Andiamo a Amalfi: The Lemon Goddess

I visited Amalfi for the first time cruising down 11th Ave. I was fixated, watching the water of the Hudson make the evening sky's reflection dance, so the nouns and verbs of my Aunt would go in one ear and out the other. However, something stuck: "Amalfi". I thought to myself, "that sounds Italian," considering we'd been talking about my future life in Italy. I asked about Amalfi. "I've always wanted to go visit the Amalfi Coast! Enjoy the heat, go to the beach; they have one of the best beaches in the world," she replied in her Trini-New York accent. By this point, I would zone back out. I began to daydream, turning the currents of the Hudson into the waves of Amalfi and before I could open my eyes, my future life in Italy we had been talking about was the present. -- Welcome to Amalfi!

The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula with sheer cliffs and a rugged shoreline populated with small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages. It is famous for its lemon groves and real-estate as well! The best way to go to Amalfi is by sea, thus by sea I traveled. During the voyage, we made a stop. We stopped to visit hidden gem of the Sorento region: Positano, a small coastal city built directly into the seaside cliffs.

Positano:

• Best Cannoli on the face of the earth!
• Beaches with rocks instead of sand. The massage your feet as the waves rock you!
• Tons of shops, venders, restaurants, and art galleries.

We would continue to sail down the coast and reach Amalfi by the early afternoon. When docked, the group's propensity created factions. I found myself paired with Austin, the adventurer. We'd have lunch and over this meal I learned about his plan for the day: to find, Limone Dea, the Lemon Goddess. Legend has it that the goddess dwells in the depths of the lemon groves deep in the in land mountains. She appears to give travelers fresh lemon beverages, energy to complete their journey. — The soles of my feet yelled at me for not wearing shoes to comfort my 2.5 mile uphill trek. I looked at my watch, "Austin, we are going to be late getting back to the group." My concern did not worry him as he continued up the stone stairs. To the right and then a solid stop in place, we had come face to face with the Dea.

At this point, I knew little Italian, and the fact the this she was so gorgeous did not help either. Her angelic voice would ask a question few were blessed to ever ponder, "cosa vorresti?" "What would I like," I thought to myself. I saw a lemon slush was an option, as if she had known even though I am twenty years old I'd yet to outgrow this childhood treat.

Although the goddess Austin and I encountered that day was merely a mountainside restaurant, the lemon slushes hold divinity. The beverage is worth the 3 mile uphill battle, it is worth being 15 minutes late and having people wait on you (sorry guys), it is worth the 2 euros! I would, rather will travel to Amalfi again to see my Lemon Goddess once again and to have another delicious homegrown, freshly squeezed slushee.

Until next time Amalfi,
Courtney