Amalfi Coast Ravello

Italy’s Amalfi Coast is one of those places you “must see” staggeringly picturesque but in the summer it’s maddeningly touristy, Amalfi Coast is like nowhere else on earth and beautiful Ravello is regarded as the hidden treasure of the Amalfi Coast, it’s perched on top of the town of Amalfi, suspended 1,000 feet above the sea, the town of Ravello is like a lush and peaceful garden floating above it all with incredible views. Ravello is the Amalfi Coast’s hidden gem especially if you want to escape the bustle of tourists and experience a more authentic, Italian holiday, try Ravello. I have family and friends in the area and always love coming back here time and again it’s a special place.

I fell in love with Sorrento and Positano on my first visit to the Amalfi coast, but I would say Ravello is a hidden treasure. looks and feels completely different to the region’s other towns. Think seductive landscapes with lush green hilltops, lemon trees, terraced groves, century-old gardens and an overall more slow-paced and laid back vibe. The views are truly astonishing. It’s an ideal destination for those who like to wander on foot. The town has a beautiful 12th century cathedral (Duomo di Ravello) and Arabic-Sicilian style architecture, footpaths and stairways maze all the way down to nearby towns of Atrani and Amalfi, which are at sea level. A must to do is visit two incredible historic Villa’s. The enchanted Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo. Villa Cimbrone is this 11th century manor and is famed for its ornate gardens and belvedere, Terrazza dell Infinito (Terrace of Infinity), which boasts the region’s most celebrated view. You will be absolutely in awe of the vista from this lookout point featuring a seemingly endless blue sky and azure waters of the Mediterranean. I don’t think photos do it justice.

Villa Rufolo, built inside the 13th-century ruins of a noble family’s palace, presents wistful gardens among stony walls with oh-my-goodness views. During spring and fall, it serves as a sublime venue for Ravello’s famous classical concerts. Villa Cimbrone boasts a romantic garden, five-star hotel, and the Terrace of Infinity, lined with 18th century marble busts and dangling high above the sea for panoramas that seem to go on forever.

Through the twisting, narrow streets that lead up to Villa Cimbrone, you’ll find plenty of garden and terrace-style restaurants we tried the buzzy courtyard restaurant of the Villa Maria for some amazing farm to table cuisine, they have a small farm where they grow the vegetables and herbs they use in the restaurant, I am still salivating on the best truffle fettuccine I have ever had, superb, Just superb.