 |
| Ravello |
We're loving the overnight storms that is keeping the daytime temperatures cooler as well as an ongoing excuse to miss sunrise. The hike of the day was a 8km walk through the chestnut forest ending at Ravello, and then another an hour or so walk down to the seaside village of Atrani.
We had roughly half the group opt to just spend time in Ravello, whilst seven of us followed Vicenzo on the hike. Once again, fortunately most of the hike was in the shade. I was not even aware that chestnuts were grown in the region! The "forest" was more of a farm as the trees were all planted. There were 2 types of chestnut trees grown in the forest. The first was the ones used as the support trellis for the famous Amalfi lemons, and the second type grown for consumption.
During the walk, we firstly heard a pleasant musical ringing like windchimes, shortly followed by the sight of 3 big dogs running at us. Vicenza asked us to keep close as a group until the dogs identified that we were not threats. Turned out that they were part of the guarding party of his friend, Agnello, a shepherd. Vincenzo informed us that he still buys his cheese from Agnello, and that Agnello always remembers that Vincenzo's daughter loves his ricotta.
 |
| Looking down from our start point. Ravello on the left, Valley of the Dragon in the middle and Scala on the right. Fun fact Scala is the oldest town on the Amalfi Coast |
 |
| If you're wondering what she's doing, she's giving me instructions on how to take the photo |
 |
| Looking straight ahead is the chestnut "forest" that we would walk through |
 |
| Chestnuts on the ground |
 |
| These metallic looking beetles were everywhere |
 |
| It was such a picturesque hike but I did wish I wore long pants! |
 |
| If you had this big thing running at you, I think it would reasonable to be just a little bit scared... |
 |
| Agnello and his flock |
We entered the very pretty Ravello through its northern city gate, perched atop a promontory. Whilst there were many tourists, it lacked the crazy crowds at the likes of Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento. We only had less than an hour before we met up with the rest of the group. At this point, I wanted to stay and see Villa Cimbrone, the rest of the group including Lara, explored the closer Villa Rufolo before commencing their hike towards Atrani for some beach time.
Villa Cimbrone and its sprawling garden was stunning, offering spectacular views of the coastline, the villages of Menori, Maiori, and Scala. I quite enjoyed my solo time! It was nice to slow down and have the time to wander aimlessly. Fortunately I made my way down to Atrani uneventfully, although the constant downhill in the sun did give the lower legs a thorough workout...
 |
| Cafe crema. Like a frappucino but tiny |
 |
| Ravello is just pretty everywhere even the roadside! |
 |
| And notice the relative quiet... |
 |
| Piazza |
 |
| Villa Cimbrone Crypt |
 |
| Avenue of Immensity |
 |
| The Terrace of Infinity |
 |
| There were people taking photos in beautiful dresses then there was me in my hiking gear |
 |
| In case you wanted to see the view without my head in the way |
 |
| When you're walking solo, you can justify exploring alleyways without having to justify to a 19 year old... |
 |
| And be rewarded with this view for lunch! |
Despite being only 500m away from Amalfi, Atrani was pleasantly quiet and remained more authentic. There was only a handful of shops, and a much smaller selection of bars and restaurants. The young ones swam, whilst I sat with other non-swimming members of the group enjoying gelato, drinks and a chat! To be honest, the water and the beach did not score highly in the looks or appeal factor. Even though I did bring my swim gear I didn't have the energy to go into the water. As it was, I really felt stiff and tired once back at the villa. Clocking 13.5km may have contributed. The legs had to survive the featured hike tomorrow...the Path of the Gods. It was time for the anti-inflammatories!
No comments:
Post a Comment