After another leisurely breakfast on the hotel terrace, watching the sun burn away the morning mist, we packed up - so easy because we were packing so light - and set off to revisit the garden of Villa Cimbrone. Gore Vidal said it was the most beautiful view in the world, and I totally agree with him. It was just as stunning, fragrant, soothing, breath-taking, the second time round. It is an inspiring place.
We went back to the hotel, collected our bags, then visited the Ravello Cathedral, which has fine bronze doors, and a thoroughly impressive pulpit, encrusted with mosaics and supported by columns resting on the backs of six beautifully carved lions. You couldn't help but give a rousing sermon from that pulpit.
We wandered down to the bus stop which has the best spot for waiting ever, with a stunning view out over the sea and the town far below - but the bus came 5 minutes before scheduled time so we didn't have long to enjoy it. It was almost empty compared to the bus coming up, but just as exciting navigating the hair pin bends and the other traffic.
Visited the Amalfi Cathedral, which looks to me like a mix of Moorish, Byzantine and Noman architecture. As you can see from the photo, it is definitely not disability friendly. The faithful must be pretty fit in Amalfi.
The Cathedral museum has some fine artefacts. It is said to be the resting place of St Andrew (I think we have seen at least half the apostles on our trip so far), and his reliquary in the Cathedral is a piece of brilliant craftsmanship, as were the silver heads of some other saints.
Amalfi the town seemed super busy, with a lot of people and traffic funnelled into a small space. We watched one hapless chap in campervan circle the roundabout multiple times while we had lunch, perhaps waiting for a parking spot to miraculously appear, or perhaps he was just totally lost.
We caught the ferry back to Salerno, a much quieter trip than last time, and the ferry kept much closer to the coast, so we could see the palazzos, the little towns and harbours, and the ruins of various fortifications stretching back over the centuries right down to World War 2. Back to Salerno which also seems but a bit less frenetic, or perhaps we have chilled out a bit thanks to our time in Ravello.
We are catching the train to Sicily tomorrow, a long trip and a big jump. We've been stocking up on supplies as rumour has it that the catering is non existent on the train. But we are looking forward to it, to be somewhere so historic and remote.
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