From Olive Groves to Lemon Orchards

We had a very memorable two weeks in Puglia and you know you loved the place when you do not want to leave when your time is up.  But leave we must as we had booked an apartment for five nights in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast.  Its not a short hop as we are leaving the Adriatic and crossing over to the Med.  Our TomTom told us it was 380km (236mi) and would take just over 4 hours.  We left the relatively flat Puglia valleys filled with olive groves and headed over a rugged mountain pass and halfway down the other side before coming to rest in Ravello.  We were surrounded by Lemon orchards and buildings all perched on the sides of the Lattari Mountains.  The mountain portion of the trip was a white knuckle drive with hairpin roads so narrow in some spots that police stop traffic one way to allow vehicles to come from the other direction.  But once you arrive you quickly realize the views were well worth the heart pounding aggravation.  

Ravello is situated on a hilltop more than 365m (1,200ft) above the Mediterranean Sea.  It is not as well known as its neighboring sea towns of Amalfi and Positano which means, thankfully it does not receive the same hordes of day trippers.  Our accommodation is located 200m (655ft) past a dead-end street along a very narrow walkway and is definitely not in the tourist part of town.  If our Trulli was 5 star, this apartment is 3 star at best.  But the place is clean, the bed is comfortable and it is very quiet.  So we are happy to be here.  We found a parking spot for the car, which is not easy as most places do not have garages or the streets are too narrow for cars to get into.  We will leave it there for the duration of our stay as we plan on doing a lot of walking or taking the bus.      

Rita cleaning the windshield of our compact Lancia during a fuel stop just before we leave Puglia for the Amalfi Coast.  We are very thankful to be driving such a small car.

Stopped at a lookout just before we hit the summit and headed down the other side.  We had driven up from the valley below on a very narrow and winding road.

Looking up from the road you can see the building with the bell tower, which is where we are staying.  Our apartment is on the 2nd floor with the covered balcony.

The inside of our apartment may be 3 star but the view from the balcony is definitely 5 star.

People actually live in this derelict looking building and our apartment is only about 100 meters past the orange scooter.
Looking back at some of the many steps we will navigate on a daily basis to get from our apartment down to Ravello's main square and back.  This will definitely help improve our cardio conditioning

The Ravello Cathedral, built in the 11th century, and its 13th century bell tower is the spiritual and physical center of the town as it anchors the beautiful Duomo Piazza (the main square) with its many outdoor cafes and restaurants



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