Just before June came to end, I finally made my primo bagno, or the first swim of the season in Amalfi. Better late than never, right? I love swimming in the morning when the water is still calm and the beaches much quieter compared to the afternoon. I arrived in Amalfi early on a Saturday morning, and the colorful umbrellas on Amalfi’s Marina Grande beach were already set up and ready for the busy day ahead.
My favorite spot for a swim in Amalfi is the eastern end of the beach, which is the free area where you can either rent a sunbed and umbrella or simply throw your towel down on the beach. This is where you’ll find the Amalfitani, who also know that the water is the clearest and most beautiful on this end of the beach. Since it was still in the shade when I arrived, which you can see above, I took a morning walk along the harbor over to where the boats were already starting to arrive filled with visitors coming to Amalfi for the day.
I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of this happy bag my mother sent me for my birthday, which filled in last minute for a beach bag I couldn’t find. Thanks for the pretty bag, Mom! A little bit of sunshine in Amalfi … the perfect beginning to another summer on the Amalfi Coast!
Only discovered your blog fairly recently – but I’m hooked! Love your quiet and respectful commentary on the people you meet and the places you visit on a day to day basis. We love the area and are looking forward to our next visit. Your blog is the next best thing to being there. Thank you Laura for your thoughtful and insightful blog.
Ciao Dee! Your sweet comment really made me smile. Thank you! What you wrote is exactly what I try to accomplish in my writing … to be quiet and respectful of the communities and people that I have fallen in love with here on the Amalfi Coast. Hope you will be back here again soon! 🙂
A brave woman Laura that you are finding the sea already warm enough to bathe 🙂
Ciao Linda! Haha … if only I had written the full story of my primo bagno, which involved a horrible allergic reaction to the water that made me feel like I had been bitten by hundreds of mosquitos in the same moment. Fortunately, it went away quickly, and I didn’t have the same reaction today. I suspect it had something to do with the water being still to cold that first time!
Cute bag! Amalfi is beautiful, no need to comment on that fact! 🙂
Ciao Saretta! Agreed! 🙂 I wonder how many photos I’ve taken of Amalfi at this point …
Love the bag.
Ciao Pat! I do, too. It was such a fun and happy birthday present. As my mom and I say … you can never have too many books or too many bags! 🙂