5-Day Guide to Living La Dolce Vita on the Amalfi Coast and Capri

Arrive at your hotel and drop your bags - if you book with a FORA advisor, you may even have complimentary early check in.

Head to the Mediterraneao restaurant at Villa Cimbrone in Ravello for a leisurely lunch with a view over the coastline. You’ll be tempted to order another drink for extra time to savor the views. After lunch, wander the gorgeous Villa Cimbrone gardens and take in more breath-taking views at the Terrazza dell'Infinito. If you’re ready for a snack or a coffee, Il Balcone di Lucille sits below the terrace and offers snacks and drinks and yet another balcony with postcard views.

Continue your tour of Ravello’s famed gardens by wandering ten minutes through the winding streets to Villa Rufolo, just off the main square. Built by a wealthy family in the 13th century, Villa Rufolo has been beloved by many over the centuries including famous composer Richard Wagner. Enjoy a stroll through the impeccably kept gardens, a small onsite exhibit and even more views over the Amalfi coast.

Wander back to the main square and into Ravello’s Duomo, originally built in the 11th century. Note the bronze door at the entrance to the Duomo, crafted in 1179 by Barisano da Trani and among the fewer than two dozen bronze church doors still extant in Italy.

Hopefully all of your garden wandering has worked up an appetite - I recommend booking a reservation to coincide with sunset at Garden Ravello Restaurant and Hotel with yet another picture-perfect view over the coastline and a menu featuring local dishes and wine selections.

If you’re a confident driver, and you’re traveling in a shoulder or off season, hop into your rental car for a day of exploring the Amalfi Coast by land. If you’d prefer not to self-dive (more limoncello spritzes for you!) ask me (or your other FORA advisor) to book a driver for you for the day.

Start your morning with a tour at La Masseria Azienda Agricola, a multi-generation farm established in 1898 in Massa Lubrense specializing in the famous Amalfi lemons. Your tour will include an in-depth view into how for generations local farmers have grown lemons on the terraced hills above the Tyrrhenian Sea. After your tour enjoy a tasting of local olive oil and a lunch featuring produce from the farm, prepared by the mother of your tour guide - this is a local, family operation.

After lunch, head for Raito on the eastern end of the Amalfi Coast to taste another local product - wine. Le Vigne di Raito is an organic, woman-owned winery perched on six acres overlooking the coastline. There are multiple wine-tasting experiences on offer, but I recommend booking the vineyard picnic experience. Friendly staff will help you select a bottle of wine to your taste and send you off into the vineyard with a basket of local snacks, water, and a map of recommended picnic spots among the vines - all with views of the coast, of course.

End your day with another meal of delicious local dishes and wine - ask your FORA advisor for tailored recommendations just for you.

No trip to the Amalfi Coast is complete without seeing this majestic coastline from the water and today that is just what you’ll do! You can use the ferry to hop from town to town at a discounted rate, but for just a little bit more I recommend booking a small group boat tour.

You’ll get a chance to view the coastline from an entirely new angle and your local captain will share stories and the history of the area as you cruise the impossibly-clear waters. Lunch and beverages on the boat are included in the cost of your tour, as are multiple stops for swimming. You’ll also have stops in Amalfi and Positano with plenty of time to explore and taste the Insta-famous lemon sorbetto.

Today is your last day on the Amalfi Coast and I recommend toasting to your time in this dreamy landscape by heading to Bar Caruso at the Belmond Caruso for sunset views of the coast.

Catch a morning ferry to Capri so you can arrive in time to drop your bags at your hotel and enjoy lunch on the island. Wandering the tiny streets of Capri is an activity in itself - make sure not to miss the piazzetta and colonnade near the funicular station with views up to Anacapri.

After lunch, catch a ride in one of Capri’s unique open-top taxi’s up to Anacapri. Ride the seggiovia (chair lift) to the top of Monte Solaro with unrivaled views of Capri and back across the bay to Naples. There is a cafe/bar at the top if you’d like sit and stay a while.

Walk down the hill from the seggiovia to Villa San Michele, built by Swedish physician Axel Munthe in the late 19th century. Your ticket includes a visit to the home and it’s collections of ancient objects as well as the gardens with views across the Bay of Naples.

For dinner, head to the garden patio at Villa Margherita for fresh pastas and local wines.

Before you say goodbye to Capri and the Amalfi Coast, start your day at the Giardini di Augusto. Established by the German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp in the early twentieth century, the beautiful gardens offer a 180 degree view of Capri including the Faraglioni rock formations, Marina Piccola and Monte Solaro.

From the Giardini di Augusto, enjoy a lovely stroll to the Belvedere Tragara with an even closer view of the Faraglioni.

When you’re ready, take the funicular down to Marina Grande and board a ferry to Naples. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time on the Amalfi Coast and Capri!