Italia Continues....

On the second half of our trip to the coast of Italy 

(first half is on previous post...check it out!) 

we traveled by car, Fiat of course, along the winding, narrow roads weaving our way up into the mountain to Ravello, a small, quaint town that sits a touch over and above the town of Amalfi.

Nestled into the mountain-side and perched up so high the clouds touch the top of the mountain peaks, Ravello is a sleepy, not-quite-so-touristy hidden gem.

Truthfully I am a country girl at heart and prefer soaking up the local flavor of a small town to the tourist laden streets of a big city so this part of our trip made my heart sing!

We were only in Ravello 4 days and 3 nights but in that short time we got to know the hotel staff, the local shop and restaurant owners and felt we had truly connected with the town.  It was a wonderful place to take it all in, see sights yet still truly relax.

But the REAL reason for our Ravello love-affair was the hotel....Palazzo Sasso.

I think both hubby's and my heart skipped a beat when we walked thru the front door and were faced with this view in front of us.  

hubby just steps from the front door

We both felt like we had died and gone to heaven!

From every vantage point of the hotel the view was surreal. 

We were at the tail end of their season, in fact we learned that the hotel shuts down the 3rd week of October and the days we were there it was unseasonably warm.  A 15 minute shuttle down the winding roads brought us to Sasso's Beach Club...not a grain of sand in sight but 4 luxurious levels of relaxation thanks to Giuseppe and Marelana.  

We were even able to dive off the ledge and swim in the sea and it was actually warm!

shot taken from the motorboat

Once again I had to take a few deep breaths as we walked down (and back up) 100 steps to this bottom deck...thank god for hand railings!

After two days relaxing at the beach club with Guiseppe and Marelana we wanted to take them home in our suitcases....sweet, charming, kind and informative!  

One of the days we hired a motor boat and were giggling with delight at how Grace Kelly-ish we felt with our Italian captain and the wind in our hair, jumping off the boat and swimming in an aqua-blue, private grotto.

Although we loved our 5-star hotel amenities we were not as keen on the 5-star menu prices so mostly we opted for snacks and meals outside of our hotel, wandering and finding lovely cafe and restaurant owners, delicious food and amazing "house" wine!   As the saying goes..."when in Rome"  so we took full advantage of the local wine and enjoyed it throughout the day and night and not a headache or hangover in sight...a miracle!

Ravello town square, top and below

A few of my favorite shots from Ravello town...

 

ancient wood doors with the most gorgeous vintage vibe...

steps leading from the town square up to....

  

...the road (yes cars do drive on it) to our hotel..i was loving the washed out stucco finish against the green and blues used for the doors, right up my alley!

   

an old villa, love the distressed buildings contrasted by the vibrant green!

It was a special hotel for a special occasion and we felt lucky just to be there having the experience!