Just curious if anyone has stayed in Scala, or visited the town. I have the possibility of organizing a late September/early October trip to the Cilento and Amalfi coasts. We would have about a week on the Amalfi Coast, perhaps more depending on how long we tarry in Maratea and the Cilento..

For our (myself and 2-3 friends) stay in the Amalfi coast area, we might choose two locations--one on the coast and, perhaps, one in the hills.

Ravello is the obvious option but I have mixed feelings about staying there. In looking for alternatives, I came across an interesting-sounding hotel that gets rather good reports online. If anyone is familiar with Scala: What kind of services does the town have? It appears to be about a half-hour walk to Ravello.


http://www.lamargheritahotel.it/rave..._structure.asp

Any other ideas for a couple of days away from the big name coastal resort towns? Needs to have a pool or access to the sea. Price range is flexible. We will have a car.
I am open to any and all possibilities--just want to explore the options..

Sorry I can't help with this request since it's over twenty years since I last visited the Amalfi Coast.

But I wondered if you had changed your mind about Calabria. If you're still going, it seems that the main attractions north of Amantea are inland, in the national parks. There are some medieval hill towns to visit, some with notable hotels and restaurants. Unfortunately I'm away from home the next few days, but when I'm back I can give you the specifics, if you are still interested.

Thinking we may be spending more time in the Naples?Amalfi area ourselves, so I'll look forward to reading the responses here.

FD

When you click on rates, there are two different hotels listed. It's a bit confusing as there doesn't seem to be a distinction on the website about two structures.

Fra: I did not change my mind. I am formulating a plan that would begin at the airport in Lamezia Terme; we would there rent a car and drive north along the Calabria coast, stopping perhaps in Amantea. Then on for a few days in Maratea before heading to the Cilento (not sure where to base there) and finishing up in the Amalfi area. I have at least two weeks or so.

The trouble will be that I have to present every stop to the "review board," so I have to look at properties that I might not choose myself.

Ky: I think the nicer one is the Villa, which may be new. I did some online searching but there is not much out there...it is just a thought. My friends want to do some walking so I thought it might be interesting to stay in the hills for a couple of days. Or, I can skip that idea and stay longer on the coast. The glitch with the hotels is the requirement that they have a pool or sea access..

Hi eks. Just a word of warning about staying in the hills, especially in late September/early October. When we stayed in Ravello in mid June, we found it cold in the shade during the daytime and during the evenings (even though it was lighter for much longer than it would be for me). I don't think I did any swimming although we were in a hotel with a decent pool. When we subsequently moved on to Capri and Amalfi it was hot and I probably swam every day, certainly in Amalfi.

(I also did not much care for Ravello itself, although I find it hard to say why exactly - I didn't find it that attractive and maybe it was just a bit too quiet ?)

CAroline: I did not think of that. Thank you for the tip!

I am also not a big fan of Ravello--I've not stayed there in more than 25 years, but when I last visited on a daytrip a few years ago I felt that, although undeniably spectacular in a manicured sense, it was kind of a beautiful shell with very little life outside the hotels and the tourist shops... I did not stay for evening passegiata so perhaps my assessment is unfair.

Maybe my friends will want to splurge for a couple of nights at the Caruso or Sasso!

Hi again! If we've not been through this before, had you considered Vietri sul Mare? We spent a day there this summer and thought it a much more genuine little town than expected - though no doubt it may be busy on days when cruise ships are in?

Photos.. http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/vietri

We didn't get down to the beach, but there seemed to be two areas: one rather squashed in, immediately "under" the town, and the other to the west - away from neighbouring Salerno - at 'Marina di Vietri', towards which the land, and that end of the town, slope gently down.

Depending on where you want to visit - if anywhere - it's on a wide variety bus routes and has the almost mythical Amalfi railway station - on a backwater line that runs between Salerno to Naples, with stops in the towns of Pompei, Ercolano and Torre Annunziata that would fairly convenient for seeing Pompeii, Herculaneum and Oplontis respectively.

And if you wanted to travel by sea, various boat lines and, presumably, the Metro del Mare should still be running out of Salerno, which is only some 10 minutes away by road.

