August 2007 in Ravello I

'La Passione' - theme of Ravello Festival 2007

"The enchanted garden of Klingsor has been found" - Richard Wagner Spring 1880


We first arrived in Ravello on the evening of Friday 24th August 2007. The next day we would be celebrating our Silver Wedding Anniversary in style at the stunning Hotel Caruso http://www.hotelcaruso.com/web/orav/hotel_caruso_ravello.jsp

Dusk was falling quickly as we checked in and by the time we'd had a 'mini guided tour' of the hotel, it was dark when we were finally shown to Suite 34. The suite itself was beautiful - HUGE bathroom with the biggest shower I've ever seen, marble double wash basins, Bulgari toiletries; huge walk-in wardrobe; queensize bed with a 'rise & fall' TV at the end; sofa, comfy chairs, coffee table, dining table & chairs, dresser, writing desk & chair; full width patio doors with the exquisite curtains drawn against the dark.....and then the curtains were pulled back for us and I was totally blown away by what lay beyond. We had a terrace with a dining table, our own garden edged with with rose bushes, 2 sunloungers on the lawns & a patio with a coffee table, chairs & parasol. And the nighttime view was just awesome - looking across the Gulf of Salerno, we could see lights for miles. It was so perfect, I burst into tears.

A garden with a view

We set to unpacking & then decided to order a champagne breakfast for the following morning - to be served on our terrace in the glorious August sunshine. The lovely Marianna came to take our order & there was a fair amount of laughter as we decided just how much to order for our €75 a head brekkie - lots, as turned out to be the case the next morning.

Champagne, smoked salmon & caviar - mouthgasmic!

Me being me, I was awake early on the morning of the 25th, but for once I just lay in bed, savouring the feel of the crisp 100% linen sheets & watching hubby slowly wake from his slumbers. Anniversary cards were opened - as were the curtains to that beautiful garden & the awesome view beyond. And at 8.30 am breakfast arrived - it took 3 staff to bring it to the suite!

Buon anniversario!

Breakfast laid out, the staff left us to enjoy; hubby poured me a Buck's Fizz and then we both discovered a liking for caviar - we'd never even tried it before & now we had 3 different types sitting before us, and we loved them all! This breakfast is the most memorable one we've ever shared - I've relived it in my head every anniversary since - and tomorrow we will be celebrating in similar style, albeit this time at Palazzo Avino http://www.palazzoavino.com/en/Palazzo-Avino