Up into the hills
Amalfi was looking lovely as we opened our curtains this morning.
The unmistakeable sound of action beneath our verandah reminded us that Amalfi is a tendered port. Time to get going then!
After a quick coffee and pot of Birchermüsli, we collected our tickets and reported for our tour. We specialise in early starts and on this itinerary seem to have outdone ourselves!
The sun rose in the sky as we sailed over to the harbour. It was going to be glorious!
We were a group of 20 or so led by Fabio in a small coach driven by Michele. Anyone who has travelled the Amalfi Coast will know how pleased we were to sit back and allow someone else to do the driving!
We were heading up to Ravello, hilltop village (town?) where we’d take a look at the Villa Rufolo. The views from here were spectacular, not that the morning sunshine made taking photographs very easy.
The Villa itself is a well maintained ruin and used for events: concerts and festivals. It’s particularly associated with Richard Wagner, who was inspired to write Parsifal here.
There’s a little kiosk commemorating the man and his work, though whether he sat in the kiosk to write or whether is was built to mark the spot, I’m not sure. A plaque on the wall explains.
The real feature of Villa Rufolo is the gardens, which are beautiful, particularly in this morning’s sunshine.
After a bit of free time in Ravello, we returned to the bus to drive further into the hills. This totally confused my mental compass! Fabio said we were travelling to an area “north of Vesuvius” - I need to get out a map and see what he means.
Our destination was Trapani and the family vineyard of Cantine Apicella, where the founder’s daughter awaited us. Fabio had explained about the wine growing around here, we’d seen huge sweet chestnuts growing wild along the roadside and there are olives grown here too. The volcanc soil is key to the success, it seemed.
We went up into the vineyard for a closer look and to hear how the pergola system is used here to support these incredibly old vines, planted in 1933.
At some point, I will return to this post to finish the story, of tasting and of a jolly lunch in the sunshine but right now, internet issues test my patience.
At last, I can (hopefully) finish this post, feeling ever so slightly envious of the “home office” set up at the winery. Yes, this really was a family farm in all senses of the phrase - delightful!
So, where were we? Sitting around a table in the sunshine, tasting local flavours and enjoying every mouthful!
We tasted three wines, starting with a fresh crisp white, moving on to a young red, served chilled and finishing with an older, richer red.
Servings were generous as was the plate of local cheese and charcuterie to enjoy alongside each glass. Needless to say, we were a jolly lot who climbed back on the bus and waved goodbye to our hosts who had welcomed us so warmly to their farm.
The drive back down into Amalfi was peaceful but for the sound of snoozing! Once back at the pier, Fabio said ‘bye to his “family” and our carriage awaited to take us home.
A cracking start to our short Mediterranean adventure! Sicily tomorrow.