.....

But as far as I know the only family member who's been to the Caruso was my now-deceased father in law, who brought this home from his 1944 R&R stay there...
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/131180829

Peter

Amazing! My father had the SAME sticker on his old leather suitcase; they were there about 1950 when those hotels were well within the reach of dollar-laden tourists! I used to cringe when he asked for those stickers and now I wish I had collected them myself!

I did consider Vietri; it looks like a wonderful spot to spend a few days. Again, I had trouble finding a hotel that might please my friends, who have fairly stringent guidelines. I will take another look at the options.
The other town that I like a lot is Cetara, where I found one hotel, the Cetus...I had two dinners in Cetara on my last visit to the area and I imagine it would be a great place to stay. And we will have a car.

I have a lot more research to do and will probably be back droning on and on about this subject for months to come, so please bear with me and thanks so much for your help and advice!

Cetara I know even less well - though it's the photo I use as my "before and after" example for how to remove sea haze!

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/126841520

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/126841519

Peter

I won't go into the haze removal since I am sure it beyond my photo capabilities but suffice to say that those are incredibly good pics!

I visited Cetara twice on my last trip. I can only imagine that this must be what the other towns looked like before the tourist hordes descended. It is literally worlds away from, say Positano, in atmosphere, since it reamins a virant fishing town. Perhaps because of the the sturdy fishing industry, it has developed into one of the gastronomic meccas of Campania. We saw only a handful of tourists on our visits--none were English speaking.

Even if I do not end up staying here, I will certainly return for a meal!

(This not what you asked for, but I always remember you (from reading some of your delightful Campania trip reports) as the person who almost went to Capri twice, but never made it. Maybe this is your year! Late September/October would be a great time to visit, and it has great hiking and walking for your friends. No shortage of pools and sea access, and likely has something for everyone if you are having trouble pleasing a crowd. Not exactly off the beaten path, but just a thought that came to mind.) I look forward to reading your posts about your upcoming trip.

If I may wander slightly further off-topic for a moment - though it's advice anyone shooting onboard ship, or near the coast even, may find useful - the lesson I received on removing sea haze with Photoshop (their 'Elements' starter version, in my case) can still be found here....

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=10985615

.........................

And back again - to a nice piece on Cetara, hidden away on the website of the regional transport people, Unicocampania...

http://www.unicocampania.it/index.ph...&action=cetara

Peter

MoonGirl: What you write is to true! Capri would appear to offer just what my friends are looking for. I had been there back in the dark ages and, as you remembered (!!), came close to returning on two fairly recent trips. But my friends are particularly worried that the island will be too manicured and too glitzy for them. I think we could get away from the center of Capri town very easily. Then there is the hassle of having to drop off the car, but we can figure that out. Right now they are mulling over whether or not to include Capri; I will go along with what they decide.


Another thought also occurred to me: I wonder if we might finish up someplace on the Sorrentine peninsula. We could leave the car in Sorrento and then find a hotel with a good pool; I am sure they could find good walks in that area.....I looked at Sant Agnello (I started a long thread about this area a few years ago....) Since their hotel budget is pretty flexible, we might be able to stay at Cocumella; this type of hotel looks to be right up their alley: old-school luxury with a history, etc etc.

ekscrunchy: I spent a week on Capri several years ago, and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken. I am now obsessively planning for a return trip in the spring, and several of your trip reports mentioning Capri came up in my recent searches of the forum. The idea that someone would -- twice! -- turn down an opportunity to visit one of my favorite destinations stuck with me! (Though from reading the rest of your reports, you certainly made good use of your time, and have in fact given me some ideas for further exploration of Campania in the future).

Your friends of course have to make up their own minds in light of whatever their requirements are, but their reactions are interesting to me. "Manicured" is not a word that I associate with Capri, though I supposed it could fairly be applied to the grounds of some of the luxury hotels. The natural beauty of the island is more on the wild and rugged side, and the towns, while quaint and touristic in parts, are also very "real" and even slightly gritty in certain parts, once you get away from the main touristic stops. It is not Disneyland.

