Dear All,

I wanted to share with you my experience on the Amalfi Coast during the last week of March. This was a memorable trip full of adventure, magnificent views, brilliant accommodations, and exquisite food and shopping!

25th of March 2010
Today I arrived in Naples – the main hub to start your exploration of the Amalfi Coast. The airport has one Terminal so it was very easy to find my way and meet with the ground handlers and start my exploration. We jumped in the shuttle provided and off we went to Terminus Hotel located near the train station in Naples.

I recommend staying in the old town (for example at Hotel San Francesco Al Monte) or near the Royal Palace as the access to sightseeing, shopping and restaurants is much easier.Naples is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. It has a great bay with nice views of the Capri and the Ischia Islands. The city is maybe not as delightful as Rome or Florence, but it deserves a place among the destinations a traveler should not miss.

Not far from Naples are two more reasons to come to this city: Pompeii and Herculaneum. These two cities were buried by Mont Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 AD. Mont Vesuvius is the only active volcano in Europe’s continent.

26th of March 2010
Today I headed for the BMT Workshop which was housed in the Mostra Oltremare which where Naples organized its many trade fairs.

One of the most important characteristics of the Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo consists in giving importance to tour operators, showing itself as a real market place.

Over 900 national and international supply operators have met about 1100 national and international demand operators during this fair which was divided in 4 dedicated workshops: Incoming; Wellness & Spa, Incentive & Conference, Mediterranean Luxury.

It was an extremely fruitful day during which I met many local suppliers and got to know even more interesting products, the Campania region offers so much from the ultra luxury hotels of the island of   Capri to the sober and charming agriturismo of the Cilento Park, you will soon see some of my discoveries on the www.luxurytrips.co.uk website.

27th of March 2010

I left early in the morning to Cava dei Tirreni where I stayed for the next two nights.

Cava de’ Tirreni is an ancient historical town with more than 50,000 inhabitants on the hills of the province of Salerno, it offers culture, history, architecture, art, environment, pleasant woods and verdant hills sweeping down to the sea, mountain hikes and tourist routes between parklands and the sea.

On arrival I visited Hotel Scapolatiello – a 4 star property which was my base for the next 2 nights.

The hotel is nestled on hills of Cava dei Tirreni about 3km from the town centre, the drive up the tiny road to the hotel is a bit daunting but it is well worth to get to this piece of paradise.

The hotel itself has about 40 rooms, five or six places to eat, terraces all round, superb landscaped gardens (takes 20-30 mins to take a good walk around) a magnificent swimming pool which has views out to the mountains but can also be covered by a kind of telescopic extending roof if it gets a little cool. There are also “public spaces” all over the hotel. There must be at least a dozen little rooms and places to sit and have a drink, a snack, ice-cream watch telly etc.

I am vegetarian and all my requests were met with a smile by the excellent staff of the hotel.

From here, with a short walk, you reach the Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Trinity, founded by Alferio Pappacarbona in 1011, a noble of Salerno who became a Cluniac monk.

It is an absolutely gorgeous piece of architecture as it is built into the mountain. The building has preserved a number of architectural styles that shows the different times that the building survived.

One evening I had dinner at the charming restaurant”Da Vincenzo” in the centre of Cava dei Tirreni. Again I had unbelievable food! I had several types of fresh fish for starter, a dish with mozzarella and zucchini for main and tasty vanilla gelato and chocolate. By this point of my travel I knew I was in culinary heaven!

If you want to find out more I suggest taking a look at the Official Webiste of the Town of Cava http://www.cavaturismo.it/

28th of March 2010
Today I visited three major places – Paestum, Salerno and Vietri Sul Mare.

Paestum – This is a very interesting site with plenty of history. The main features of the site today are the standing remains of three major temples in Doric style, dating from the first half of the 6th century BC. These were dedicated to Hera and Athena, although they have traditionally been identified as a basilica and temples of Neptune and Ceres, owing to 18th-century misattribution.

The city of Paestum covers an area of about 120 hectares. It is only the 25 hectares that contain the three main temples that have been excavated. The other 95 hectares remain on private land and have not been excavated. The city is surrounded by defensive walls that still stand. The walls are approximately 4750 m long, 5 – 7 m thick and 15 m high. Positioned along the wall are 24 watch towers.

There may have been up to 28 but some of them were destroyed during the construction of a highway in 18th century that effectively cuts the site in two.

Some of the best things of Paestum are the souvenir shops and the coffee shop that offers fresh non diary gelato! I bought handmade calamari pasta and extra virgin olive oil for my family.

http://www.infopaestum.com

After Paestum I headed to Salerno, the main town on the Amalfi Coast.

Salerno is very pleasant city not a holiday destination but worth pop in while on holiday on the Amalfi Coast.

All in all I had a good walk around the shops and the little charming streets of the old part of the town which play host to a number of coffee shops and restaurants.

http://www.eptsalerno.it/

Vietri sul Mare is the first town on the Amalfi Coast coming from Salerno, which is only three kilometers away.

Famous for its ceramic industry, Vietri sul Mare is a small seaside resort with a Marina and a fully equipped beach

The town has numerous bars and restaurants, many serving the seafood dishes which typify the Amalfi Coast cuisine.

