Cornetto alla Nutella

This was not the best day of our holiday, unfortunately. Foolishly emboldened by how well I thought that I managed in the heat yesterday in Procida and Naples, I was keen to attempt “The Path of the Gods” which is a 7 km path from Bomerano (high on the hills above Amalfi) to Nocelle (high on the hills above Positano.) Bomerano is an attractive village with a little square with restaurants and benches. The Path of the Gods is clearly marked and we encountered quite a few people walking it, either in the same direction as us, or from Nocelle. The views from up there are absolutely stunning, and the path is quite vertiginous in places. But that wasn’t my problem, I’m generally ok with heights. My issue was with the heat. There was a slight breeze but it was not cooling; it was more like a hairdryer on a warm setting. There was not much shelter; there were a few groves of trees but the walk was mainly in full sun and I felt as if my skin was burning off (although it wasn’t - when we got back to the hotel later I could see that my trusty Factor 50 sun cream had protected me completely.) I had thought that the second half of September would be cooler here than during the height of summer, and it is only 27 deg C compared to probably at least 10 degrees hotter in July or August. 

However it was still far too hot and humid for me to walk, and I shouldn’t have attempted it. I was keen for James to do the walk so I convinced myself that I would be ok which was stupid of me. The walk had lots of steps both down and up, as it undulated its way around the several headlands between our start and finish points. 

I started ok but quickly overheated and felt worse and worse. It must have been awful for James, who was very patient and kind. One day this will be a funny story to tell but at the moment it just feels like another failure in my life. In the end I had to be rescued from the mountain by helicopter and taken to the hospital in Salerno where I was put on a drip to rehydrate me. James collected me later by taxi. I felt really sad when I got back to the hotel where I had a lovely shower to wash off all the dust.

This holiday has been brilliant in many ways but it is also overshadowed by the illness of my friend Doreen, who is in a hospice with her family at her side. I realise that I will not see her again and that also makes me sad. 

By the way, a Cornetto is not an ice cream here in Sorrento, but a breakfast pastry like a croissant.