After breakfast, we decided to head in the other direction, and go to Amalfi. Having learnt how to use the buses, we caught the bus at the bottom of our street and sat back to watch the beautiful scenery of the ocean and the incredible driving on these crazy roads. The road to Amalfi runs along the coast, with a cliff on one side down to the water, and a high cliff the other side. By our standards, it is wide enough to fit two small cars. We were in a huge bus. The navigation, the negotiation between drivers, just had to be seen to be believed.
Amalfi is quite a busy town. Busier than Positano, but nowhere near the size of Sorrento. We had heard about the town of Ravello, so we looked for a bus up into the mountains. The road was all winding with switchbacks cut into the mountain. We were expecting a town nestled in the hills. What we saw when we got there was breathtaking.
Situated high above Amalfi, Ravello looks out over the Mediterranean, and the towns of Amalfi, Minori and Maiori. From the main road, you walk through a tunnel to the town square, and immediately go back in time. The town square is beautiful. The town dates back over 1500 years, and is absolutely stunning.
We took lots of photos of the views and the town, then sat down to have a drink and a coffee. We sat in the piazza at Giadini Caffe Calce. Afterwards, we starting walking around and near the town square we found Villa Ruffalo, built by a rich patrician in 1270. The villa itself has some moorish elements, but what was most stunning were the gardens, and their location overlooking the sea. We spent over an hour just exploring the villa and taking many photos of the beautiful vista.
Having thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Ravello, we headed back down to Amalfi and had lunch near the beach at Ristorante Blu Sirena. It was over 30 degrees, so the beer went down well. The girls all had paninis. I had a pizza Diavolo, basically a pepperoni pizza.
We then walked to the Duomo. Wow. What a building. Absolutely beautiful.
The inside was also beautifully decorated, with the Cloister of Paradise and the crypt being the highlights.
After walking around the town square for a little while, we got back on the bus stop and headed back to Positano. Jana had found a place to swim called Fiordo di Furore, so we asked the bus driver to leave us there. What an incredible spot.
We had a swim and sun-bathed for a while then headed up to the main road to wait for the next bus. The driver let us on, but it was packed. The roads are treacherous enough, but this made it really interesting. When we arrived at our hotel, we showered and changed then headed into town for our last dinner in Positano.
We found a restaurant, Bar Bruno overlooking the harbour. We picked it for the view, but the food was deliciou Jana had a pesto. Pe a veal parmigiana, Chrissa a veal kebab, and I had spaghetti with lobster. We had a nice Livoni Chardonnay to go with it.
This was a wonderful day, and ensured that we would remember Positano fondly. We headed back to the hotel to pack for our trip to Florence the next day.