Amalfi, April 15th, 1909

We sat around last night in the garden until about 9:30 and then packed our grips and retired at 10 o’clock. I awoke at 6 and had a fine view of the fishermen from my window.

There was a regular flotilla of boats and the nets were being pulled in from the shore, big and little folks pulling away at them. I understand that often they do not catch any and sometimes only one or two fish.

We had ordered two carriages for 9:30 in the morning to ride from Sorrento to Amalfi, and we certainly enjoyed this drive, wondering all the time how you (Charlie) could possibly have stood this walk of twenty-four miles.

We passed some of the grandest and most picturesque spots which it has ever been my privilege to see on this beautiful earth.

On the other side of Sorrento, we saw a villa nicely situated near the road and overlooking a beautiful valley, where an Italian fruit dealer who made his money in Brooklyn, N.Y. is living in peace enjoying the “Fruits of his labor.”

We had a constant view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Salerno with three huge rocks which looked as if they had been thrown there by some giant force. Along the entire road runs a fence built up of rock and coated over with cement and, in some places, the fence is made by huge century cacti.

About noon we reached Positano, where we stopped at a hotel to drink a Munchener and eat some bread and cheese. Here we met some fellow travelers from the Barbarossa, Mr. Haueisen and family from Indianapolis.

Near this place is a very pretty little water fall. A very interesting place is Parinade Perano; from our carriage we could look away down some 250 feet where this old village is built up at the edge of the sea. There are many ruins of old houses.

About three o’clock we reached Amalfi, an old town which played quite an important part in navigation in the 10th century. At the foot of a rock, we were bowed in by concierge of the hotel and now began a climb of 192 steps to the hotel entrance, where we were met by a young lady who showed us our rooms, which look upon the beautiful sea.

We cleaned up and were glad to get the chance to do so. (Charlie, how did you ever manage to climb those steps after an all-day walk?) We then took a walk in the garden, which is built upon the rock in terraces and around which runs a pergola(?), overgrown with vine.

A walk through the monastery (hotel) proved very interesting. It is more than 700 years old. The chapel has some old paintings of saints and, in the choir above, are some old chairs and Lecturnes. The cloister in Moorish architecture is very interesting, so are the cells, which are now converted into bedrooms. The entire building is very interesting and looks as if it had been pasted onto the rock.

We retired early being tired from the hard work of doing nothing. By the way, the eating was very good.