Ravello sits so far above the Amalfi Coast that it feels like a different place entirely. Where the seaside towns are crowded onto ledges at the water's edge, Ravello perches on a ridge some three hundred and fifty metres up, in cooler air, with the sea a bright floor far below. In the Middle Ages it was a rich and proud town, part of the maritime republic of Amalfi, and the merchant families built palaces and gardens that are still the main attraction. Composers, writers and artists have come here for a century and a half, and Richard Wagner is said to have found the model for the magic garden of his opera Parsifal in the grounds of Villa Rufolo.
The junction is the place where the road up from Amalfi meets the roads towards Scala and Minori and Maiori, and it is a hinge in many riding plans. The climb from the coast is a delight, a narrow road that winds through lemon terraces and woods with views opening and closing at every bend. It is steep, tight and sometimes rough at the edges, with little room for error, and it is shared with buses, vans and the odd Vespa. Hairpins come quickly and the gradients are punchy. The descent down the other side, toward the Maiori valley, is quieter and often shaded by chestnut woods, and a pleasant change after the cliffs of the main coast road.
The town itself is a place for walking. Cars and bikes are kept to the edge, and you wander the lanes to the cathedral, with its bronze doors, to the Villa Cimbrone, whose terrace of infinity gives a vast view along the coast, and to the gardens of Villa Rufolo, which are open to the public. In summer, the town hosts a music festival, with concerts staged on a terrace above the sea. The cafes and gelaterie around the main square are an excellent place to wait out the midday heat.
Fuel and services are mostly on the coast. Maiori, about three kilometres away, is the nearest larger town with fuel and supermarkets, and Amalfi has stations too. Do not rely on pumps in Ravello itself, and fill before you climb. Parking at the edge of the old centre is limited and paid, so arrive early.
Come in spring or autumn if you can, when the air is clear, the crowds are small and the light is kind to the lemon groves.