Vacation Diary Part 3 \ Ravello & Rome, Italy

There is just something about little European villages.  The charming cobblestone streets leading up to the bustling center square, surrounded by coffee shops and tiny family run restaurants.  The colors, the smells, the food, the people, the architecture of these tiny, picturesque villages are exactly what inspires me to travel.  

Ravello is what you'd expect when you envision one of these small villages.  Where as Positano & Capri are on the water, Ravello sits perched atop a mountain and gazes down on the small villages below it with the Bay of Salerno in the distance.  Ravello is achingly beautiful, and some say it is one of Italy's most breathtaking small towns.  Surrounded by lemon groves & vineyards, this lovely little town was the perfect ending for our journey on the Amalfi Coast. 

I love the characteristic features found on old doors.

I saw more lemon trees {with HUGE lemons} in this region of Italy than I've ever seen in my life! 

The charming town of Amalfi, as seen from above on our drive up to Ravello.

I can literally see my face getting rounder and rounder in the last few days we were in Italy....

.....Probably because we ate like this every day lol!

 We visited the stunning Greek ruins of Pasteum {600 BC}.  Highly, highly suggest this site as most tourists don't stop here and we had this spot mainly to ourselves.

 Pasteum contains some of the most well-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world.

 We visited a buffalo mozzarella farm and learned the process on how the cheese is made.

And did some sampling of all the amazing cheeses fresh from the farm with a carafe of white wine on the side ;)

Seriously lemons everywhere!  This guy uses lemon trees as his car port.

My daily gelato.

The area surrounding Ravello is breathtaking.

Our guide brought us to this little hole in the wall trattoria; we probably would have never tried it otherwise.  The food was so delicious we ended up eating here twice.  They serve their own homemade wine in a big pitcher....totally my style :)

The view from our hotel in Ravello.

 While in Ravello, we took a cooking class w/ Mama Agata.  She doesn't speak a word of English but cooks the most delicious food {never once using a recipe}.  

 We made eggplant parmesan, amongst other things.

Wearing my favorite Velvet by Lily Aldridge jacket {here}

We celebrated our actual anniversary while in Ravello and I surprised Adam by having our baker {who created our wedding cake in Tuscany} re-create an exact mini version and ship it to us in Ravello.  Thanks Melanie!

 Heading to Rome wearing: Velvet by Lily Aldridge jacket {linked above} / Soft Joie sweater {here} / Citizen of Humanity jeans {here}

  I just love Rome.  Even though we've been here many times, I always feel like I'm viewing it with fresh eyes.

 View of the Spanish Steps from our hotel.

No trip to Rome is complete without a visit {and a wish!} to the Trevi Fountain.  Legend has it that if you make a wish + throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, you will return to Rome.

Where we stayed:

Ravello - Palazzo Avino

Rome - Portrait Suites Roma {We've stayed here many times, expensive but highly recommend}

I truly did not want to leave!  I was begging {pathetically pleading, actually} Adam to extend our trip but, alas, it was back to the states & reality for us.  Until next time, Italy ♡