The Amalfi Coast in the summer is a favorite escape from the heat of the cities in Italy. It’s where the Lattari Mountains dotted with colorful villages with pebbled beaches meet the cool, clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea at the Gulf of Salerno. Italians and tourists from around the world come to bask in the sun on the small beaches crowded with sun beds and colorful umbrellas.
To reach the villages one usually arrives by car or a crowded bus on narrow winding roads. This is great if you enjoy driving and don’t mind traffic. Personally I love doing it in the off-season as the drive is absolutely breathtaking.
Another option is to take a ferry from Salerno or Napoli to one of the various villages which has a dock for this service. This can be a pleasant ride despite the mass transit, but there are limitations…
Our Private Boat tour
To truly enjoy the beauty of the coast from a different perspective with less stress and no traffic or crowds is to hire a private boat for the day. Our excursion starts from Vietri sul Mare or Salerno and we have a few different boat options depending on the size of your group.
So pack your swimsuit and sunscreen and be prepared to take a dip and swim to a private beach or soak in the sun in front of the homes of a couple of Italy’s most famous celebrities. We’ll enter sea caves and stop for lunch at a beach restaurant where you can only reach it by boat and we’ll spend a little time together exploring Amalfi and Positano, two of the most famous of the Italian seaside villages of the coast.
This activity includes me or one of my beautiful friends as your English “translator” and tour leader of the coast while my Italian friend drives the boat. Weather and seas permitting, we’ll show you some of our favorite places along the coast. This excursion can be booked from May through September or maybe even early October if the weather is nice.
Book your tour or activity
Contact us to get pricing, check on availability for your travel dates, and to book your reservation. We handle most of our communication via email as it’s easier to track and more convenient across the various time zones. Our office is located on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, just a few hours south of Rome. If you prefer to have contact with a live person over the phone or a video chat, send us a message with your time zone and the best times we can reach you to schedule a convenient time for us both to discuss your trip. We can be available by either Skype or Facetime (or Google Hangouts too).
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Many who are into hiking and have checked out famous trails in Italy have learned about the 
Our VIP Hiking excursion combines an informative tour of Amalfi, 3 hours of hiking in the valley with the waterfalls and connects to a second trail with panoramic views over the coast, lunch at a delicious restaurant which serves fresh pasta and pizza, and a visit to Villa Rufolo in Ravello. Our private driver will provide transfers to Amalfi and from the end of the hiking trail through the remainder of our day together. One of your hiking guides might even include the famous German Shepherd, Lulu.
The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful scenic coastlines in all of Italy. The colorful homes and terraced gardens of the villages perched on cliffs over the blue waters reflecting the sunny skies above is even more amazing in person than it is in photos. The product mostly grown on those terraced gardens is the famous Sfusato Lemons otherwise known as the Amalfi Coast Lemons.
About the tour
A tour of the vineyard includes a walk through the property, an interesting lesson on the winemaking process in the vineyard’s cellar, and a tasting of the wines produced there. The tasting is complete with the addition of local homemade dishes you can enjoy relaxing on the terrace overlooking the sea. Bottles of wine are available for purchase at the vineyard and they can arrange shipping to your home if needed.
Available for lunch or dinner, your cooking lesson will last about 1.5-2 hours. Meat, seafood, and vegetarian options are available. This restaurant can also provide gluten-free dishes when dining during a regular meal. Inquire for available options if you have this special need during the cooking class. Groups of up to 12 people are possible and the restaurant is open year-round. Advanced notice is required for preparation and availability (usually 3 days is sufficient).
Do you feel drained and the need to get away from everything? To let go of the demands of busy schedules, paying bills, and worrying about the government? Maybe you need a vacation to someplace magical, romantic, and inspiring.
The Historic tour will focus on the history of Vietri’s buildings, traditions, and the evolution and influences of particular ceramic artists who resided here. During this tour you may see a demonstration of ceramics artists at work, but we will not visit any shops for ceramics shopping. Save time in your day when planning your visit to Vietri to do this after a nice lunch so that you can return to any shops you liked along the walk during the tour.
The shopping tour will explain about the tradition of the Vietri ceramics while focusing more on showing you artisans at work and assisting you in finding the ceramics you are wanting to purchase. We can visit a variety of shops and help you with finding a style that suites your particular tastes. Most shop owners speak very little English here, if at all. Our guide will help with translations so that you are able to get or order exactly what you want.
Here in Vietri sul Mare we are famously known around the world for our particular style of maiolica ceramic tiles and pottery. The vivid colors on the ceramics are due to a 2-part painting process whereby an undercoat of “smalto” is first applied to give a gessoed-like surface to apply the colors for your design. There are some different types of smalto that you can choose as a base to achieve different finishes such as a clean bright white or a more antiqued and crackled look.
Booking a ceramics class
In Florence we have visited the workshop of the ceramics artist, Enzo, who gives individual classes or courses depending on your interest level and time available in Florence. In his laboratory he will teach and assist you to design something traditional or create your own modern style for you to paint. Pieces are fired in his laboratory so that you can take your work home after the following firing. Plan your schedule to include this class or workshop series at the beginning of your visit so that there is time to collect your work before departing Florence. A minimum of 24 hours is required after completion of your class in order to have your works fired in the kiln and ready for pickup. Enzo is fluent in English and as he offers longer workshops outside of my area I have provided a link where you can contact him directly to book his classes.
If your idea of being creative is to spend an afternoon or evening with an Italian family learning how to make the homemade recipes they cook using fresh local produce from the market or cultivated from their garden, then look no further and 
Laura Biagini is a Fibers artist with a working studio and shop space in Florence for her handmade works. In the center of the space she has a beautiful wooden loom from Sardegna where she experiments with different weaving techniques. She teaches a variety of classes where it is possible to make clothing, accessories, items for the home, or fabrics on her loom. As with Enzo teaching ceramics in Florence, I’ve offered below a direct link to her site so that you can schedule a class or even just find her to shop for some unique fashions when you are in Florence.
Irish artist, Tom Byrne, was a long-time resident in Paris before moving to Florence. In Florence he leads regular live drawing events weekly and hosts plein-air painting events. 
When traveling to Venice you’ll see plenty of shops selling the traditional masks used for Carnevale. They can range from very simple to ornate in a variety of styles and shapes and at a range of prices. Some are full face masks and others are half-masks covering the eye area. Venetians following the old tradition may wear their masks much longer throughout the season and not just during the days of the Carnevale celebration. Creating your very own authentic Venetian mask is a great way to bring home a special memento from your visit to this romantic city. 
During the summer or on weekends when the weather is nice in the low season I enjoy leading private groups in my friend’s boat where we can enjoy swimming, exploring sea caves, and dining at a seaside restaurant or I can bring Lulu to accompany us on a hike in the mountains. There are a couple of amazing paths to choose from – 
The Colosseum is the most iconic symbol of Rome. It’s a site that you don’t want miss checking off your bucket list if you are traveling through the Eternal City. If you are thinking to take a private tour in Rome, plan ahead! The really great guides in Rome book their calendars as early as 2 months or more ahead of time, especially during high seasons. Even so, we can usually find someone for you if you are booking in the next couple of weeks, but the availability can be more difficult to schedule your preferred day or time.
Regular admission tickets are required and we will order them in advance for you saving you any confusion and making things easier overall. These allow us to “skip the line” which means we will bypass those who just show up at the main entrance to purchase their tickets. Everyone, even those with a reservation, must pass through a security check which at times can be as much as 30 minutes long (don’t say I didn’t warn you if you think someone else can get you in without seeing security first).
Inspiration Trips 