Ravello, Tuesday June 3, Day 41

This morning we got up bright and early and decanted a couple of days worth of stuff into two backpacks. After breakfast we left our bigger bags at the B&B, and headed off blissfully unencumbered for our mini trip to Ravello.

We caught the ferry to Amalfi which was packed with Italian school kids, about 12 or 13 years old from the look of them. It was a bit like being in the middle of a herd of sheep, as they seemed to make a continuous wall of sound, which reflected the collective emotion of the group, excitement, consternation, contentment. They were lovely kids though - Italian children are loved and valued, and it does them a lot of good. The trip along the coastline is well worth it, with little settlements, forts, and the fantastic mountains as backdrop.

In Amalfi we fortified ourselves with a coffee in a nice café overlooking the 'beach' - a patch of darkish pebbles a few hundred metres square, with the jetty on one side, bus stop on the other. A few hard core beach goers were lounging there or swimming. Makes me realise how lucky we are in Australia beach - wise.

We needed the charge from our coffee to fight our way onto the bus to Ravello. About 50% more people waiting than the bus would hold, and there was general mayhem in the crush to get on. The bus ride up the mountain was pretty exciting too - a tiny little road with hairpin switch backs, and cars and buses and motor scooters going in all directions. Some great sheer drops to contemplate on the way. Two girls behind us spent much of the trip clutching each other and exclaiming 'Mama Mia, oh, Mama Mia ...'. But we got to Ravello without mishap, and had lunch on the Duomo square to build up strength for the last climb up to our hotel, which perched high above the town, and way above the bay. Ravello is gorgeous!  Our hotel room has a sunny terrace with spectacular views back towards Salerno.

Ravello has been a destination for artists since the nineteenth century. There is a plaque on one nearby hotel recording that D.H.Lawrence wrote Lady Chatterley's Lover there. Wagner was a big Ravello fan. There is a lovely photo down in the main square of Humphrey Bogart on a donkey under a Ravello arch. He made a film here with Gina Lolabrigida which I really have to track down when we get home. The place has been a retreat and refuge for a very long time. You would have to be a very determined invader to attack someone holed up here, but it was overthrown by the Republic of Pisa in 1137.  The scenery is truly spectacular, the air is beautiful, and because it is so hard to get to, at this time of year at least it is very quiet. Unlike Salerno, the little streets are in good condition and very clean.

Here is a picture taken from the ferry looking up the mountain, with Ravello perched around the heights. We are somewhere way up there right now.

We had dinner in a restaurant admiring the terraces across the valley that generations have carved into the hillsides, watching the hues in the sky deepen, lights come on in the little clusters of buildings clinging to the rocky outcrops, and a lovely crescent moon appear.

We are looking forward to exploring the town and surrounds tomorrow.