Program 758: Reasons to Scuba Dive; Italy's Amalfi Coast; England's SW Coast Path

On the next Travel with Rick Steves, find out how learning to scuba dive, is kind of like learning to drive a car. Except the scenery can be breathtaking in ways you don't expect! A global scuba diving enthusiast tells us how.

Plus, a tour guide from the Amalfi Coast region of Italy has advice for enjoying her gorgeous corner of the Mediterranean, without letting crowds spoil your view.

And we'll hear how you can enjoy a ramble on one of England's most popular hiking trails, the South West Coast Path.

• Carrie Miller, co-author of "A Diver's Guide to the World" (National Geographic)
• Ann Long, tour guide based near Sorrento, Italy
• Charlie Rawson, tour guide based in Bristol, England

• Carrie Miller is co-author of "A Diver's Guide to the World." She and her diver husband Chris Taylor also post underwater photos frequently to Facebook and Instagram at "Beneath the Surface Media."
• Carrie described five reasons to learn to scuba dive for National Geographic.
• The Rick Steves online guide to Italy's Amalfi Coast region.
• Ann Long can be contacted for tours in Italy through her Facebook page.
• Ann has more thoughts on the Amalfi region of Italy on Travel with Rick Steves program #592 from February 2020, on living as an expat in Italy on program #550a in January 2021, and on the nature of "Chaos, Italian Style" on program #366b in August 2023.
• Charlie Rawson leads walking tours in Bristol and Bath, and elsewhere in England and Scotland. She can be found on Instagram @charlie_rawson, and on Facebook.
• The National Trail in the UK has a guide to the South West Coast Path, and helpful advice for hiking anywhere in the UK with the countryside code.

• "On the Amalfi Coast, skip the jammed buses with no view, and take ferries instead with stunning views. Instead of a crowded standing room only bus from Sorrento, take a high speed train to Salerno and walk to the ferry landing to go to Amalfi, and Positano, where you can also go to Capri and Sorrento." (e-mail from Jamey, Lisbon)
• "Minori, on the Amalfi coast, a gem! They have a special local gnocchi dish that is to die for! Also great pottery, lively outdoor concerts in the summer. We walked there while staying at Hotel Marmorata, another divine place!" (Facebook comment from Myrabelle)
• "Ferry from Naples to Positano, ferry to Sorrento, bus to Pompeii, train back to Naples. Doable in a day." (Facebook comment from Heidi)
• "We are taking our granddaughter to the Amalfi Coast for her Grammy and Grampy European trip. She is the second of our five to be gifted this life experience. We are wondering how to best see Capri. My current plan is to drive to Sorrento to park and take the early ferry across. I am quite confused about renting a group boat or taking the public ferry. We are on a bit of a budget and there will be four of us." (e-mail from Penny)

• KPM_KPMK_1134_02501_Tea_Pot_APM
• Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Marek Janowski, cond, "Le Carnaval des animaux-VII: Aquarium (Saint-Saens)," All Day Classic Best 112 (collection) / Warner Music Japan
• Mobius, "Quintette instrumental: lento (Villa-Lobos)," Villa-Lobos Chamber Music / Naxos
• Leo Portela, "Bandolero," Buenos Aires-Paris: The Electronic Tango Anthology, disc 1 (collection) / PMB Music (Argentina)
• 2FM_2FM_0070_05301_Shimmering_Cascades_60_B_APM
• * Antonio Carlos Jobim, "Mojave," Wave / A&M
• MMIT_MMIT_0001_00701_Via_Veneto_APM
• TCS_TCS_0025__00101_Walk_with_Fellini_APM
• Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, cond., "Quando m'en vo' (from 'La Boheme') (Puccini)," Bella Tuscany (collection) / Telarc
• Michael McCabe, "Come Back to Sorrento," Amor / Out of the Blue Records
• MMIT_MMIT_0001_02601_Dolce_Vita_B_APM
• Severino Gazzelloni, "Amarcord," Severino Gazzelloni Plays Nino Rota / CAM OST
• Frank Sinatra, arranged by Alex Stordahl, remastered from the original 78 rpm recording, "Come Back to Sorrento," The Columbia Years (1943-1952): The Complete Recordings / Columbia-Legacy
• Orchestra unspecified, "Torna a Sorrento," French and Italian Golden Hits (collection) / Orfeon Records
• * Nino Rota, "La Dolce Vita (Finale)," La Dolce Vita (soundtrack) / Creazioni Artistiche Musicali (Italy)
• Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Richard Studt, dir., "Two Aquarelles for Strings, 'The First Cuckoo in Spring' (Delius)," English String Music / Naxos
• SON_SCDV_0690_01501_Green_Forest_APM
• London Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Boult, cond., "English Folk Song Suite-III: March (Folk Songs from Somerset)," British Composers Guide to Britain, disc 2 (collection) / EMI Classics
• KPM_KPM_0504_02201_Bromsgrove_Fair_APM
• DED_DED_0153_09901_Country_Garden_APM
• Suzanne Schulman, clarinet; Erica Goodman, harp, "Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite V: Summer (Paul Reade)," Serenades and Sonatas for Flute and Harp / Naxos

* Indicates filler music used during internal breaks on the broadcast

• Rick opens segment A saying, "In England, they're completing the longest coastal trail in the world," and it's being named for King Charles III.
• Rick opens segment B noting the increase in tourist crowds in Sorrento and the Amalfi region. Ann adds that they've been increasing, post-pandemic, from 2022 to 2023, and "they're predicting even more for 2024." They discuss highway issues and options for marine transportation during the segment, including getting to the nearby island of Capri. At 26:13, Ann adds that driver restrictions were put into place during August last year.
• Ann notes that her son is now 33 years old, at 22:39.
• In the open to segment C, and in a reset at 46:10, Rick calls the South West Coast Path the most popular hiking trail in England.