With respect to "glitzy", that aspect is there if you want to pursue it, but is easy enough to avoid if you don't, particularly in the September/October timeframe you are considering, versus the high seasons of July and August. There will still be a ton of daytrippers, but it is easy enough to get away from the crowds by taking long walks or hanging out at the beach or terrace of your hotel. The daytrip crowds start to thin in mid-to-late afternoon, and the evenings are much more quiet and lovely. We were there in October -- later than you are planning -- and did see a bit of the glamour crowd return to the island on the weekend, but it just made for interesting people watching from our cafe table in the Piazetta. I am about as far from glitzy as one can get, and enjoyed our stay thoroughly.

You have some great options though, and will undoubtedly enjoy yourselves wherever you wind up. Happy planning!

Hi eks. I am another fan of Capri having spent 2 separate weeks there, once on my own and once with DH. You really only have to walk a couple of minutes from the main piazzetta in Capri Town and it's quiet, beautiful and full of flowers. I'm not a great walker but there are lovely walks even for an unfit person like me, like to the Arco Naturale (can make it a circular walk by going the challenging way via the cliff path and come back the more direct way through town), or to I Faraglioni; plus more challenging walks for fit people. I didn't swim in the sea much - attempted it at I Faraglioni but the waves were too strong for me - but in addition to hotel pools I've enjoyed a couple of half days at the beach club (with pool) above the Blue Grotto, after getting the bus there and visiting the Grotto. I think it should be warmer than somewhere high up in the hills on the mainland.

Both of you have convinced me about including a few days on Capri. Now I have to do my best to convince my friends! How can it be difficult to convince anyone to add a few days in Capri? I just began to map out a vague plan....I will be back, again and again, I'm sure, to ask questions!!

Hi,

don't know where you are in your planning, but I'm in Napoli (with a view of Capri as I type!) and my Neopolitan "landlady" mentioned yesterday, in passing, that while she doesn't much enjoy spending time in Positano (she enjoys Amalfi much better), her favorite place is Scala, partly because it is "older than Ravello" but mainly because "it is so much different than the coastal towns", having a culture more of the hills. I didn't ask her about accommodations up there, and the conversation drifted to other things.

Just thought you'd like that info.

Very timely and interesting! I certainly will make is my business to get there next trip, even if just to have a meal. Maybe you will turn up more tips about the town from the landlady!

I first heard of Scala from Netta, the owner of Cumpa Cosimo in Ravello, who lives there; all the fresh food she serves at the restaurant comes from Scala, she told us.

As you well know, there are quite a few towns in the hills above that coast and I'd guess that, with the exception of Ravello and perhaps Furore, they are pretty "authentic." Scala is within walking distance of Ravello and there is a bus that links Scala with Amalfi, and Ravello.

http://www.ciaoamalfi.com/2010/12/scala-borghi-italia/


A few years ago we stayed 5 nights in Amalfi and I had planned to visit the SlowFood trattoria in Pogerola, Da Rispoli. But without a car and at the mercy of the local buses, we just never got around to making the trip. And nearby Agerola is reputed to be the source of some of Italy's best mozzarella..

http://www.ciaoamalfi.com/2009/12/te...k-in-pogerola/




Buon Natale! I know I don't have to ask you to take notes on what you are eating!

Sorry I flew out of Napoli without further conversations with the landlady about anything other than than Napoli.

Have you seen this website?

http://terredicampania.it/terre-di-salerno.html

Next year (if I don't go to Paris-Bordeaux-San Sebastian-Madrid in spring), I am thinking of a Italian coastal Mediterranean Roman-Greek road trip with car (Populonia-Sperlonga-Cumae, etc), that would finish in Paestum, but then have a few days in Capri before heading back to Napoli to fly home. I was thinking maybe of this place, but it may not have all the amenities you like (and even I may finally bail on Capri, as I have before).

http://www.villabrunella.it/it/camere

Good luck deciding!

by the way, have you ever eaten here:

http://www.isleofcapriny.com/index.html

?

You shouldn't go out of your way, but if you are ever in that neighborhood and in the mood for a pasta, it's sweet-natured.