Positano, Ravello and the Amalfi Coast Private Day Tour from Rome

AMALFI COAST The blue of the sea, the green of the Mediterranean maquis and the hues of citrus fruits spreading out over terraced cultivations blend with the typical architecture in order to create one of the most beautiful itineraries in Italy: the Costiera Amalfitana (the Amalfi Coast). The tortuous street slips over deep gorges and runs down toward the beach and climbs up again along a sequence of breathtaking views: an extremely unique scenery designed by bays, inlets, cliffs and small villages engrafted onto the mountain. A picturesque interlacing of alleys and stairways overlooks the sea with all its extraordinary colors reflecting the enchanting landscape of Amalfi, the town whose name blesses the entire coast. Dominated by the majestic Cathedral dedicated to Sant'Andrea (St. Andrew), Amalfi proffers innumerable testimonies of its glorious past as a Maritime Republic. Furore, located a few milesaway, is an authentic open-air contemporary art gallery, with typical fresco-painted houses, public buildings and small piazzas. If you wish to discover the heart of this land, many naturalistic itineraries all for the exploring await you, with intense colors and perfumes of agave, Indian figs, mastic gum and rosemary. Furore is famous most of all for its fjords: unexpected, spectacular and suggestive visual expression of the power of nature. Positano is a true paradise, developed vertically within a tangled overlay of streets, alleys and shops that expose the colorful Positano fashions well-known all around the world. In the town center is the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta that shows up with its large dome, tiled in majolica and sheltering some precious works like polychrome marble altars. In front of Le Sirenuse Hotel are four small islands set in the expanse of the blue sea. Another pearl of the coast is Ravello, an elegant and refined village, dipped in green and characterized by luxurious villas. Ravello is famous all around the world for its Festival, in the garden of Villa Rufolo, where an evocative setting and the emotion of listening to great music create an experience of extraordinary intensity. The heart of Ravello is represented by Piazza Vescovado, framed by the architecture of Palazzo Rufolo and the Cathedral with its magnificent portal (the first ever made with this innovative mould technique) and 10-feet-high bell tower. The Medieval village of Atrani is marked by small alleys, arches, courts, tiny piazzas and characteristic stairs. The monumental complex of Santa Maria Maddalena is located in a dominant and spectacular position, with its Baroque façade, lively dome tiled with majolica, and elegant bell tower, symbol of the village. Minori is the delightful seaside resort that links together the fascination of landscape and sea to the cultural array centered on the archaeological complex of the Villa Romana (Roman Villa), where it is possible to admire the ancient Roman manufacturing genius, and the Museo dell'Antiquario (Museum of Antiquity) that exposes several finds dating back to that period. Praiano is an ancient and tranquil fishing village that offers visitors a very suggestive naturalistic landscape, as well as a rich artisan variety linked to the traditional silk-spinning and manufacturing. Ancient trades passed down over the centuries, such as that of the artistic ceramic manufacturing of Vietri Sul Mare, all decorated with the wonderful colors of local products. Visits to the following are a must: Scala, Maiori, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Corsara, Tramonti and Santo Egidio del Monte Albino, natural beauties and precious historical testimonies in themselves.