In September 2022, we traveled to Italy, spending time in Napoli, Capri, Ischia, Positano, and Ravello. These are notes and photographs from the journey. Scroll to the bottom of the post to view the video archives. All photos/videos mine except where otherwise credited…
One doesn’t come to Italy for niceness…one comes for life.
E.M. Forster
I took the above shot roughly 90 minutes after landing in Napoli…talk about a mind blowing transition. That’s Napoli in the background, and that brilliant blue water is the Golfo di Napoli. On this craft, Stephanie and I were heading to Capri for the first of three days on the island. While the water was stunning and the weather brilliant, the gulf was quite choppy, and made for a rough, scintillating, and soaking wet cruise to get our adventure in Italy officially underway…
I took this from our room on Capri, a little nook in our suite with a desk. Striking view out the window, no doubt, seeing the blue waters of the Golfo di Napoli. But the true reason I took the photo? Centered in the window frame, way off yonder, is Mt. Vesuvius…
On Capri, we stayed at the Excelsior Parco, in a structure that was built in 1906. The address is Via Provinciale Marina Grande, 179 – 80073, Capri (NA) – Italy. Phone is +39 0818379671. It was a beautiful property, built on Roman ruins, the food was amazing, and the staff felt like family. We got emotional when we had to leave…
Taken from Capri’s city center, the vegetation and high-scale cliffs all over the island were breathtaking. There are vistas such as this almost everywhere you look…
Capri is not for the faint of heart. Her beauty is overwhelming and her velocity relentless.
Federico Alvarez de Toledo
As one would expect in Italy, the food was a highlight. As it turned out for Stephanie and I, breakfast was our favorite by far. Not surprising when you see the porch where we had our Capri breakfasts on the Excelsior Parco veranda. The food was amazing, and the space was a delight. We sat there for hours. #slowtravel
Relaxing by the Excelsior Parco’s infinity pool, overlooking the Golfo di Napoli…
To visit Capri’s city center, you have to go up the mountain. But, going back to the hotel, we explored walking back down a very cool, complex path of stairs and declines to get back to our villa. This photo was captured on that journey…
One of the biggest surprises on the trip was our day trip to the island of Ischia. We didn’t know what to expect, but it quickly became a treasured place, one we plan to visit and stay. Five times larger both in size and population to Capri, Ischia was beautiful. Below is the marina where we arrived on Ischia, as seen from our first stop (to grab some espresso)…
The oldest Catholic church on the island of Ischia…Basilica di Santa Restituta…”the saint who returned from the sea.” The church is in the main square of Lacco Ameno, one of several towns on Ischia.
Note: Next to the church is a stunning resort and spa called Hotel La Regina Isabella. Rest assured that on a future trip to the island, we intend to stay there.
Stephanie and I on the west side of the island of Ischia, Italy. The town of Forio is behind us, which was a less touristy, more normal Italian island community.
This was taken just outside the Chiesa del Soccorso, a church on the edge of the sea in Forio, Ischia, Italy. This was looking inland, but the vistage of the sea behind me was positively stunning, one of the best places to view the sunset on Ischia…
This photo was taken from the near the highest point on Ischia, and it’s looking way down to Sant’Angelo, and wonderful quiet village where we had just eaten lunch. It was so quiet and peaceful. Below, us boating back from Ischia to Capri…
And of course, you cannot go to Capri and not view the famed Faraglioni (named Stella, Mezzo, and Scopolo). It was surreal to see these rock formations, as I’ve seen photographs of these things my whole life. As we left Capri, we boated right up (and through) them. Felt like I was living in Instagram…
The view from our hotel in Positano, looking out from our balcony. We had the doors open for three days straight listening to water. It was mesmerizing…
This is the shot I came to Italy for, my very own Positano shot. For me, this will symbolize the entire journey…
It’s impossible to overstate the allure of the Amalfi Coast. It’s romantic, old-world yet low-key, and rife with color and folklore.
Coco Chan
The centerpiece of the town was the iconic Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, an eleventh-century cathedral in Positano…
Walking to dinner along the Amalfi/Positano coast above…and below, our view from dinner, Lo Guarracino. Bar none the most amazing dinner view of all frickin’ time…
The terra cotta structure is the exterior of our hotel in Ravello, the Palazzo Avino. Almost unbelievable, just how beautiful the property and building were. By far, the best hotel we have ever stayed in. We’ll return. Below is shot from the hotel’s lobby…
The view from our hotel room in Ravello, the Palazzo Avino. Breathtaking. Our mouths were open for an hour after our arrival. Our new home away from home…
Standing in the lobby of our Ravello hotel, the Palazzo Avino. Still blown away by the orchids just behind us…
Our favorite meal on this trip was breakfast. We employed our slow travel principles and breakfast usually lasted hours. Especially when breakfasting at our Ravello hotel, the Palazzo Avino…
This next collection of photographs were captured just exploring the fascinating mountaintop town of Ravello, Italy, one of our new favorite places on Earth. Enjoy!
VIDEO ARCHIVES BELOW:
Below is an appropriate photo to close out the essay. While this is technically us leaving Ischia, it nicely symbolizes the close of a glorious adventure, and epitomizes La Dolce Vita….
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