What a challenge! Today we climbed from sea-level in Amalfi to Ravello at 360m above (vertical!) We tendered into Amalfi because the tiny port can't cope with cruise ships. Bobbing around in the bay, our life boats get their second age by acting as taxis back and forth between ship and shore all day. In 10 minutes we were literally on the dockside and ready to head upwards.
We started walking on the main road towards Atrani just a kilometre away, before heading up a steep flight of steps. Ladies hung out of their cliff-side houses shouting 'Ravello that way,' I guess we're not the first to make this treck?
It's not an easy journey as each step is hard in the thirty degree heat, and instructions are once in a blue moon. TomTom is sketchy so we make the rest up as we trudge along, fortunately only making one wrong turn. It's quiet too, we pass only one family on the entire journey but confidence sees us reach our destination after 47 minutes of walking, and about the same of resting!
Arriving in Ravello it's like we never left - such a gorgeous town it's hard to forget the simplistic beauty and incredible views we have enjoyed on numerous occasions in the last two decades. We check out a wedding venue we've been to before, then a nearby gallery, finally the gardens of Villa Rufolo, a family home dating back to the 1600s. Nowadays it is the beautiful location for the Ravello Festival, we remember attending an evening concert there in 1999 but sadly our cruise itinerary won't permit another one this time, although we enjoy lovely pastries on a terrace for our elevenses.
After a quick wander round we head off down the opposite cliff-side towards Minori, a lovely town where the festival spirit is very much alive. We grab our lunch of fruit on a bench on the sea front before heading back towards Amalfi. But this being us we head high and climb a path untouched for decades, up crumbling steps and ridiculously overgrown passes before finally levelling out on the terraced hillside.
It's not too long before we're back in Atrani and then Amalfi is just round the headland, which we manage without getting run over by scooters, cars or busses despite all trying their very best to remove the pedestrians off their road.
A quick look in Amalfi town, but it's crazy busy so we don't stay, and a tender is beconing, so we head back to the sanctuary of our balcony. We relax for an hour, chat to our neighbour Margaret, then head up to eight for a swim. There's s champagne and caviar event at 17:00 but we miss taking photos because we're talking to new friends in the jacuzzi - but another day it will happen again!
It's formal tonight so we don DJs and bow ties even though we know we'll be in the minority - no need to drop our standards whatever the rest of the men get up to! (Ladies almost always make an effort.) Turns out we spotted around eight others, so a realistic guess of 5 percent participation? Good job we care!!
Our dinner in Restaurant Two is really good, only one minor grumble. I'm not posting too much here because people complain, but will do a micro entry later maybe.
We finish off in the showlounge for a musical theatre singer who is great. An excelling production rounds off an excellent day!!
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