Retreat Weekend: The Amalfi Coast

This weekend, I was fortunate enough to get to join in on a retreat that took me down to the Amalfi Coast.  The Vicenza Protestant Women of the Chapel joined forces with the Naples and Darby (not the dog) ladies for a retreat on "walking forward in simplicity".  I'm really glad that I decided to go because the Lord definitely blessed my weekend in many different ways.  

We stayed at a lovely hotel in a town called Ravello, and that was the view from my window.  The hotel used to be an old convent.  Since being turned into a hotel in the 1880s it has been owned and run by the same family.  Talk about keeping it in the family.  {Here is more info on the hotel}

Being on the top of the hill, we had great views.  It was a little foggy, but I was still able to appreciate the incredible beauty of the area.  My small group was lucky enough to have this view from the top terrace of the hotel.  

Once the retreat came to a close, I teamed up with four awesome gals to conquer the area on our own.  Naturally, I took a few Italian door pictures along the way.  What else did you expect?  

We did a loop around Ravello, refueled with a coffee and then took the world's windiest (but probably one of the prettiest) bus rides to the city of Amalfi.  

Still in Ravello.  The area is known for their ceramics and all of the houses were numbered with these beautiful tiles.  

I tried to figure out how to bring home a pet for Darby.

Straight.  To.  The.  Point.  

Ravello

It's really tough being a dog by a pool on the Italian coastline.  

On our way to Amalfi, looking back on Ravello.  

The Amalfi Coast is old and charming.  A road runs along the coastline; the sea is on one side and houses built into the cliffs on the other.  Amalfi reminded me of a less colorful Cinque Terre.  However, being less colorful didn't mean it wasn't equally as lovely.  It was just lovely in it's own unique, southern Italy way.  

This particular curve was not for the faint of heart.  

A map of the area painted on ceramic tiles in Amalfi.

Vespa in Amalfi

We only stayed in Amalfi for a hot minute while we waited to catch a bus to Salerno.  Fortunately, a hot minute is exactly the amount of time you need to grab a bag of chips and a water and snap a few pictures.

By the time we got to Salerno we were pretty beat.  After a nice seafood dinner we crashed at our B&B.  We were their first guests and the hosts were so adorable and accommodating.  If you ever happen to be in the area, Torre Cielo e Mare is the place to stay! 

Sunday, we walked around Salerno before catching the train back to Naples for our flight home.  We were fortunate enough to enjoy a bit of sun while sitting by the water watching the rain clouds roll in.  

I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to go on such a refreshing trip, and even luckier to do it with a great group of ladies!