Ravello, Italy

Got up early for breakfast at 8:00 am local time; we had to depart about 9 am. The breakfast room was busy since the three hiking groups were also scheduled to leave for their first hike. The hotel offered a nice variety of breakfast foods, including fresh eggs that you put on a long ladle into a shallow pot of boiling water to cook the way you like it. They had a sign to show how many minutes for hard vs soft boiled eggs. Below is a photo of our hotel which was located at a junction to two narrow roads, and two of the minivans waiting for the small tour groups. We had the big bus for today.

We boarded our bus for our first town on the Amalfi Coast itinery, Ravello. The ride to town was very picturesque, the road was narrow in parts, lots of hairpin curves, with cars passing on the opposite side with inches to spare. We were very impressed by our driver's skills!

We finally arrived at the hilltop town of Ravello after almost an hour. We got off the bus just outside the town and admired the views of the Amalfi coastline. Lots of photo opportunities. We followed Veriano, our guide to the town center which has a grand cathedral. Walked around town, up and down steep pedestrian paths as Veriano described the town's history and interesting buildings. We also stopped to look at the shops and admire the views. It was amazing to see huge lemons hanging down trellises in gardens. There were quite a lot of tourists around but not terribly crowded. But it was hot! I was glad I brought my hat with me.

Our tour included tickets to visit Villa Cimbrone up the hill with its elegant gardens, beautiful flowers and sculptures. The main walkway, Viale dell’Immenso (Ally of Immensity) was a little shaded and showcased beautiful plants and garden decorations. The walkway led to the Terrazza dell’Infinito (Terrace of Infinity) at the edge of the cliffs, and stunning views of the sea. I took the long way back to the entrance, going through garden paths with beautiful sculptures and gazebos.

On the way down, I had lunch al fresco at one of the many small restuarants, ordering my favorite pasta, spaghetti alla vongole, and a glass of white wine. Yum! Then it's down at the town center to wait for the rest of the group to walk to where the bus waited to take us back to the hotel.

We had drinks at the pool, before heading down to dinner with the the rest of the groups. The food made by the hotel's chef was very good. We were told the ingredients were sourced locally.