Tag: Italy

Ravello is set in the mountain tops overlooking the Amalfi coast of Italy. It has thousands of years of history which can be seen just by walking around this small quaint place. It has the most amazing views of the coast line. 

Travelling to Ravello

In the month of June we flew into Naples from Manchester Airport. We pre-booked a taxi to take us from the airport to our accommodation. The journey from the airport took about 1 hour. It was a very hot day so the driver stopped at a little restaurant so we could have a cold drink. The roads up to Ravello are very steep, windy and a bit hair-raising but we managed to get there in one piece.

We had gone to Ravello for Mum’s 70th Birthday and parents 50th Wedding Anniversary as they love the place and go back year after year. They stay in the same hotel, the Palazzo Avino, which is one of the more expensive hotels, but has amazing views and Michelin starred food which we really enjoyed – we are just glad we weren’t paying the bill!

Accommodation

We stayed at an Airbnb for the 3 nights we were there costing £230 which is a very good price compared to the hotels in the area. The apartment was fairly basic but had all you needed should you wish to do your own cooking. As we were with family we ate all our meals out, including an Italian meal at Mimi’s which we would recommend. The apartment also had a large sun terrace which over-looked the streets. It was quite nice sitting up there on an evening with a drink watching the world go by and the lovely sunsets.

Piazza Centrale

Walking around Ravello is quite an experience, with many interesting shops and art galleries situated amongst the cobbled streets.  If you are after some artwork or Italian pottery then this is the place to come! 

Food and drink

There are many restaurants with spectacular views of the sea.  It is worth asking for local guidance on the best restaurants to visit given the wide choice on offer.  There is also a square in the centre of the town, the Piazza Centrale which hosts a number of restaurants / bars where you can sit out in the sun and watch the world go by.  The Cathedral in the Piazza Centrale hosts a large number of weddings as this is a very popular place to get married – apparently Gary Lineker got married here. 

Villa Cimbrone

We also took a walk around the Villa Cimbrone which has some beautiful gardens to walk around and again a great view of the coast at the end – there is a small restaurant / bar here and we sat in the gardens with a refreshing glass of wine.  On our walk back towards the Villa we saw a helicopter land in the grounds – this place sure attracts some rich people!

Amalfi

On one of the days we decided to get out and about and took the bus from the centre of Ravello down to Amalfi.  The journey is full of hair-pin bends and we had heard some horror stories about this road, but we felt pretty safe on the bus.  Amalfi is worth a look around, a picturesque coastal town with many shops, restaurants and bars.  You can catch boats and ferries to various destinations from here. 

Moiori

We decided to take a ferry over to Maiori and really enjoyed the views of the mountains and being able to see Ravello with its stunning villas and gardens from the sea.  When we got to Maiori it was a short stroll around the harbour to the beach where we decided to relax for an hour or two with a nice bottle of Prosecco.  There are numerous restaurants, bars and shops along the seafront.  After a stroll around the town we ventured back to the harbour to pick up the ferry back to Amalfi.  We got the bus back up to Ravello, we did notice that a few of the seats on the bus were coming away from their fixings, but it was all fine and we would definitely recommend taking the bus rather than a taxi as it is a fraction of the cost.

Summary

Ravello is a lovely place to visit with stunning views over the Amalfi coast. It is a bit more expensive than other places but is definitely worth a visit. We felt that 3 nights in Ravello was enough but would have liked to have had more time to explore the Amalfi coast more.

Images

Things to do

• Have lunch in the main square outside Ravello cathedral and hopefully witness a wedding.
• Visit Villa Cimbrone Garden’s and admire the spectacular views.
• Catch a ferry to see other destinations on the Amalfi Coast.
• Mimi’s is a nice family run restaurant which serves lovely food at a very reasonable price.
• If you budget is a lot higher than ours was then the Palazzo Avino is a place to eat. This was fine dinning at its best.
• Take a trip to Pompeii (Bus takes around 1 hour and 40 mins)

Top tips

• Airbnb is much cheaper than the hotels.
• If you have any difficulty in walking ensure that you find somewhere near the main square.
• The main square is a lovely place to sit and have a drink and a bite to eat and reasonably priced for Revello.
• If going in the summer months the weather is very hot. Water from bars and restaurants can be quite expensive. Buy from the little mini markets on the side streets.
• Get the bus down to the ferry’s where you can catch a ferry to many destinations at a very reasonable cost. 
• Food and drink is much cheaper at other destinations on the Amalfi coast.
• Although Revello is more expensive it is worth a visit as it is such a beautiful place.
• Check out the weather below for best time to visit
• Check out other destinations in Italy we have visited Rome , Pisa , Florence , Venice
• Check out government safety advice when travelling to Ravello https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	13	13	16	19	22	26	28	30	27	23	19	14
Low Temp	7	8	10	14	17	21	24	24	20	16	13	8
Rainfall	105	100	90	80	50	30	20	40	80	130	160	120
Number of days	9	8	8	8	8	5	2	3	5	8	10	11