There were even more hairpin turns, tight corners and steep inclines on this medieval road, and at one point the road was one way, alternating with traffic coming the other way based on a single antiquated traffic light. Unfortunately for us a tourist who was driving a small car down the mountain must not have seen the light, and came down as we were going up. This caused a bit of a standstill but as everyone in Italy knows, the larger the vehicle the larger their right of way. So the driver basically forced the tourist to reverse back to a point where there was enough road to get past. We're sure he was bricking himself as we inched past.
Eventually we arrived at Ravello, an ancient hillside town with strong Byzantine and Romanesque influences. As we had some time before our guide arrived we had a coffee, and checked out the main piazza with a the small cathedral, as well as a narrow shopping road.
Rosie, our guide arrived promptly and began our tour with the cathedral we had just visited. The cathedral, let's call it a church, has two pulpits, the small original built in 1068 with a mosaic of Jonah and the Whale; and the newer, larger one which rises on mosaiced spiral columns from the backs of 6 marble lions. Built in the 13th century it is over double the size of it's counterpart, and is fantastically covered in mosaics which are distinctly Moorish in style. The cathedral is also home to St Pantaleon's relic from 303 AD, which is a big glass ball of his blood mixed with earth from when he was martyred. Apparently a miracle happens every year on 27th July, the anniversary of Pantaleone's beheading, the blood and dirt separate. The separation lasts til mid-September. Mick thought this was a miracle - Damian is sure its got more to do with the heat of the Italian summer!
We then headed off to a narrow lane way to look at the "Black Magician's" tower, a part of the Villa Rufolo. The tower features in Wagner's opera 'Parsifal' as the lair of the evil Klingsor. Wagner wrote the opera while staying at the Villa Rufolo as a guest of the owning family.
We then went up a stepped alleyway to look at a church, and some old buildings that used to be the homes of nobles, and are now luxury hotels costing over $1300 per night! Feeling a little dejected we went back past these decadent hotels and visited another church founded by St Francis, and then on to the Villa Cimbrone. Our guide stopped here, we had to enter the Villa by ourselves (and pay €6 for the privilege). The Villa has beautiful gardens and buildings, and an amazing view from Salerno all the way across the coast to Praiano, just before Positano. The "Infintessimal Terrace" as it is known looks down 300m to the sea, and the horizon blurs with the ocean to make an amazing vista. We wandered back through the gardens in the heat of the day before stopping to grab a bite to eat and some refreshment in a shaded cafe.
After a little souvenir shopping we made our way back to get the bus. We piled into the bus, but then had to get off as any standing passengers were dangerous on these steep and winding roads, luckily we jumped onto another bus quickly, and were rewarded with blessed air conditioning (not evident on the first bus).
When we got back to Amalfi after another skillfully executed mountain drive, Damian had to rest as his cough and sore throat was back in full force. Mick relaxed on the terrace with wine, while Damian hacked and spluttered while trying to get some rest.
We finished the day with dinner at a nice restaurant in a small side square to the main piazza.
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