Amalfi Coast Help
 

I am headed with my husband to Italy in a few weeks. Was looking for recos for nice restaurants in Positano and Ravello - not so concerned with price, but want a great setting, good food and good service. Any ideas? Also, is there a good place in Capri for a late lunch? Thanks so much!! Also, how much are taxi rides to Pos. and Rav. from Amalfi?

For Ravello, great settings, service plus good food include Villa Maria, Da Salvatore and Villa Sasso, listed in order of ascending price.

Second the recommendation of Villa Maria in Ravello. Cumpa Cosimo is good too. In Positano, Chez Black and La Cambusa are on the beach so the setting is great. The food is very good but expensive. Go up to Montepertusso (village above Positano) and eat at Da Costantino. Wonderful food, lovely view of Positano, the coast and water and the service is friendly. Very moderately priced too.

While one may enjoy the fun of the antics of the owner of Cumpa Cosimo, and the food ain't bad (if basic), it has no view, which if you've only one day in Ravello, you might want to have.

Thank you - will check out Villa Maria and Villa Sasso - do you recommend Ravello for a lunch or dinner trip?

We had drinks at dusk at Villa Maria to enjoy the view before it got too dark. Then dinner at Cumpa Cosimo. Great food & ambience. A taxi to our hotel - just west of Amalfi - was 50€. Since the buses stop at 8 or 9, we had no choice.

Ian

Did any of you stay in Ravello for the concerts? One is taking place while we are in town...is it a nice experience or too warm in summer? Thanks so much!!

The concert will be the highlight of your trip!!! The setting is magnificent...it doesn't get any better. We ate early at the Garden Hotel and attended the concert. Garden Hotel..OK...concert ...priceless. Buy tickets ahead.. online

I attended an indoor piano concerto that was part of the Ravello concert series in May, and it was lovely! If I understand correctly, the concerts are held outdoors when the weather is suitable. It is often colder in Ravello than on the coast, so I wouldn't worry about it being too chilly. In fact, I'd be sure to bring a jacket or wrap with you. I believe the bus to Amalfi stops running before the concerts end, and I think I've seen some threads about options for getting back to Amalfi afterwards. You might want to do a search. . . .

Villa Maria in Ravello gets another nod from me. And try Il Ritrovo or Scirocco in Montepertuso which is the town overlooking Positano.

Love the antics of mamma netta @ Cumpa Cosimo, but as a previous poster mentioned, there is no view. With this in mind, we would always hit cumpa cosimo at least once during our trips, even if just for lunch.
Here is another choice, with a view. It is beautiful at night also. Maybe even more so.
http://www.gardenravello.com/home.asp

We stayed at Villa Maria and had both lunches and dinners on the patio. Both times are lovely - a reservation is best if you want to sit at the tables against the railing.

At night of course the view will not be present and the bats come out so they pull down clear shades sometimes after dark.

I think daytime or early evening is best. When we were there, they were playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons in the background pretty much continually. Its now my cell phone ring tone so I get a little reminder everytime my phone rings.

I stayed at Villa Maria for a couple of nights during my first trip to the Amalfi Coast, and also recommend it for the setting, it has a lovely view thru the valley and the sea beyond. It's also a lovely walk back into the middle of town and the concerts at Rufolo.
Over the years I have been to a few of the concerts and think you won;t regret going at all!

In Montepertuso above Positano, there is also La Tagliata. I've tried several restaurants in Montepertuso, and prefer eating up there above all the craziness down below in Positano.

Haven't there been a lot fires recently around Montepertuso or am I mixing it up with someplace else?

If I've got it right, the view may include blackened areas, which probably is neither here nor there for most people, but perhaps one should be prepared.

Hi FG - La Tagliata (- above Montepertuso) has one of the best views on the whole of the Amalfi Coast - stretching all the way to I Faraglioni, Capri. Go at lunchtime.

Da Costantino (- upper Positano, above Chiesa Nuova) is lovely in the evening. Book a window table for wonderful views over Positano as the lights come on.

Steve

Speaking of Positano, is dinner at Le Sirenuse worth it? Good food and good views? What about at the San Pietro instead?