Amalfi CoastAmalfi Coast
My week in Amalfi Coast: Ravello, Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi and Positano
My week in Amalfi Coast. This year I finally managed to organize a trip with mom and dad. Where? To Amalfi Coast, of course! I wanted to take them to these truly magical places, to enjoy a little time together… Read on to discover our travel diary and our tips on where to stay and eat!
What to do in a week in Amalfi Coast
For the first time I decided to reach the coast by train and not by plane because, due to a series of events, we could not coordinate with the flights timing. I have to say that traveling with Frecciarossa was very relaxing: in the end it didn’t take any longer than the plane (it’s 5 hours and a half from Turin), I could work quietly with my computer and, above all, fill my suitcases without thinking about their weight! Once we reached the Naples Stazione Centrale, we picked up the car I had rented from Avis (after comparing the various rates on AutoEurope) and immediately headed to our first stop…
Ravello
We stayed at Palazzo Avino, a really amazing hotel housed in an ancient aristocratic mansion from the 12th century. The suite that was reserved for us was incredibly beautiful, with a double bedroom and a small bedroom, a large living room, a bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi, and, last but not least, a wonderful terrace overlooking the gulf, with hand-painted majolica, two deckchairs for sunbathing and a table for the room service.
Palazzo Avino is located in Ravello, between Amalfi and Vietri Sul Mare, about 350 meters above sea level: from here, perched on the mountain, the view is truly incredible!
We started our week in the Amalfi Coast with a welcome of Spritz made with sparkling wine, limoncello and lemon sorbet, and then, for lunch, linguine with lobster and fired calamari and vegetables: better than this is impossible!
In the afternoon we went for a walk in Ravello: a village of alleys and staircases, with lush gardens and quaint shops… all to be discovered.
Before dinner we gave ourselves another little relax time on the terrace: it was too beautiful not to enjoy the sun (and 35 °C) of the day!
The next morning, after asking for a late check-out, we headed for breakfast and then spent a few hours in the pool of Palazzo Avino.
Before saying goodbye to Ravello and heading towards our next stop, on the advice of a friend, I entered the Palazzo Avino boutique, which, from the photos you will understand why, is called Pink Closet! I would have bought everything, but I had to hold back and I only took a headband to add to my collection!
Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi
The next destination is called Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, and is a place exactly halfway between the bay of Naples and that of Salerno. They advise us to reach it not from the road along the coast, but from the inside. So we took a mountain road and, at some point, we find ourselves stuck in transhumance!
After about an hour and a half by car, we arrived in this delightful town where the hotel is located where we would have stayed for the next two nights, Don Alfonso 1890. Housed in a nineteenth-century building now completely restored, this boutique hotel was designed for a gourmet holiday: all the food that is offered at Don Alfonso, in fact, comes from organic farming at zero km. Their farm of over ten hectares is really close!
The suite that was reserved for us is called Lavender and everything inside recalled the color of this flower, starting from the color of the walls from the one of the flooring! The furnishings were amazing: the majolica, a wonderful chandelier, ceramic vases and mirrors… All very refined! There was a large living room, the walk-in closet, the bedroom, the bathroom and finally a private terrace that runs all around the room, which is also furnished to perfection. On the table with lemons, three fresh lemonades ready for us!
To immerse myself even more in the incredible atmosphere of Don Alfonso, I could not but wear my little dress with lemons! Below you see me in front of their beautiful wood oven. It is located adjacent to the pool, where I spent a few hours relaxing.
For the first dinner at the Don Alfonso 1890 two-Michelin-star restaurant, I wanted to keep it light knowing that the next evening I would try one of their tasting menus! I ordered cod in crazy water, which was excellent, and then I let myself be tempted by sweets: lemon sorbet, selection of ice creams, coffee and finally Lemon liqueur (made in their farm: they explained to me that employ at least 25 lemons for a liter)! They also offer for their guest mediterranean cuisine lessons: next time I’ll go there I definitely want to do it!
The next morning I tried their organic Mediterranean breakfast, based on croissants and plumcakes made with buffalo yoghurt, jams, fruit salad, mini chocolate crepes dusted with hazelnuts, and also espresso and orange juice! I’ve said it many times before, but I want to repeat it: to me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I cannot explain to you my happiness when I get the chance to have breakfast like this!
I spent the day taking pictures for some projects and then went down to the pool to work on the computer (and enjoy a nice dip in the water too)! With me always the sun protection, even if I’m not sunbathing. I am using Foto Ultra +100 by Isdin: I recently discovered it and it has already become my favorite for the summer!
It was time for dinner: we had a table reserved for the starred restaurant of Don Alfonso and we wanted to try the “La Tradizione” menu. It started with a selection of bread and oil, the chef’s welcome, then his grandfather Ernesto’s strascinati, a beef fillet from Benevento in bread crust and bacon garnished with green sauce and spicy tomato, and finally a small pastry tasting and a selection of dessert. Everything was really curated and each came with a different glass of wine: a real amazing experience!
The cellar of Don Alfonso 1890 boasts the presence of over 25 thousand bottles and is reported in the book “The most beautiful wineries in the world”, so I went down 35 meters underground to visit it and discover this evocative environment obtained from a pre-Roman burial tunnel!
In a separate room there are also cheeses aging!
After visited the cellar, I was also invited to enter the kitchen – colored with green majolica – by chef Ernesto Iaccarino: it was a real honor to meet him in person!
It was time to say goodbye to Don Alfonso and continue towards a new stop …
Positano
To me, it’s the most beautiful place in the world. An enchanting small town where, whenever I come back, I see glimpses so beautiful that I get butterflies in my stomach! Here we stayed two nights at Hotel Poseidon, the same I have always been staying in for three years now: it is a small tradition to come back here every time and see the lovely Margherita!
The room that has been reserved for us this year is one of my absolute favorites, as well as one of the most beautiful in all of Positano, with an incredible view of the gulf. About 100 square meters: very colorful, with floors and furnishings in shades of cream, turquoise and coral (a combination of colors I love)! It consised of a large living room, a bedroom, a bathroom with red majolica tiles, a double sink, a shower and a bathtub. As always, my favorite part is the view from the terrace: in addition to overlooking the hotel pool, you can also see a glimpse of Positano!
The next morning we woke up early to tackle the coastal road from Positano to Amalfi. After a brief stop for a fresh orange juice, we reached Amalfi but unfortunately it was absolutely impossible to park, so we could not visit it. We managed to stop just for the time of a walk in the wonderful village just after Amalfi, Atrani (one of the smallest villages in Italy): simply enchanting!
We then came back to Poseidon to enjoy some relaxation by the pool.
For dinner we went down to the village in one of my favorite restaurants: Le Tre Sorelle. Their linguine with clams and scampi and their fried seafood are absolutely wow!
The next morning we decide to enjoy with the right calm the breakfast time at Poseidon: here they offer the best curly sfogliatella in the world!
After breakfast we decide to take a stroll around Positano and we got lost in its colorful ceramics shops!
Then back to the hotel and for lunch we order only a toast by the pool, because we were still full from breakfast and dinner from the previous evening.
Our last evening in Positano has come, and therefore also the last sunset from our room: look at that beauty!
We were able to enjoy also our last day on the Coast, as we had our train in the late afternoon. So we took the opportunity to spend the morning on the beach in Positano: finally, at my third time here, I managed to rent sunbeds and umbrellas, but above all to bathe!
This ends my week on the Amalfi Coast. As always, I hope you will find my tips useful if you decide to visit these beautiful places!
Have a nice Friday!
