Star Clipper - Amalfi to Rome
12th – 15th October 2022
‘You’ll need the bigger pier, that’s where the cruise ships come in. Only the private yachts and fishing boats use the smaller pier.’
It’s a déjà vu, the conversation with the taxi driver as I explain we’re joining a cruise ship and I’ve been instructed to meet the tender boat at Amalfi’s ‘smaller pier’. Even after a loudspeaker conversation with the Captain giving precise instructions, the driver asks if I want him to wait in case he needs to go to the other pier.
As promised, the tender arrives at the pier for the private yachts and fishing boats. Star Clipper is neither, yet has elements of both, intertwined with the nostalgic magic only a tall ship can behold. A perfect, unique hybrid that hasn’t altered in over thirty years. Embarking a clipper ship with the cascading, colourful coast of Amalfi in the background immediately takes me to an era I never experienced, yet feel well versed in. The immersive experience of being on board a vessel designed on the 1920s Grand Age of Sail can make anyone feel as though they lived an entire century ago, leaving the hustle and bustle of the modern day behind to sip Italian coffee and watch the world go by.
The gold finishings gleam on the Tropical Bar’s rails as the sun starts to set, altering the pastel pinks and yellows of Amalfi and painting them all with an orange hue. Sailaway is not for another few hours, so we slowly watched the island descend into darkness and become aglow, as though the stars had been lowered.
Dinner was served in the main restaurant, the only restaurant on board yet perfectly equipped to cater for a variety of nationalities, tastes and dietary requirements. We passed the resident pianist, melodically tapping away as the Maître D greeted us with a smile and led us to our table, a comfortable and spacious booth. The vintage, French-inspired décor paired with the grandeur is hard to not gasp in awe at. The service and food cannot be faulted; it’s hard to believe there’s enough space on a tall ship to cook up to eight delicious and varied courses for almost 160 guests. With bellies full, the guests ascended to the Tropical Bar to enjoy a show from the locals, with several willing guests plucked from the crowds to take part in hearty Italian singing and synchronised dance moves.
We arrived in Sorrento bright and early, and after a delicious breakfast of a freshly cooked omelette, pancakes and fruit I found myself on the pier ready to join the boat excursion to Capri. The ship has a variety of tours that can be booked, and in an effort to soak up as much of the Amalfi Coast as possible, I decided to join also. In reality, the ‘soaking’ was literal, as it poured with rain – however, nothing could dampen the mood when you’re immersed in such a beautiful part of the Mediterranean, where the air smells like a cocktail of coffee beans, lemons and Vespa fumes. I purchased a 5Euro bright pink poncho from a local shop and carried on – very Amalfi-chic.
The funicular that connects the Marina Grande to the Piazza Umberto transports us past vibrant, luscious gardens and cascading buildings so perfectly embedded with the landscape. The familiar pastel colours looking even more striking against the dullness of the clouds. From the bustling Piazza laden with Chanel and Alexander McQueen, we hopped on a local bus to Anapcapri, a small commune nestled even higher in the mountains, with fewer crowds. The roads snake so much that the busses are oddly short to allow them to navigate the bends, quite a humorous sight I had trouble taking seriously. After a couple of hours browsing jewellery boutiques and sampling delicacies from artisan chocolatiers we sat down for lunch in an understated restaurant tucked away down a side-street, where I consumed the most delicious pasta I’ve ever eaten in my life.
We retraced our steps back to the ferry jetty, where cafes lined the streets and old friends gossiped over Aperol Spritzers. I re-joined Star Clipper after a 30 minute crossing back to Sorrento, where I shared the vessel with local families, tourists and day-tripppers all chattering away excitedly as the ferry bounced rhythmically over the waves. Once on board, as darkness fell we made our way up to the open deck for the sailaway.
Scattered stars cloaked the sky as the ship’s bell rang and chains began clunking. The crew know this process so well, yet the concentration and regimented professionalism is a sight to behold. Every movement is watched on by the Captain, as guests stand mere feet away from ropes being pulled and wheels being spun. The sails begin to rise just as Vangelis’ Conquest of Paradise begins to build over the speakers, timed perfectly with the song’s dramatic apex serenading us as we begin to make headway. As Sorrento melts into the darkness, the guests stay up on deck enjoying the calm stillness of the night, the only sound a gentle flapping of the sails and the distant echos of Bon Jovi as the late night disco begins.
I awoke to the sun rising through the cabin’s porthole, the ship still gently gliding as she approached Ponza - the largest of the Pontine Islands. This sleepy little fishing community had less energy than our previous ports of call, but what it lacked in vigour it more than made up for in charm. Shaped like a crescent-moon, Ponza offers a front-row seat to locals waiting for their catch of the day and deliveries of goods arriving on two-wheeled vehicles at Roman grottos-turned-shops. It’s a beautifully preserved destination, full of colonial villas that date back as far as 1700 creating a paradox effect as I witness a local enthusiastically chatting on the latest iPhone. We embraced the slower pace and settled ourselves outside a café with an Espresso, watching the odd little boat leave the harbour as local men set off for business or pleasure; most likely both.
An earlier sailaway time today summoned us back on board for lunch, a delicious array of Asian cuisine filling the restaurant with aromatic wafts of ginger and lemongrass. The Captain announced that he’d be letting a couple of tenders down to allow passengers to get a photo opportunity of Star Clipper as she sailed out of Ponza, a regular Star Clippers offering. There is something ethereal about witnessing such a majestic ship skim the still water as her white sails raise in silence, an audience watching on speechless from afar. The crew balanced precariously on the bowsprit as they enthusiastically waved for the cameras, dotted like birds on a delicate wire. The wind began to pick up and I overheard a frantic radio conversation between the officers instructing that we need to get back on board; within minutes we were stepping onto the ship’s outer staircase, still reeling from the other-worldly perspective we were just witness to. We sipped Pina Coladas as Ponza faded into the horizon, bound for Rome, reeling from the experience of the last thirty minutes - a perfect, Star Clipper shaped cherry on top of an amazing few days.
