Amalfi & Ravello, Italy

What we did:
- Woke up to catch an 8:15am ferry. The ferry stop was at the bottom of lots of stairs so Trent pulled out his super human strength to carry all of our bags down multiple flights of stairs (go trent). UPDATE 11/1 - Brian carried his own bags. Grabbed takeaway breakfast and found a prime spot on the top of the ferry to see all of the views. Great weather as we passed Sorrento, Capri, Positano, and Praiano to get to Amalfi.
- Once we arrived, we put our bags in temporary storage with a very nice Italian shop owner and hired a taxi to take us up to Ravello. Found a nice wine bar for lunch that we stuffed ourselves with wonderful italian dishes and wine! Walked around Ravello and visited Villa Ruffalo to walk through the estate's gardens. Found a great gelato spot for a quick afternoon snack before trekking down Ravello back to Amalfi.
- The path was not well marked in the beginning but we found our way down the “gentle sloping path” per Brian’s description. However, majority of the hike was stairs and had our legs shaking at the end. It was fun to go through lemon orchards, grape trees, and lots of gardens and Italian yards throughout! When we reached the bottom we discovered Amalfi was celebrating some sort Byzantine holiday and we were unable to take the bus back to our Airbnb. We split a cab with another couple and checked into our wonderful Airbnb! Lots of good views and patios for us to hangout on.
- Trent and Steph hiked up to the local market for some groceries and wine (from which we discovered we did not actually have a working wine opener) and hung out until dinner.
- Found a local dining spot called GAS Bar, which ended up being a point of reference for all of our travels from there on out, and walked along the road 10 minutes to get to the bar (this really freaked out Helen and Brian). We had a quick dinner overlooking the Mediterranean at GAS bar and made the dangerous trek back up in the dark with our cell phone flashlights to warn passing cars of or presence (and which one of the locals mocked us for using our flashlights). Proceeded then to get locked out of our Airbnb due to a faulty lock and climb through the windows to finally go to bed for the day! Note: the door was fixed the next day and we could enter the premises through the front door for the rest of the stay!

What we ate:
- Sorrento ferry snacks: coffees, croissants, sandwiches
- Babel wine bar bistro & art: Recommended red wine (a huge hit with the group! see picture), the special ham ravioli, the special lemon pasta, mixed salad with goat cheese, lemon, orange, and chestnut honey, and of course a caprese salad!
- Baffone Gelateria Artigianale: lemon, strawberry, and coffee were some of the flavors chosen!
- GAS bar: Pohlman’s all ordered spaghetti carbonara and Steph got lasagna.

Fun facts:
- Trent and Steph feel validated refusing to take on the trek of hiking up to Ravello after traversing the many stairs down from Ravello to Amalfi.
- The donkey is symbol of luck and good fortune amongst the locals of the Amalfi coast.Read more