Driving on Amalfi Coast

2023-09-26T08:00:00-07:00europe, italyNo comments

Inna booked Luciano, a private tour guide, for an 8-hour Amalfi Coast tour with stops in Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, and Ravello.

We woke at 7:00, showered, and got dressed for the tour. At 7:45, we left our Bed and Breakfast on Corso Italia 185 and walked 3 minutes to Gentile Cafe, our favorite nearby cafe.

We sat down and ordered small breakfast items, including the following:

Boris: Scrambled Eggs, Cappuccino
Inna: Salmon Toast, Black Tea

My scrambled eggs were delicious, but took some time to prepare. We gobbled down our food and ran to our meeting place with Luciano.

Luciano arrived in a black Mercedes-Benz at exactly 8:30, and we immediately got in and started our drive to Positano, along a very windy but scenic road along the Amalfi Coast.

About an hour later, we arrived at Positano, with Luciano parking the Benz at one of the garages. Inna and I walked down to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta.

There, we split up, as Inna wanted to do a little shopping and explore all of the cute boutiques in the area. I decided to walk uphill to see a different side of Positano.

My walk was exhausting, with hundreds of steps in a never-ending climb to the top. I encountered many exciting restaurants, hotels, and beautifully decorated apartments.

At around 10:15, I returned to the car and ran into Inna, who was shopping nearby. We continued our drive down the Amalfi Coast to the next destination.

In Ravello, we stopped by Garden Ravello Restaurant for lunch, but it was fully booked and could not accommodate our party of 2. We then continued to the nearby Restaurant Salvatore and were seated indoors (due to strong winds). We would have preferred to be placed outdoors for a better view of the surrounding Amalfi Coast.

After looking at the Restaurant Salvatore menu, we ordered the following items:

Appetizer: Waffle Soffiato
Boris: Stracotto di Manzo (well-cooked beef)
Inna: Crespolini Salvatore (crepes)
Drinks: Sparkling water, cappuccinos

We really enjoyed our dishes here! Our lunch was spectacular, from the unique Waffle Soffiato to the delicious Crespolini and the well-cooked Stracotto di Manzo. Since we were both sleepy, we ordered 2 cappuccinos to wake us up.

After lunch, we noticed a light drizzle, so I put on my light raincoat (Inna forgot to bring hers). We decided to visit the highly-rated Villa Cimbrone, about 13 minutes away. We also wanted to stop by Villa Rufolo, but we needed more time (and it seemed much more crowded).

After paying the 20.00 euros for 2 adults, we entered the villa and were amazed by the Italian elegance and beauty.

The gardens were lovely, and Minori's surrounding views were out of this world! This was a definitive highlight of the Amalfi Coast trip. We are glad that we did not miss it.