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Amalfi Coast Stories

Local tales, lifestyle & photography on the Amalfi Coast

Jul 01 2017

Dadini – Jewelry Inspired by the Amalfi Coast

Laura Thayer

Shopping

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The Amalfi Coast is endlessly inspiring to me. Whether I’m writing or out taking photographs, there’s always something that I’m trying to capture to share or remember. I love seeing how this beautiful landscape inspires so many different types of artists. When I spotted Dadini, a local jewelry company started by Salerno native Alessandra Sessa, the influence of the Amalfi Coast in her lovely designs made me smile. What a beautiful idea! Dadini was inspired by the colors and emotions of the Amalfi Coast and, of course, the strong tradition of ceramics in the area. Each majolica cube has a design that reflects the Amalfi Coast – the blue of the sea, multi-colored homes, yellow lemons and the intricate tiles you’ll find all up and down the coast.

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Many of the colorful designs in their Amalfi Coast Collection are even named after towns along the Amalfi Coast, like the Positano, Ravello or Conca dei Marini. All the designs are charming, but it will come as no surprise that my favorite is the Amalfi! I have my eye on a few other designs to add to my collection, which I know will grow. How can you resist these colorful little designs?

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I love the joy and color captured in Dadini’s designs and in everything they do. Just look at this video, which tells a charming story. On their website it says, “Once upon a time, there was a Dadini that traveled along the Amalfi Coast from Vietri sul Mare to Positano, along the way meeting other Dadini to create a colorful bracelet.” What a fun little visual story!

Curious to find out more? Visit Dadini.com to see all their designs. You can order from the website and get free shipping in Italy, but they also ship worldwide. Add a touch of Amalfi Coast charm to your look this summer with the colors and design of Dadini!

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Disclosure: Dadini very kindly sent me the necklace featured in this blog post, which was a lovely surprise! However, the opinions in this blog post are entirely my own. I love supporting and sharing about local companies and small businesses. Shop local and support artists whenever you can!

Jun 08 2017

Ravello Festival 2017 Schedule and Tickets

Laura Thayer

What's On

Photo by Roberto Vuilleumier and used courtesy of the Ravello Festival

Every year I eagerly await the announcement of the Ravello Festival program, which runs from July to September in the City of Music. The Ravello Festival 2017 schedule has finally been announced! This year’s program kicks off on July 1st with Adam Fischer conducting the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in a performance of works by Wagner – representing the roots of the Ravello Festival and Wagner’s connection with Ravello.

On July 2nd the festival changes gears dramatically from the historic inspiration of the festival to a night of contemporary dance, music and performance with noted Italian artist Francesco Clemente. This is sure to be an intriguing artistic evening in Ravello! There will also be an exhibit of Clemente’s work on display at the Villa Rufolo from July 2nd – September 30th.

Keeping with tradition, this year’s Ravello Festival presents a mix of performances in genres ranging from classical to opera, jazz and contemporary Italian and international musicians. Dance lovers will find some excellent shows to choose from, including the Stars of the American Ballet and Les Italiens de l’Opéra de Paris.

Highlights of this year’s program are Dianne Reeves on July 5th, Philip Glass on July 14th, the Wayne Shorter Quartet on July 16th, Antonello Venditti on August 4th and the traditional Concert at Dawn on August 11th.

You can book your tickets for the Ravello Festival 2017 at the online Box Office. If there’s a concert that catches your eye, it’s a good idea to book well in advance. Also, a ticket buying tip: For inclement weather, the concerts can be moved from the Villa Rufolo gardens to the nearby Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer. However, since the space is more limited, only people with tickets in rows A, B, C, D, E, F e G will be allowed in. All other tickets are reimbursed. So if there’s a show you absolutely don’t want to miss, make sure to get a ticket in rows A to G.

Will you be seeing a show at the Ravello Festival this year? I’d love to hear which one!

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Jun 03 2017

New Bus Service from Naples Airport to the Amalfi Coast

Laura Thayer

Getting Around

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Planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast and flying into the Naples Airport? Then I have some good news for you! There’s a new bus service that goes direct from the Naples Capodichino Airport to multiple destinations on the Amalfi Coast. And it only costs €15 per person! Reaching the Amalfi Coast by public bus has always been a bit of an adventure. It was hard for me to even recommend that as an option for travelers, especially if they didn’t speak Italian. Thankfully, Pintour has launched a new bus service the connects the Naples Airport with all of the towns on the Amalfi Coast from Vietri sul Mare to Amalfi. That includes stops at Vietri sul Mare, Raito, Cetara, Erchie, Maiori, Minori, Castiglione (where you would get off to catch a local bus up to Ravello), Atrani and Amalfi.

There are four departure times from the Naples Airport (9:00, 12:30, 16:00, 19.30) and four departure times from Amalfi (7:00, 10:30, 14:00, 17.30). The journey takes about 2 hours each way. Tickets cost €15 per person (€10 for kids under 12) each way, and can be purchased online here. For exact departure times from each stop along the way, check out the schedules below.

