Ciao! You’ve landed on one of the travel diaries from my post-graduation trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast! I divided it up by the places we visited on which days, so there are detailed posts for each city we visited, and then a post that gives a general overview of our travel itinerary for all 10 days. This post covers the days that we were in Ravello.

Day 8: Ravello

• Mid-morning we had a driver meet us in Positano and take us to Ravello (using Jack the Driver‘s company, which we used for transportation our entire trip).
• When we arrived we checked in and then walked around the small town of Ravello and into Villa Cimbrone  (tip: you don’t really need a guided tour for this, we just walked through the gardens and read from our guide book when we were interested in learning more about the villa’s history). We found Ravello to honestly be the most serene and naturally breathtaking town we visited the entire trip (and we all agree on this). It’s a tiny oasis, tucked into the mountains and hillsides of the Amalfi, where rose gardens fill the grounds of historic villas and ancient churches overlook the sea. We fell in love instantly.

How gorgeous is the outside facade of Villa Cimbrone?! 

dress | similar bag | sandals

A gorgeous tower in the villa fit for a princess 

• In the late afternoon we went back to the resort and got in the rooftop hot tubs and drank the complimentary bottle of champagne (like who do we think we are?!! ha). We then walked to dinner, which was about 15 minutes away from the hotel.
• Dinner: Villa Maria
  • There aren’t many restaurants in Ravello, but this one came highly recommended. It’s in a gorgeous spot overlooking the rolling hillsides, but we were really disappointed by the food. I ordered pizza bites and they came out cold– and then I sent them back (which I almost never do) and they came out cold again, ha! So I’d recommend just going for a drink to enjoy the views but then heading elsewhere for dinner.
• Stayed in: Palazzo Avino 
  • This was voted the number one honeymoon resort in Europe a few years back and it’s easy to see why. It’s over-the-top romantic and gorgeous, with sprawling views of the hillsides and sea and stunning amenities like a terrace bar, huge swimming pool, and rooftop hot tubs. Plus, it’s only a few steps from the town square which made it really convenient. The staff was so kind and it was an unbelievably relaxing and serene environment. It was the perfect place to recharge and soak in the beauty of the Amalfi Coast before heading back to Rome. I honestly was not ready to leave when it came time to go.

Right outside the hotel’s lobby 

Looking out from the roof of the hotel… 

This was the view from our room’s balcony

Day 9: Ravello and Rome

• We woke up early and had a buffet breakfast on the resort’s terrace (you would think that we would be getting sick of breakfast buffets by now but nope).
• After that we relaxed by the resort’s swimming pool and read and hung out outside on the terrace by the pool.

The view of a few of the hotel’s terraces in the morning 

It’s like this flamingo was just waiting for me! (I’ve had a few people ask if we brought it, and while that sounds like something that we definitely would do (ha), we didn’t! 

One of the most relaxing moments of the trip… 

• Mid-morning we walked into town and explored Villa Rufolo (this is the villa that’s pretty much in the center of the town of Ravello, whereas Villa Cimbrone is about a 15 minute walk from the town square). It’s old structure, intricate gardens, and ocean-front symphony stage were magical to experience.

• We got a snack to go from the main square and got picked up around noon to drive back to Rome, which was about three and a half hours away, sad to be leaving Ravello so soon, but thankful that we got to experience it’s magic. Check out our Rome travel diary. xx