Rain, Rain Go Away...

We were supposed to depart today for Capri to do our "Bikini Baking" at Villa Marina. But due to the rough seas, no boats are traveling today. So a decision had to be made. Giuseppe had invited us to be his guests at Hotel Giordino so we decided to take him up on his offer by lunching and spending the afternoon by the pool. Magically, the sun bathed us with its until lunch and then the dark clouds came. So we decided to jump on a bus to the historic town of Amalfi to spend the night in hope of an early boat to Capri.

And Finally...

Tai introduced Marissa to Villa Cimbrone -- 
a villa and hotel that is centuries old.

The botanical garden is famous worldwide. No words can describe the beauty....

the experience as if floating on the edge of the world...

Main Square in Ravello

We walked into the main square looking down at the spectacular view all along the way, then had yummy cappucinos in the town square...

Sunshine in Ravello

We were thrilled to awaken to sunshine! The view from our adorable Bed & Breakfast -- Ravello Rooms. Marissa is so into the lemon groves. And with a new love of limoncello is ready to go home, plant a lemon tree and begin making some for home.

Authentic Italian Limoncello

1 liter grain alcohol

10 medium to large lemons

6 1/3 cups water

6 1/2 cups sugar

Wash the lemons with a vegetable brush and hot water to remove any reside of pesticides or wax; pat the lemons dry. Using a potato peeler, take all the lemon rinds off of the lemons so there is no white pith on the peel. Place the rind-peelings in a large container with the Everclear alcohol. Cover the container and let it sit for seven days. On the eight day, strain the the peels from alcohol; discard peels. In a large saucepan, make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar; let it simmer "fast" for 15 minutes. Let simple syrup cool to room temperature. Add to alcohol and DRINK!

Concert in the Sky

The two main things we wanted to see in Ravello were affected by the rain. Our night concert under the stars at Villa Rufolo was moved inside and we put off Villa Cimbrone awaiting sunshine. Our concert was a piano trio including a piano, cello and violin.

Magic...

Even our day of off-and-on rain offered us magic. Tai captured it on film.

Drive to Ravello

Sweet Giulio drove us to Ravello. Marissa took pictures of the coast out the window on our journey.