(July 5) Today we hired Tony, our driver from yesterday, to bring us to Ravello – a town on the Amalfi coast which is different than Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Minori and others because it is high up in the mountains. We spent a few hours wandering around town, browsing the shops and marveling at the views. A much different perspective than what you’d get on the bus or from the shoreline. Paul brought us to Villa Rufolo (www.villarufolo.it) which was stunning. The gardens and historic architecture are a shadow of what it was in the 13th century, but it’s worth the trip to marvel at the varieties of plants, plum trees, nut trees and vistas. Composer Richard Wagner was entranced with this area, and we enjoyed spending time dancing across a stage which was set up for the Ravello jazz festival. The backdrop of the stage is the sky with a panoramic view of neighboring towns and the sea down below. Truly the most beautiful site to see. Of course we shopped in that area as well and I purchased a beautiful ceramic plate.

We took two buses to get from Ravello back to Minori (via Amalfi), and Papa decided to stay in Amalfi to explore on his own. Papa spent a few hours in Amalfi, and then returned to Minori for a siesta and then dinner.

After a quick change of clothes we hopped on the bus again this time to the town of Cetera (pronounced che-tah-rah.) The bus went up the coast winding around the hills, hugging the cliff. Grandma only broke out the prayer card once and Miss M felt nauseous and didn’t puke, so I consider the journey a success!

We spent the afternoon on the beach with friends from Belmont who summer in Cetera. Antonella grew up in Cetera, and returns with her husband and three kids each summer. (The daughter is 10, one son is Miss M’s age and they were on the same soccer team for three years, and the youngest son is the same age as D and attended the same preschool.) Alex flies over with the family and briefly vacations in Cetera before returning to the States for work.

The kids had a blast playing on the beach, the water was warm and clear with little fishies swimming around us. And D joined the adults in jumping off a big rock into the deep bay of Salerno, quickly made friends with other little Italian boys on the beach, went hunting for crabs between the rocks, and loved swimming with the snorkel mask.

The family has membership to Cetera’s only beach club which provides them with two chairs, an umbrella, they store beach toys at the club, and there are a few picnic tables to eat your food (they don’t bring it onto the sand.) Antonella said it costs approx US $45 a day, and the only people at the beach club are Italians who are not from Cetera since the locals wouldn’t dream of paying for their own beach.

Antonella’s Mother, Mary, met us at the beach and compared leg injuries with Grandma who has had several people comment on her leg brace during the trip. One woman local to Minori asked if it was an “Italian souvenir.” Grandma enjoyed sitting in the lounge chair on the beach, watching the locals, and sipping on a black iced coffee which Antonella explained to the locals how to make. She even took off the brace and dipped her legs in the very salty water.

It was so nice to see our friends and experience a day in their life in Cetera. Their apartment is a typical size for the Italian coast, but makes Barnard Rd look big. Alex has to duck in the kitchen to wash dishes in the sink, there is a bedroom with only space for bunk beds, the bathroom has the washing machine in it, and on the balcony there’s a small sink with a hose attachment do you can outdoor shower and let the water run over the edge into small gutters. It’s small, but has everything one would need…especially if most time is spent on the beach!

We saw the church where our friends got married and walked through town (less than 2 blocks) before heading to the bus back to Minori. (Alex recommended we get there 15 minutes since it’s never exact, and of course it arrived 15 minutes late!)

A long day, and we covered a lot of ground, but the only one ready for bed was D. He actually fell asleep in the roller coaster bus on the way back to Minori as it wound its way along the coast beeping its horn at every turn.

Food report:
Breakfast at the hotel was standard…toast, jams, chocolate and cherry filled pastries, yogurts, eggs, fruit cocktail, and various breads.

In Ravello, Grandma bought some figs, Big D enjoyed a bag of chips and Miss M had two containers of “nutella to go” which are mini bread sticks, nutella, and sweet tea in one handy travel container. Santa had put something similar in her Christmas stocking so she was very excited.
In Cetera: Antonella’s father, Vincenzo, was a fisherman, and also the chef on the boat, so he was very happy to cook lunch for us. Vincenzo prepared a salad of lettuce and tomatoes dressed with olive oil and lemon, crusty bread, vongole (clams), mussels in a lemony broth, and pasta with fresh tomatoes with vongole. Everything was so delicious. The kids ate hot dogs, pasta with butter, yogurt, and cream cheese on Italian bread. Of course there was limoncello, white wine, and for dessert watermelon and a pear and ricotta tart that we brought from Bar Del Risto.

In Minori: a quick margherita pizza for the family before heading to bed!