On Day 2 of the Pearmund Cellars Wine Cruise we spent the day in what may be my favorite port of any Mediterranean Cruise: Amalfi, Italy. Most likely it is many people's favorite port, with its picturesque setting of steep seaside cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Salerno dotted with historic and colorful Italian homes, lemon trees, and a plethora of colorful flowers.
Amalfi is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As such, you won't find any new or modern-looking buildings here as new construction is prohibited. This adds to the charm of Amalfi, and restricts its growth. It is within easy driving distance from the major city of Naples, situated approximately 22 miles southeast of the city.
Amalfi is one of the few ports where we had not planned an organized wine-themed shore excursion for the wine cruise, leaving us on our own to explore. I chose an Oceania shore excursion of Ravello. [Hint: if you decide to visit Ravello, skip the shore excursion and take the open-air bus. It costs roughly 3 Euros, saving you perhaps as much as $80 off a cruise-shiop offered excursion]. Ravello is a small town located nearly directly above Amalfi, on a cork-screw type road that goes high above the sea. The views from here are stunning. The center of the town is the Duomo, a church built in 1272. Branching from the Duomo are a couple of side streets in either direction. I recommend walking the town from end-to-end; you'll find amazing views, beautful flowers, orchards of lemon trees, and shops galore.
One of the products for which Ravello is famous is pottery. Although I hand't planned to buy any, I ended up with a 4-piece placesetting -- 4 dinner plates, 4 salad plates, 4 bowls, and a serving dish. Here is pays to shop a bit. I received free shipping with insurance, and the entire placesetting cost 250 Euros (about $360). Given my purchase, I do recommend the shop -- it is Ceramiche De' Arte.
Ravello also is famous for its Chamber Music. Yearly, the town offers Chamber Music performances at the Villa Rufulo. The stage here is amazing: set out over the cliffs, the views are infinite. Guests watching the stage have a clear view beyond to the open sea. A schedule of performance is located here.
After lingering in Ravello, we traveled back down the mountain to explore Amalfi. Here, many cafes and restaurants line the streets. The town is bustling, with shops and activity, with a Duome anchoring the town square. While European prices can be steep, Amalfi is more reasonable than many other ports we visited (especially Portofino), and lunch consisting of pizza and a Caprese Salad ran us about $25. Walking back to the ship, we stopped a while at the beach. The beach was lined with bright orange umbrellas and wall-to-wall people, a pretty festive site.
Amalfi is one of the ports of call that, for me, a day was just not long enough. I know that this is a place where I will return in the future.
