We took the bullet train from Milan to Naples yesterday. This thing goes like 200mph and it's quite a way to see the countryside. Mia mama asked at one point, "Weren't we supposed to get a bullet train in Florida?" and so I ordered another glass of wine.
From Naples Centrale, our hotelier sent a wonderful private car to take us to Hotel Parsifal in Ravello. And it's a good thing he did. When we arrived it was raining, dark, foggy and windy. The winding road we took literally up the side of a mountain was like something out of a movie. But Giancarlo was a capable driver, and he talked non-stop about the history of Amalfi, all the celebrities who frequent it, and his love of American muscle cars.
I promise this is the garden at our hotel, not an MGM backlot.
We're here for 6 days, and I can't wait to explore the little village of Ravello, with crumbling walls, cobblestone streets and a church that looks exactly like it should. More pictures soon.