Discovering Majestic Ravello and Charming Amalfi

My alarm went off at 8:30am, and I wasn’t ready to get up yet. Breakfast hours on the terrace were from 8-9:30am, so I knew that if I wanted to take advantage of the meal included in the price of my stay, I had to get up and get ready sooner rather than later. Roberto and his niece Milly were there to greet me when I entered the kitchen. They showed me to my table on the terrace overlooking the beautiful blue water. I noticed that there was another table set for two right next to mine, so I knew that I would have some company sometime during my meal. I tried to keep to my “cereal only” breakfast as much as possible, due to the hearty lunch and dinner meals that I have been enjoying. As I was eating my Corn Flakes, Tony (from Queens, NY) and Tim (from NJ) sat down at the table next to mine. They had already been here for a week and were planning to leave tomorrow. I asked for recommendations and they gladly told me based on their weeklong experience here on the Amalfi Coast. I enjoy meeting fellow travelers and hearing about what prompts them to choose that particular vacation destination. We chatted for a while, until I was ready to head back to the room to start my first day of exploring the Amalfi Coast.
I decided to take the SITA bus into the heart of Ravello. The bus stop is directly across the street from Punta Civita, right next to the Eterro San Marco Winery. After figuring out the somewhat complicated SITA bus schedule, I found the bus stop and hung out in the cool open wine cellar avoiding the direct sunlight, until the bus showed up five minutes later. The ride to Ravello up the winding and narrow streets was both bumpy and a little frightful at times. The roads accommodate two-way traffic, but I would swear that the width of the streets barely fit two cars, let alone a bus, at the same time. We made it to the town’s center in less than 10 minutes. Once off the bus, I walked towards the Piazza Duomo and went inside the Duomo to take pictures. It was nearing noon, the time when Giulio recommended that I visit his friend at Hotel Belvedere Caruso, the only 5-star hotel in Ravello. I located the Tourist Information center after walking through the main shopping street, and obtained a map.
I easily found my way to Hotel Belvedere Caruso, and of course, forgot the piece of paper that Giulio wrote the names and contact info of his director friend and assistant. Once at the concierge, I explained who I was and asked to see the assistant to the Director of this 5-star property. Luckily, Giulio spoke to her in person, so she was expecting me. Unfortunately, his director friend was on vacation, but she still welcomed me and gave me her contact information if I were to need any assistance while staying in Ravello. I received a personal tour of the hotel grounds, and although the square footage of the property is quite large, there are only 48 rooms. The hotel is complete with an infinity pool and a view to die for, where the minimum rack rate is over 600 euros ($840) a night, so you can only imagine the level of service and amenities this property offers. I was taken to the Piano Bar, which overlooked the herbal garden below and the scenic Ravello coastline. I ordered a bellini (the hotel’s signature drink), which by the way ranked up there to the bellini I had at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy years before. Their caprese salad was extremely fresh and paired refreshingly with the bellini. I must’ve stayed there over two hours relaxing, enjoying the view, and blogging in the tranquil environment. The assistant came back up to check on me and told me that the entire meal was comped. I will definitely have to send an email to Giulio to thank him and tell him about my afternoon at the Belvedere Caruso. Someday, if I ever have enough disposable income to drop over $800 a night on a hotel room (somehow I don’t think my changass will ever be willing to do that no matter how rich I become), I will definitely book a room at this Ravello hotel.
I walked back towards the bus stop to find the only Internet café in the town of Ravello. Coincidentally, as I walked into the café, Claudio (my taxi driver) was eating lunch with his fellow cabbie. We chatted for a while, until I got my laptop up and running. The café owner’s 9-year old son took the initiative to log my MacBook in on their wireless network, and surprised me by knowing exactly what and when to click even though everything on my computer is in English and he spoke primarily Italian. I learned that it is a universal phenomenon for kids these days to know the ins and outs of all things “technology”. Unfortunately, their wireless access was down so I had to use the one and only computer at the café to surf the Internet. This time, the keyboard was a flimsy, rubber thing that had similar issues to the data entry device from yesterday’s computer. I couldn’t help but laugh, but at the same time, hope that sometime during my trip I would be able to use my own computer with what I know to be a reliable keyboard.
I walked back through the tunnel into Villa Rufolo, which dates back to the 13th century. Its majestic gardens are also the venue for the Ravello Summer Music Festival. The rugged cliff side backdrop was enough to convince me to buy a ticket for one of the performances, even though I am not a huge fan of classical symphonic music. I returned to the bus stop and waited 20 minutes for the next SITA bus to Amalfi. The Amalfi bus stop location is right on the marina, perfect for accessing the main piazza, the Duomo, and the hydrofoils or ferries to other little Amalfi Coast towns. As I disembarked, the multitude of colorful umbrellas and sunbathing chairs that line the main beach in the town of Amalfi came into view. Alternating amongst the cliffs were groves of lemon trees and countless houses, hotels, and shops. I walked toward the main piazza, which eventually led directly into the town’s Duomo. I bought a ticket, which gave me access to the cathedral (built in the 6th century), the crypt (where the apostle St. Andrew’s remains are said to be kept), the Cloister of Paradise (a 13th century addition architecturally designed in Arabic style), and a museum of church-related artifacts. After the tour, I walked through the streets of Amalfi, which were filled with souvenir, clothing, and specialty food shops.
I headed further into the town and made my way towards the Museo della Carta (the Museum of Paper). Although previously unbeknownst to me, Amalfi was the center of an ancient paper industry back from the 12th century. The museum, which opened in 1969, still houses original paper making equipment, presses, and hand tools. Ellio actually gave me a tour and although it was difficult to understand his thick Italian accent, I did find both the history of Amalfi’s paper industry and the actual process for making paper back very interesting. He physically showed me how they used to break down cloth in a water mixture, and then use something like a strainer to collect and separate the fibers from the water. The flat and rectangular collection of cloth fibers was then flipped onto a thick piece of cloth to dry. The result was a thick, fiber-laden piece of Amalfi paper. After Ellio’s demonstration, he let me make my own piece of paper as well. My sister would have absolutely loved the museum to learn about the historical background of Italian papermaking. After my paper-making session, I headed back towards the marina and stumbled upon an Internet Point. FINALLY!, I found a place that allowed me to connect my own laptop (with a working and reliable keyboard) to their network. I was able to Skype and email, but unfortunately wasn’t able to blog, since TravelBlog’s website has been having some technical difficulties lately.
Claudio recommended that I try Marina Grande, a waterfront restaurant in Amalfi known for its seafood. I was seated on the lanai overlooking the beach and of course ordered a warm seafood arugula salad, complete with fresh calamari, mussels, and clams. Although the salad ended up being much bigger than I expected, I still had a pasta entrée with more seafood. Both dishes were so fresh and tasty, and after a half bottle of wine I pretty much rolled out of there and opted for the 30-minute hike back up to Punta Civita in Ravello. The Amalfi Coast is everything I remembered it to be. Although I only visited Sorrento and Capri during my first trip to Italy, all of the towns up and down the coast have a similar charm. I’m excited to explore as many of the villages on the Amalfi Coast as possible during my stay here.

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