Tour Amalfi Coast

The road on the south slope of the Sorrento peninsula is known as the famous Amalfi Coast. 60 Km of a very winding route, dramatic coastline and home to some of the most beautiful towns in Europe, as: POSITANO AMALFI AND RAVELLO. In no other place the colors shine so bright and so different as along the Amalfi coast. The sea with its stunning shades of blue and green, the beaches, the little islands and the so many villages setting like gems in a precious tiara. His charm is not only stored in the places but also in the history of the monuments (as Churches and Villas) that left grandiose artistic evidence.The coast line starts from the hills above Sorrento to Vietri sul mare, all along the gulf of Salerno. Offering to the visitors always different views, as: little islands, fishing villages, Saracen towers and wonderful landscapes. The entire coastline is very steep, the road was built high up above the clear sea, offering what is considered the most breathtaking drive in the Mediterranean sea. The highlight is the drive along the scenic coastline and the opportunity to visit the towns of POSITANO, AMALFI AND RAVELLO, spendig one hour or more in each of these towns, to see same of the architectural and artistic works of great significance.

POSITANO
Probably the best description of Positano was made by John Steinbeck in his first trip to this town:
It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would be a cliff except that stairs are cut in it. I believe that whereas most house foundations are vertical, in Positano they are horizontal. The small curving bay of unbelievably blue and green water laps gently on a beach of small pebbles. There is only one narrow street and it does not come down to the water. Everything else is stairs, some of them as steep as ladders. You do not walk to visit a friend, you either climb or slide.

AMALFI
Famous tourist resort, it was an indipended republic from the 7th century untill the year 1075
and rivalled with Pisa and Genoa for prosperity and maritime importance in the Mediterranean.
The most important monumets is the Cathedral of St. Andrew originaly builted in the 11th C. in Arabian-Sicilian style is one of the most beautiful in Italy, and is overlooking the main square.
It keeps many old elements, as the famous bronze doors imported from Costantinopoli and Chapel of Crucified. The rich façade is decorated with mosaics and is a reconstruction from the XVIII Century. The interior, thoroughly restored, consists of nave, aisles and chapels. From the forth chapels on the right a Flight of steps descends to the crypt, built in 1253. Below the altar rests the body of St Andrew the Apostle, brought here from Constantinople in 1208, as evidence of the participation of Amalfi to the IV Crusade.

RAVELLO
1100 feet above the see level, was founded in the 9th century AD under the rule of Amalfi.
The town is a garden of beauties, full of art, history and flowers. The main square is dominated by the Duomo of St. Pantaleone, built in the 1086. The façade has three portals, the central one, are the famous bronze doors sculpted by Barisano Da Trani in 1180. On side of the square, is the entrance to Villa Rufolo, an example of Norman-Saracenic buildings from the11 Century, partly in ruins, the palace is surrounded by a famous tropical garden. Is in this garden that Wagner found his inspiration for the magic garden of Klingsor in his Parsifal. A short walk from the square is Villa Cimbrone, with a beautiful lush garden, at the end of this garden is the famous Belvedere Cimbrone, the furthest point of the ridge on which Ravello lies. Every year from early april to the end of october in the gardens of VILLA RUFOLO take place the prestigious RAVELLO MUSIC FESTIVAL, which is one of the oldest music festivals in Italy.