Things to do
• Picture-perfect town of Amalfi. Once a major naval power, the town is now known for its stunning coastal scenery; it clings to a jagged rock face looking down over the turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea. Enjoy free time here to stretch your legs on a walk around, admiring the town’s typically Mediterranean architecture, where houses seem to be built on top of each other as they straddle the hillside! Rest in one of the cafés and sample a shot of limoncello , or perhaps check out the Cloister of Paradise (Chiostro del Paradiso) -- an intriguing Arabian-style hamlet.
• Ravello is a refined, polished town boasting impeccable bohemian credentials – Wagner, DH Lawrence and Virginia Woolf all spent time here – it’s today known for its ravishing gardens and stupendous views, the best in the world according to former resident Gore Vidal, and certainly the best on the coast. On Tuesday morning there’s a lively street market in Piazza Duomo, where you’ll find wine, mozzarella and olive oil, as well as discounted designer clothes.
• In the late 1940's John Steinbeck visited Positano and became a life long devotee and launched Positano into the International Jet Set with Jackie Kennedy among others visiting and this popularity has not abated as today movie stars and the wealthy of the world also come to vacation as well magnates of the DotCom society and their yachts. The charm and attraction of Positano seems limitless and eternal to all who have come to visit and an unforgettable experience for all visitors.
Gaze in admiration at the white- and pastel-colored houses that smatter the hillside, and perhaps take a stroll along its perfectly groomed beaches. Positano has also become world famous for beach fashions of brightly coloured robes, bikinis, bags and wraps all made in cool linen or cotton.
Positano is also filled with master cobblers, indeed, this is the place where to abandon your shoes and replace them with a pair of hand crafted sandals, made to measure while you wait.
• Not far from Positano, in the village of Praiano, spend an evening at l’Africana, an extraordinary club with cave setting, complete with natural blowholes and a glass dance floor so you can see confused looking fish swimming under your feet. Africana has been going since the '50s, when Jackie Kennedy was just one of the famous VIP guests.
• Visit the romantic town of Sorrento plenty of fine old shops selling ceramics, lacework and intarsio (marquetry items) – famously produced here. Sorrento makes a good base for catching the ferry to magic Capri island .
• Head inland toward the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pompeii -- the world-famous ancient village that lay buried under layers of volcanic ash for centuries. Explore the area and discover the site’s history from AD 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted, to the early 18th century when it was ‘discovered.
• Pompei The buried city was rediscovered in the 16th century, but exploration only began in 1748, and continued systematically through the nineteenth century up to the most recent excavations, aimed at restoring and attributing the proper value to the ancient city and its exceptional archeological heritage.
• The Blue Grotto is one of several sea caves, worldwide, that is flooded with a brilliant blue or emerald light. The quality and nature of the color in each cave is determined by the unique lighting conditions in that particular cave.
