Ok..no room at the agriturismi in Agerola; they are either booked (probably with walking groups) or saving the space for longer-staying guests.


Has anyone here stayed in Furore?

I am topping this in the hopes of finding out how this turned out for you.

Furore keeps popping up as I research a trip to the Amalfi Coast. We will most likely be coming from Naples en route to Ravello and one of my thoughts was to get a driver in Naples to stop in Gragnano to see a pasta operation and buy some pasta and then have lunch in Furore or Agerola or possibly overnight there.

Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks.

Last September, I took a 2-week-plus-long driving trip that began in Lamezia Terme (Calabria) and included stops in Maratea, the Cilento, and the Amalfi Coast area before ending at the airport in Naples, where we caught a flight back to the US, via FCO.

After a few nights in Ravello, we drove into the hills and spent one night in Furore at Hostaria Bacco, a well-regarded restaurant with rooms high above the Coast. The rooms are simple but comfortable enough. The view of the coast and the sea is stupendous, although some rooms have a slightly compromised view due to awnings below in certain seasons. (Ask about this if you decide to book). The dining room terrace has smashing views as well. Staff speaks minimal English. Furore is popular with hikers and walkers.


The restaurant is very good, especially if you choose from their specials which often include house-made pasta with local fish (swordfish on the night we were there). The owner of the restaurant is active in the SlowFood movement and is related to Marisa Cuomo, who operates one of the best regarded wineries in Campania and certainly the best in the immediate vicinity. I'm sure they can arrange a visit if you are interested.

http://www.baccofurore.it/index_en.asp


If you decide to overnight there, be aware that there is nothing within walking distance save the winery and other B&Bs. Furore has no real town center that I could find, but rather, it is strung out along the road zigzagging up the mountainside.


Agerola would offer a chance to see the production of fior di latte mozzarella; you could also fit this into the day but the cheese would be made early in the morning, so you would have to go there first. You can also see cheese making in the Paestum area, where the milk is mostly from buffalo. I wrote a brief report here about visiting a cheesemaker in that area on the same trip..

Where else will you be staying on this trip? Let me know how else I can help!

Thanks so much for the details of your trip. I am struggling with the exact itinerary at the moment. Ravello is a must as is Naples. Ten to tweleve days, perhaps more in mid to late June. Food has been the main draw of our two previous trips to Italy (Umbria and Rome) and it is beginning to overtake this one too.

I am aware that Ravello may not make the best base for some, but I am willing to suffer the consequences of doing so to be able to stay there. Relaxing and eating well would be the name of the game. I'd like to give it anywhere from five to seven nights at Palazzo Sasso (Avino). I recall from a previous post that you stayed there and enjoyed it. One of the other appeals to Ravello are the pathways and trails up, down and through the hills in the area.

I don't want to drive on this trip. As I learn more about places like the aforementioned Furore and Agerola as well as place like Scala and Tramonti I am trying to figure ways to work those places into an itinerary without a lot of leaving and returning to Ravello.

We would visit Amalfi and Positano as trips from Ravello.

It is also possible that I might want to add 3 to 4 nights in Capri.

Naples-Capri-Ravello or just Naples-Ravello or...???

How is that for a reply to "Let me know how else I can help!"?

Thank you.

>>Naples-Capri-Ravello or just Naples-Ravello or...???<<

What's your personal tolerance limit for tourist mobs and touristy ambience/food vs. feeling like you really should see a world-famous beauty spot for yourself at least once since you are going to be that close?

For what it's worth, I stayed in Ravello and didn't feel like I was missing anything along the rest of the coast. You will see the coast as you move in and out, and if you take a day trip to Amalfi and Positano. Were I doing it over again, I probably would have gone to Positano in the morning, head to Amalfi for lunch, then visited the town of Amalfi and then returned to Ravello (perhaps on foot).

I'll give this more thought and return when I have more time.

For the moment, I recommend also trying to work in lunch in one of the two great restaurants in Cetara on a day when you will have a driver. Maybe visit a cheese maker near Paestum early in the morning, continue to the temples of Paestum, and return to the Amalfi Drive for lunch in Cetara. I did something like this on a previous trip and it made an enjoyable day. (I wrote a report about that trip).

Amalfi will be easy to visit from Ravello; the Palazzo Sasso has a shuttle to their beach and they will probably not mind driving you the extra couple of minutes to Amalfi town.that For my money, Positano is worth only an hour or so; you can take the bus, or ferry, from Amalfi.
Scala is an easy walk from Ravello, but the village is tiny so it will not consume much time. (I can also tell you where NOT to eat in Scala).

What are the proposed dates of this trip?

I apologize for rambling here....will return soon..

"the Palazzo Sasso has a shuttle to their beach and they will probably not mind driving you the extra couple of minutes to Amalfi town."

I am glad you mentioned that.

I will look into the day trip to Paesteum and Cetara idea. I have been reading about Cetara in Carla Capalbo's book on food and wine in Naples and Campania. It sounds great. I will look for your trip report.

We are thinking of going sometime around June 15.

Thank you.

WW: Here is the report from 2008, when I stayed in Amalfi. I stayed at Palazzo Sasso last year, but did not write a report. But I'm happy to discuss any and all details of that trip. You are correct in thinking that Ravello is not the best base if you want to do a lot of sightseeing by public transportation,, because to reach the main coastal road you will have to travel up and down a narrow winding road that links Ravello and Scala to Amalfi. But you can walk to Amalfi from Ravello, and the beauty of Ravello, and the luxe of the hotel itself, can outweigh the slight inconvenience. And the hotel, and Ravello itself, are so charming that you may want to stay put for a few of your days. If you can manage having a driver for a couple of days, you can do your longest excursions with that person. Consider swapping out Agerola for the cheese makers near Paestum, as they will be easy to fit in with your day to Cetara and Paestum. Apart from the opportunity to watch cheesemaking, there is not much to see in Agerola; you may pass through it on your drive from the Naples airport to the Coast.


See this for details of a mozzarella "farm" near Paestum:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/my-visit-to-the-tenuta-vannulo-water-buffalo-farm-near-paestum.cfm


As for eating in Scala, I present here my less-than-positive review of one restaurant, from another site.


http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g580208-d1210580-r118956455-Trattoria_Da_Lorenzo-Scala_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

Thank eks. I think we might get a driver/tour guide to take us to the cheese operation, Paestum and Cetara on our way from Naples to Ravello. That is killing a bunch of birds before we ever get to Ravello. It will be a busy, long and semi-expensive day but that is alright. We are planning to see Pompeii on our first full day in Naples. I still would like to get to Gragnano to buy some pasta. I plan on contacting the two remaining manufacturers that are listed in Capalbo's book and see if their prodotti is available in Naples or somewhere else. Thanks again.