Bus Schedule for Naples to the Amalfi Coast

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Bus Schedule from Amalfi to the Naples Airport

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This is a much needed service on the Amalfi Coast – for both locals and travelers alike. The departure times from the Naples airport comfortably cover many of the flight times for travelers arriving to visit the Amalfi Coast. And for the departure, if you have a later morning or afternoon flight from Naples, this bus service has you covered, too. The only issue with departure times is for travelers heading to the United States since those flights often leave very early from the Naples airport to make international connecting flights in Italy or Europe. If you’re leaving at a flight around 7am like I often do when flying back to America, then booking a private taxi transfer will still likely be your best option. I know some of you will be asking, “And Positano?” That town is not covered in this bus service, and will have to be another post in itself! (Spoiler alert: It’s NOT easy.)

Note: I’m looking forward to trying out this bus service to the Naples Airport, but I haven’t used it yet personally. So for any additional questions on schedules or tickets, please contact Pintour here.

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May 20 2017

Amalfi Coast Ferry Service to Minori, Maiori & Cetara

Laura Thayer

Getting Around

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Get Around the Amalfi Coast with Ferry Service to Minori, Maiori & Cetara!

For ease of bus and ferry transportation connections, I often recommend travelers stay in Amalfi while visiting the Amalfi Coast. However, thanks to the ferry service Travelmar started running last year connecting Maiori, Minori and Cetara with the ferry line between Amalfi and Salerno, it’s now easier than ever to get around the Amalfi Coast! My favorite way to travel between towns on the Amalfi Coast is on the ferry, which you can read more about here. If you’re planning on staying in Minori, Maiori or Cetara—or would like to visit these towns during your stay—it’s now easy and scenic to do so by ferry.

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Take the ferry to Minori

I really love Cetara and Minori – they’re both smaller towns and are usually a bit less crowded during busy season. Cetara has an old world fishing village charm, with its picturesque beach and watchtower. There are some excellent restaurants just a few steps from the beach where you can try dishes made with the local garum – an anchovy sauce made since ancient Roman times in Cetara. While in Minori you can explore the winding streets and visit the Villa Romana. Maiori is geographically one of the largest towns on the Amalfi Coast, and it has long seafront, more shopping and is often a bit more lively in the evenings.

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Cetara from the sea

With the Travelmar ferry service to Minori, Maiori and Cetara, you can easily hop between towns along the coast that in the past have only been accessible by bus if you’re traveling by public transport on the coast – highly recommended! And thankfully there are quite a few connections daily, which makes it very convenient. Check out the Travelmar schedule to find out more.

Apr 23 2017

Italy Roundtable: The Rush of the Strange and Unfamiliar

Laura Thayer

Amalfi Coast Lifestyle

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This month’s Italy Roundtable topic “foreign” brought in a host of interesting topics from the group – all thoughtful, reflective and informative. Be sure to check them all out at the links below! While I am a foreigner living in Italy, there’s another aspect of the word “foreign” that has been rattling around in the back of my mind this week. The secondary meaning of the word is listed as “strange and unfamiliar.” Dictionary example: “I suppose this all feels pretty foreign to you.” Now that sounds about right! It got me thinking. When was the last time you experienced something foreign? There’s a thrill that comes from the strange and unfamiliar. It means stepping out of your comfort zone, whatever the experience might be.

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I don’t know about you, but I thrive in the strange and unfamiliar. Not that I go in search of it. I’m certainly not an adventure seeking sort of person. Perhaps more of the sort that enjoys finding the adventure in everyday life. Whatever it is, I find that I am the happiest when I have quite literally no idea what I’m doing. It probably started with when I fell in love with studying ancient Greek in college. That was remarkable. Then there was that time I was a data analyst for Fannie Mae. (Seriously.) Or when I decided to study art history in graduate school and called up my mom to ask, “Hey, Mom, so I have to include a research paper with my application. What’s a research paper?” Then there was the time 10 years ago when I moved to Italy without speaking any Italian. Or when I started freelance writing and editing. The land of “strange and unfamiliar” is my home.

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So why the wisteria? Well it’s pretty. Besides that, it represents a moment I had recently that reminded me how important those strange and the unfamiliar moments are in our lives. Sure a trip to a new country around the world is exciting, but how can you get out of your comfort zone right now, right where you’re at? When I went to Positano earlier this month to see the wisteria, I decided to make some video clips so I could start learning how to use iMovie. It may have taken me a few weeks to finish that video, but when I uploaded it to YouTube yesterday, I had a rush. There it was. Something strange and unfamiliar. I have quite literally no idea how to make movies, and yet there I go putting one out to the world to see. It’s nothing special. I have a lot to learn. But what is special is that incredible experience of doing something strange and unfamiliar!

Go out and try something foreign this week – a new restaurant, a new drink at your local coffee shop, a new way to drive to work, a new genre that you usually don’t read, a new craft, a new recipe, a different type of creative endeavor. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work out. Let me know how it felt to experience something foreign!

Italy Blogging Roundtable

This blog post is part of a series called The Italy Blogging Roundtable. Every month our group of Italy based writers takes on a new theme, and you can read the contributions for this month’s topic – Foreign – at the links below. We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Please share the stores if you’ve enjoyed them!