Amalfi coast driving tour

Driving down the coast after a few quick stops for pictures, we arrive in the famous town of Amalfi, founded by Romans, thanks to its maritime traffic and it become in the IX century one of the richest and important Sea Republic in the Mediterranean extending their domination all the way to the Middle East. The Duomo is certainly the most famous monument, Arabic, Byzantine, Moorish and Baroque style, realized in the IX century and dedicated to the patron St. Andrew. The bronze facade portal where made in Constantinople in 1066 and dominate the main square with its staircase. Next to the Cathedral you will enter the charming Amalfi Chiostro del Paradiso, where the archbishop Capuano built the Cript to accommodate the remains of the St. Andrew Apostle.

In the inn part of the town, called Valle dei Mulini, you can visit the paper museum, an old paper mill factory trasformed into a museum in 1969. The museum has all the machinery and equipment of the old factory, restored and fully functional, here you can experience how they used to make paper by hand in the old days.

After Amalfi we will continue our tour to Ravello situated on a small promontory called Cimbronium, a beautiful terrace overlooking the sea and the villages of Minor and Maiori. Its beauty was immortalized by Boccaccio in “Decameron” and William Turner with his paintings that are now exposed to the Tate Gallery in London.

In the centre of the town, on the right of the cathedral, a square tower marks the entrance to the Villa Rufolo, a complex of buildings of the second half of the’200, here you can admire the Richard Wagner terrace, so called because it inspired the garden of Klingsor, the second act of Parsifal, and today you can attend to the Ravello summer Festival. Walking to the top of the promontory you will find the majestic beauty of Villa Cimbrone, built on the foundations of an ancient villa Patrizia, which hosted sovereign and illustrious names of science and politics. In the late 800’s it was purchased by a distinguished English citizen Ernest William Beckett. In 1938 Greta Garbo and Leopold Stokowsky found here the secret of happiness after living the strong outcry of Hollywood. The most important point of the villa is the infinity terrace so called from Gore Vidal for his majestic opening above the horizon.
in this beautiful little town you can decide to go for lunch in one of the amazing local restaurants or stop in one of the cafes of the main Piazza for an italian style aperitivo, a snack or a light lunch.

if we have time we will make a stop at a local ceramic factory where you will get a free tour on the place during which you will learn how ceramics are made and decorated on site.. Also a quick stop in a limoncello factory is usually a lot of fun (time permitting) you will also see how the famous liquor and many others are made and get a free sample.