enormous rolling hills with neat rows of olive and other trees, wheat fields, livestock. The large hills form deep valleys, and on the top of many hills are villages with old fortification walls still visible. We arrived in Capaccio to learn about water buffalo cheese and other products. Stephanie was our guide. This is the official buffalo mozzarella, not a knock-off! The water buffalo at this organic family farm are treated very well, with showers twice daily and large brush massages on demand. Treated well, that is, unless you consider that they are slaughtered at 15 for meat and leather. Lunch was at the farm. We were served crespelle (like small pillows made of thin crepes and filled with ricotta and spinach), white wine, mozzarella, ricotta, bread, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, yogurt, and gelato. All were local products, fresh and delicious. From there we had a short drive to Paestum and the best preserved Greek temples anywhere, including Greece. Being in a rural area, they've been much less prone to damage by pollution and tourism. They date from 7th century BC. Originally, the temples were on the ocean (today the ocean is a mile or so away) and were impressive and intimidating to passing ships or travelers. The town of Paestum was located there among the temples. Later, the Romans occupied this town, adding some of their own construction. Later still, it was abandoned due to flooding and malaria carrying mosquitoes. Paestum was rediscovered in the 1800s. It was also the site of an American military hospital during WW II.
Then it was back on the bus for the drive to Positano. Spectacular views of the ocean and hillside towns rising from the rocks as we drove along sheer rock cliff drop offs and switchbacks. We dined at a restaurant near the beach with a super flirty waiter. As Diana said, he laid it on thick. Back on our balcony, we sat and marvelled at nighttime Positano.
Positano Day 7 September 8 Today we experienced la dolce far niente, the joy of doing nothing. It's going to take some practice to master this, but we were pretty good for beginners. Slept in, breakfast on the terrace overlooking Positano, shopping, lounging on the beach. You get the idea. Deepest thought today was pondering the recipe for Lemon Spritzers, which involve limoncello, prosecco, and soda water. Dinner was a take-out deli meal, which we ate on our balcony. The pasta took a bit because it had to be cooked after we ordered, a learning experience for these Americans.