Anne & Kirk Woodyard – Music and Markets Tours

It’s been a few years since we’ve hosted a Music and Markets Amalfi Coast Tour, and what a joy it was to share this beautiful part of the world with guests once again this July!
The Amalfi Coast Music Festival is now headquartered in Maiori (it was formerly in Vietri sul Mare), and evening concerts take place in the historic Palazzo Mezzacapo -the town hall of Maiori, in the cathedral or cloister of Amalfi, on a stage perched over the sea in Conca dei Marini, and other spectacular locations. During the days we have the entire Amalfi Coast to explore (including a day trip to glorious Capri!), so today we chug along to Amalfi on a little ferry from Maiori, taking in the views of yesterday’s destination, Ravello, high on a rocky point (that white contemporary hanging on the side is Gore Vidal’s former home), from where we’ll head on a larger ferry to Positano.
We pass adorable little Atrani – one of our favorite authentic Amalfi coast lovelies, and take advantage of the hour before our next ferry to walk into Amalfi, bravely crossing the two lane Amalfi Coast Highway in between buses and cars to arrive at the main piazza.

Amalfi’s relatively quiet this early in the morning, and it’s fun to peek into whitewashed corridors (Arab baths from the 1300s) and note how stairs rise immediately on either side of the one street through town. Friends who’ve rented an apartment here talked of descending 80 plus steps each morning to the bakery, then UP again!
Boarding the larger ferry for the half hour cruise to Positano, we pass gorgeous sailboats  moored offshore- the eye-catching pastels of the town must be a lovely sight from there – and one yacht even has a water slide off the upper deck – looks like fun!While our guests start shopping the tempting boutiques overflowing with “Positano Style”, Kirk buys tart lemon granitas for all from our favorite lady-and-the-boat at the top of Positano’s winding lanes –

this is where the Amalfi Coast road comes through Positano, and where the only bus stop is-  quite a hike above the shore.

Then he doctors the icy treat with his little bottle of limoncello – wow what a taste!

We’ll consider that treat our aperitif – now on to lunch, along the cliffside path, past the Saracen tower that’s been nicely renovated into a vacation rental.

Perched on the cliffside, O Guaracino has our table ready, along with a chilled pitcher of crisp local white, and plenty of cold water (yes, it’s HOT – one of the hottest summers on record!).

With views from one side to another, friendly, welcoming staff, and the freshest of seafood cooked on an open fire, it’s our favorite Positano restaurant.
And a little more lemon is the perfect finish to our feastbefore we head back to Maiori on our two-ferry trip… perhaps there’s time for a dip in the pool before dinner?Life on the Amalfi Coast is full-to-the-brim of delights for the eyes, the mouth – yes, all of our senses!

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The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we’re interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We’ve visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe.
Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with our Music and Markets guests.
While both of us have experience in organizing travel and music groups Kirk’s background is in project management and competitive writing, and Anne is an accomplished pianist with over thirty years of teaching experience, and a travel and food writer specializing in France and Italy.