Ravello, a hidden gem in the mountains

If you read my blog previously, you already know Positano is one of my favorite places on earth & I always hop on a plane a couple of times every summer to spend some days there & visit my aunt & uncle.

We took advantage of a very bad weather day during our last trip there, to visit the nearby town of Ravello, a breathtaking gem hidden into the mountains.

After a quite long bus ride (actually there are not so many km to do, but the costal road is quite narrow & buses often got stuck & honestly taking the bus is an experience in itself...) from Positano to Amalfi & to Amalfi to Ravello, we finally arrived to our destination.

To recover from the bus ride, we started with ice-creams in the main square.

Happily savoring our treats, we wandered the tiny streets...

& with a perfect timing, we arrived at Villa Cimbrone just as we finished our ice-creams ;)

Villa Cimbrone is an historical palace in Ravello, mostly known for its fabulous gardens & its amazing belvedere, the Terrace of Infinity.

The palace is now a 5 stars hotel & hosts a restaurant as well, but the gardens are open to the public.

Right in front of the ticket office, you'll find the cloister & the crypt entrance. 

Unfortunately, when we went there the crypt was closed due to a wedding.

Shall we continue through the gardens so?

Marveling at the beautiful plants & flowers...

...the many statues...

We eventually reached the Terrace of Infinity...

& got lost in the blue panorama stretching in front of us...

I didn't want to leave anymore, it's true that this belvedere is kind of magical, you feel suspended between the sea & the sky. 
My pics don't really do justice to this place...

But there was more to explore, so we eventually took back the road through the gardens...

Getting lost in the different floors of the never-ending parc

Walking between the sea & the mountains...

& among gardens of different styles, feeling once like in Japan...

& then like in the labyrinth of Alice in the Wonderland ;)

Once we explored every corner of this charming place, we found ourselves back at Villa Cimbrone.

We then came back to the main square. 

Where this kind man was sitting in the exact same place than before, only his companion had changed ;)

While going back to the main square, we saw many nice places, most of them with a breathtaking view, where we would have loved to have dinner, but Ravello is up in the mountains so the weather is fresher than in other towns nearby especially when the night is coming & we were kind of cold. So we sadly decided to go back to Positano.

But now you know, so if you plan on going there, bring a jumper with you & you'll be able to enjoy dinner in one of the nice restaurants overlooking the blue sea :)

PS. We went to Villa Cimbrone as I wanted to see the Terrace of Infinity, but there's also another palace, Villa Rufolo, with equally beautiful gardens, that is a nice visit when in Ravello.