October 7 - Beautiful Ravello and Amalfi

We were up before the sun and after breakfast in our cabin we met at the gathering point for our tour to Ravello.  There was a delay because the authorities told us we couldn’t anchor in our original spot. The ship had to move and then there were large swells which were making tendering more difficult.  After an hour-long delay we tendered ashore to the main dock in Amalfi.  There our guide Stefano took us to our little bus and we were off.

The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful in the world in my opinion. Steep hills rise from the azure sea and villages hang on the hillsides.  People from here must have strong legs and be very fit.  The coast is dotted with old medieval watchtowers, which the local people used to warn of marauding pirates.  Some are in ruins and others have been incorporated into luxurious hotels or private villas.  The property here is extraordinarily expensive because no new construction is allowed.

The road to Ravello is not for the faint-hearted.  Ravello sits perched nearly above Amalfi but 1800 feet up.  The road is a series of hairpin turns on a road barely wide enough for two cars, let alone two buses.  At one point it’s too narrow and there is a traffic light to allow one-way traffic. 

The trip is definitely worth it though.  At the top sits Ravello with its magnificent view of the sea and the towns below.  I think it’s probably my favorite place on this coast; I think it’s more beautiful than its more famous neighbor Positano.  We’d been to Ravello three years ago so when we got off the bus we left the group and did our own thing.  We revisited a ceramic shop we had been to before and walked through the little streets around the main square.  We sat at a little café on the square and had the best pizza I can remember eating as a thunderstorm passed over.  The sturdy umbrellas of the café kept us dry and the sun came back as soon as the shower passed.

A street in Ravello

Rooftops of Ravello

The main square

 

A view to die for!

After lunch and some more picture-taking we met our group and headed back down the hill to Amalfi.  Stefano, our guide,  told us that there is a stairway you can take from Amalfi to Ravello!  I can tell you that is something we wouldn’t have tried even in our younger days.

We wandered around Amalfi for a little while.  We had some wonderful gelato and sat watching the throngs of tourists going by.  At the table next to us was an Oriental couple who were writing postcards in some kind of characters.  Even the address was in characters and I couldn’t help but wonder how the local post office would know where to route them. 

The Cathedral in the main square in Amalfi

Then it was time to go back to the ship.  All in all this was a lovely day here in Amalfi.  On our previous visits we’ve always docked in Naples and the trip here has involved long bus rides and hustling through many stops.  This was far more relaxing.