Trek Amalfi: hiking to Ravello

Post written by Laura

Trek from Amalfi to Ravello and back!

Nestled up in the hills and overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean, Ravello is a gorgeous little town close to Amalfi. Led by our Giovanni, our guide, together with our group of 10 Bridget and I did a circular hike from Amalfi to Ravello and back again. This was the the last day of our Intrepid Amalfi Coast trip.

Centre of Amalfi from the Centrale Hotel terrace

As we had done in the previous couple of days we had our continental breakfast in the open air terrace of the Hotel Centrale. The terrace had excellent views of the centre of Amalfi both looking up the main street (as above) and of the main square and cathedral.

After breakfast we met in the hotel reception and Giovanni led us outside the hotel, through the square and past the fountains for our hike to Ravello.

We walked along the coastal path for a short distance before heading into Atrani.

Atrani is said to be the smallest town of Italy and was once the home of the Dutch artist M. C. Escher. Escher was famous for his style of reflection, symmetry and perspective works. The above tiles are Escher images.

We headed up into the hills behind Atrani as we made our way towards Ravello.

Through the Valley of Dragons.

Ravello

With its stunning views and cliffside gardens Ravello was possibly my favourite Amalfi coast town. Ravello became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. We arrived into Ravello and walked through quaint streets lined with tasteful souvenir shops and art galleries.

I’m not materialistic by any means but how impressive would these wine decanters be at the dinner table?

The Duomo Ravello (Cathedral of Ravello) is open at certain times of the day. Fortunately it was open during the morning and we were able to look at the spectacular mosaics and decorations inside.

From Duomo Square we made our way towards Villa Cimbrone…

Villa Cimbrone

Villa Cimbrone is a 5 star hotel which opens its extensive gardens to the general public. The original villa was built in the 11th century although renovated by Lord Grimthorpe, a British nobleman in the early 20th century.

We walked through the beautiful gardens full of colourful flowers and well maintained plants and trees.

Terrace of Infinity overlooking the Mediterranean

At the end of the gardens at a height of 365 meters, the Terrace of Infinity overlooks the shimmering blue sea.

We had a couple of hours of free time to explore Ravello by ourselves. Bridget and I met up with our new friends John and Vicky from Brisbane and we had a relaxing lunch in a lovely outdoor cafe.

Villa Rufolo

After lunch we visited the Villa Rufolo, another villa again with spectacular views and gardens! Villa Rufolo was originally built in the 13th Century and the gardens were created by Sir Francis Neville Reid, a Scotsman, in 1853.

Hiking back to Amalfi

We walked a different way back to Amalfi, this time taking the coastal route all of the way. With Ravello being 365 meters above sea level this meant climbing down a significant amount of steps!