An important centre for ceramic production since the 15th century, the streets of Vietri sul Mare are lined with brightly colored stores offering shoppers an endless variety of ceramic treasures.

http://www.vietrisulmare.it/italy/

29th of March 2010

Today was time to say goodbye to the Amalfi Coast and travel to Sorrento in the Neapolitan Gulf, the bus journey along the famous Amalfi Driveways- the most exciting bus journey ever! Picturesque villages clinging precariously to steep sea cliffs with breathtaking rocky-shoreline vistas

In Sorrento I was greeted by Chiara – one of our ground representatives and she took me to Relais Oasi Olimpia – one of our best properties that is located in Sant’Agata sui due Golfi a few kilometers from Sorrento, on the top of an incline, marks the point for the best panoramic views. On one side, the Gulf of Naples curves along the skyline, and on the other, the gulf of Salerno stands between the sea and the horizon, the town take its name from its location on the two gulfs, ” sui due Golfi”.

St Agata is part of the town of Massa Lubrense. The site where the Church of Saint Agata now stands, was once inhabited by Greeks who, as well as using it as an ideal lookout point, also had a necropolis there.

Relais Oasi Olimpia is magnificently propped on a hill overlooking the town and the views are breathtaking! I cannot describe how splendid this property is. I think what makes this place special is the combination of the location, the luxury rooms that offer stunning views of Vesuvius and finally Carmen- the General Manager.

Once you arrive at Oasi Olimpia you feel extremely special and relaxed and all due to the personal attention that you receive from the moment you arrive- best welcome I had during the trip. Also, best pasta with tomato and clams I’ve ever tried. I was wondering how something that simple can taste so good!

I also had a little tour of Santa Agata by myself and visited the church square I mentioned and the 2-star Michelin Don Alfonso – reputable the best table south of Rome!

http://www.santagatasuiduegolfi.it/

From St Agata I moved to Nerano and where checked-in for the next two nights at Casale Villarena.

Nerano, on the furthermost point of the Sorrento peninsula, is a traditional fishing village and not as famous as the nearby Positano and Amalfi which I found actually very relaxing, being less frequented by tourists you can have much more of it to yourself.

Few hours later I discovered that this is a Mecca for gourmet travelers, there are in fact two Michelin starred restaurants (Taverna del capitano and Ristorante Quattro Passi) and other more traditional along the shore of Marina del Cantone, which is where the road from Nerano ends.

The Casale Villarena is the brainchild of Guglielmo, who has taken  on old building from the 18th century with its lemon and olive terraces and restored it to make four apartments, simply but comfortably done.

The apartments are not about sophistication, trendiness, design or chic style. They are all superbly clean and homely spaces, ideal for a break to explore the rich history and wonderful nature in the area. Guglielmo was one of the loveliest hosts I met on this review trip and his love for Nerano and the Amalfi coast in general really shows. He is enthusiastic and knowledgeable and always ready to give a helping hand with planning boat trips across to Capri or picnics up in the hills.

I had a private tour with him and went to see gems of the Amalfi Coast: trendy Positano, historic Amalfi and beautiful Ravello.

While I do recommend visiting the first two for some photos opportunity if you don’t mind to spend a little extra I advise you to stay in Ravello.

Nicknamed”the town of Music” for the various music festivals that take place during the year, Ravello commands the greatest panorama over the Amalfi coast.

Cobbled stepped pathways, beautiful old villas, elegant palazzo, romantic views give Ravello and air of elegance and charm.

Here I visited two properties, the first one Villa Casale is a comfortable self catering residence with 9 self catering apartments ideal for those who like to enjoy terrific settings without breaking the bank account, but if money is not object than 5* Palazzo Sasso is the obvious choice, an original villa from the 12th century it has been rated as one of the world’s finest hotels and boasts two-star Michelin dining.

31st of March 2010

This was my last day but before heading back to Naples airport to catch my late flight I popped in to Sorrento the main hub for the area, from here you can take hydrofoil, train and buses to any destination along the Gulf of Naples and the Amalfi Coast.

It is by far the largest town and although a bit overcrowded, it still retains most of its original charm of the 18th century when it was the highlight of the Grand Tour for the European aristocrats who used to come here in search of art, culture and the roots of Western civilization.

http://www.sorrentotourism.com

I have thing for contemporary hotels so I went to visit the Maison La Minervetta in the charming Marina Grande di Sorrento, traditional fishing port which still remains a bit of a secret place for many of the visitors to Sorrento.

Enter this boutique hotel and you feel as if you have walked onto the pages of an interiors magazine.

All the 12 Mediterranean style rooms, facing the Neapolitan Gulf with huge picture windows, let you bask in the view while lying in bed in the morning.

With a large lounge area, a dining room and a kitchen opening onto an exclusive terrace with spectacular views, “La Minervetta” offers all the comforts of being in a private home.

The overall feel of La Minervetta is relaxation and a reassuringly healthy dose of calm and charm.

From here reaching Naples airport was easy as 1-2-3, walked for few minutes to the bus station in Sorrento where I took the bus (www.curreriviaggi.it) directly to the airport.