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Departing Sorrento for Amalfi.Apologies to Naples … you are not chaotic … ferry embarking and disembarking along the Amalfi Coast is chaotic … definitely would not pass the slimmest of safety regulations. Witnessed a young lady being grabbed as she was about to topple into the sea at Positano … a crew member came within centimetres of losing both lower legs … the crush of people in the ‘every man for himself’ boarding procedure … enough with the negativity …
From Sorrento, along the coast to Positano to Amalfi, up the mountain side into Ravello the vistas were magnificent… the vistas from Ravello, truly awesome. Ravello, a resort town set 365 meters above the Tyrrhenian Sea by Italy’s Amalfi Coast, is home to iconic cliffside gardens. Overlooking the Amalfi Coast, Ravello is the city of music, a medieval village full of winding cobblestone streets, lush gardens, and breathtaking views of the Mediterranean.
Ravello is home to the 13th-century Moorish-style Villa Rufolo where we spent much time exploring. It offers far-reaching views from its terraced gardens and hosts indoor and outdoor concerts during the popular summertime Ravello Festival held each July. It is where Wagner spent time writing the Parsifil. The Villa belonged
View of Capri from the ferry.to the powerful Rufolo family and had strong architectural influences from the Arabic world. From the beautiful
terraces of the Villa, you can admire a breathtaking view along the Amalfi Coast.It was home to several Popes as well as King Robert of Anjou. The beautiful cascading gardens were created by a Scotsman, Sir Francis Neville Reid, in 1853, and are truly magnificent, commanding divine panoramic views packed with exotic colours, artistically crumbling towers and luxurious blooms. The Torre Maggiore (Main Tower) of the villa stands tall and now houses a small museum.
From Rufulo we made our way up to Villa Cimbone, a medieval-style estate perched on a steep outcrop. It is also surrounded by magnificent gardens, full of colour. It has many Roman statues along the Terrazza dell’Infinito (Terrace of Infinite). The terrace offers sensational views of the whole Amalfi Coast. Our walk to the villa took us past the house that DH Lawrence lived for a while as he nurtured the plot of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
There was so much to see (love) about Ravello that we could only do what time would allow us. From departing Sorrento at 9.15 and reaching Ravello, over 2 hours
Approaching Positano.had passed. We caught the final ferry at 4.40pm. The 20-minute trip from Amalfi to Ravello was by taxi was up a steep, switch-back, cliff hugging, narrow road and cost 20 Euro each. There were 8 people in the taxi. It cost 15 each for the return. We could not use the bus as part of the road had collapsed that only a car type vehicle could use it. The taxi drivers were rapt! Our ferry back to Sorrento was into a strong wind and rough sea and had us arriving at 6.30pm. The dreaded Steps were again climbed. Dinner out with a glass of red was our reward.
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