It’s been a long time since my last newsletter, but I have been very busy this year booking clients throughout Italy!
In May I took 9 people to Italy for the first time since the fall of 2019. It felt good to travel again! As soon as we got off the plane in Naples we were greeted with lots of sunshine which lasted for the entire time!
Sorrento was our first stop for two days. We explored the city after having a welcome drink at the rooftop bar and pool at one of my favorite 5 star hotels in Sorrento, La Favorita! Everyone had the chance to relax by the pool and collect their energy for the next few days.
The next day we took the ferry to Capri, and it did not disappoint! Capri is so beautiful. Everyone was enjoying the town, the shopping and the exceptional weather! The views were outstanding.
We traveled to Positano the next morning on our way to Ravello. I haven’t been to Positano in about 6 years—it was exploding with tourists. But we were able to navigate the crowds and spend some of our euros here!
Our next stop was the small town of Ravello. We all welcomed the nice quiet pace of this coastal, hilltop Amalfi town. We checked into our hotel and relaxed by the terrace and pool with drinks in hand. Then we rallied for an exploration of the town and the beautiful gardens at Villa Rufolo.
On Tuesday we had a special cooking class with Mamma Agata. Chiara, our host and chef, was fantastic—we could not stop talking about our wonderful experience for days. We ate so much that we did not need dinner, but managed a drink and snack at Luigi’s Bar. It was a very Italian way to end the day!
During our time in Ravello we drove down the Amalfi coast and visited Vietri sul Mare, a town known for ceramic stores and factories. We all left some euros behind here!
Next we drove to the town of Amalfi which was flooded with tourists. A cruise ship in the bay explained the amount of people. We enjoyed our short stop here, passing the time shopping and eating gelato! Amalfi is noted for it hand made paper and many of us picked up a few beautiful pieces!
My daughter and I found many artisanal gelaterias in this area. Our cones were topped with at least two flavors!
Gelato in Italy is not to be missed! It is so creamy and delicious !
After three days in Ravello we were sad to leave, but we knew Naples would provide interesting adventures. En route, we stopped in Pompeii for a private two hour, guided tour. It was incredibly interesting to walk around this archaeological site, which was once a sophisticated city. Our guide Dolores was extremely knowledgeable and spoke English beautifully. We all learned so much.
We arrived mid afternoon at our last hotel in Naples. After our welcome drink and snacks, Italian style, my daughter and I navigated the group through Naples in search of a historic coffee house, Il Vero Bar del Professore. Here we loaded up on caffeine and then proceeded to the Galleria for the best sfogliatella. Both coffee and dessert did not disappoint!
Pizza that night at Da Attilio was superb. This pizzeria is famous for the star shaped stuffed crust. ….
The Royal Palace of Caserta is about 45 minutes outside of Naples and is a magnificent diversion. There are over 1200 rooms to this palace and two residential wings where the servants lived. The grounds have beautiful gardens and fountains. It was very interesting to see how the king and queen of Naples lived during the 17 and 1800’s. The statues, mosaics and frescos will leave you in awe.
Saturday was our last day in Naples. We began our day with a food and walking tour. Our favorite stop was at Sorbillo for fried pizza in the Spacca Napoli area. The dough was so light and airy and of course they offered us all an aperol spritz! We then explored the most amazing churches—did you know that Naples has over 1,000 churches? We ended the tour with a view of Cristo Vellato, (Christ Under the Veil). This is a must-see if you are in Naples! We were not allowed to take pictures, so I encourage you to plan a trip and see it in person yourself!
We all had a wonderful time, stayed in grand hotels, and ate delicious food, and shared a lot of laughs along the way.