Free Swim: A Guide to Ravello

Ravello is truly one of the most special towns on the Amalfi Coast. With a beautiful pink palace, the best gelato shop in all of Italy, and a magical garden where you can drink Negroni's in the sky, Ravello is a must-do for this lifetime. Below is a quick guide on places to go and people to see in Ravello. Throughout the story, click on photos to shop my accessories.

The most important part of your time in Ravello is where you stay. We stayed at Palazzo Avino, which offered the most special experience. Built in what was once a 12th century private villa for an Italian noble family, Palazzo Avino is one of the world's finest hotels. While the hotel has a pool on site, they are the only hotel in Ravello to boast a private beach club, which we visited every day. 

Palazzo Avino's beach club was built for #poolsidelifestyle. It's really hard to describe it in any other way except for "Heaven On Earth." If you love swimming in the ocean, ice cold drinks on hot summer days, and muscles in white wine sauce with a side of homemade focaccia bread, then look no further. Go here every day, swim a lot, eat everything on the menu, and wash it down with ice cold aperol spritzes.

This jewel box of a store is curated, owned, and operated by a woman with unparalleled taste, Mariella Avino. The Pink Closet sells many of the chicest Italian brands, such as The Attico and Blaze Milano. Designed by Cristina Celestino, the store is literally every woman's dream closet. Sparkling inside the pink stone walls of Ravello, don't leave Ravello without purchasing something here. Whatever you buy will be special, and you will have it forever.

There are so many amazing restaurants in Ravello, including Palazzo Avino's Michelin Star "Rossellini's," as well as the famous Cumpa ' Cosimo, which was one of Jackie O's favorite spots. One place that we hadn't heard of was Mimi's Pizzaria, which offered the perfect casual setting for our first night in Ravello. Afterwards, walk through town and visit Baffone Gelato, which is fabled to be the best gelateria in all of Italy.

Do:  See a Live Concert at Villa Rufolo, Take A Cooking Class at Villa Maria, Stroll in the Villa Cimbrone Gardens, 

Seeing a live, outdoor concert in Italy has always been on my bucket list, and I was happy to have this dream come true at Villa Rufolo, which is walking distance from Palazzo Avino. Another must-do in Ravello is a cooking class. We did a private cooking class at Villa Maria, which has a beautiful garden on site. The lunch we had at our cooking class was one of our favorite meals from the entire trip. After your cooking class, you can continue walking to Villa Cimbrone, where you will discover gorgeous views and magical gardens. If you find a cute gelato shop inside, stop in an order a cocktail, which you can drink on the floating terrace above the Amalfi Cost.