Amalfi Coast

For the first time, Da Vinci Capers becomes a part of a community by making our home within Ravello, Città della Musica – the City of Music. Long after tourist leave, we remain to enjoy evenings of strolling and zipping wine while watching the theater of the piazza. We allow ourselves total immersion in the serenity of beautiful gardens and breathe the sweetness of the fresh Mediterranean air – a perfect place for our creative activities.

We are hosted by the Palumbo family, owner of the Hotel Giordano,, a four-star boutique hotel, nestled in a tropical paradise. The Palumbo family has made hospitality a tradition for generations. They also own Villa Maria, known for their cuisine and dining terrace with unsurpassed views of the sea; Villa Eva, a romantic villa surrounded by beautiful gardens and incomparable scenery of the Amalfi Coast; and most recently, Gore Vidal’s personal villa, La Rondinaia, perched precipitously on the rocks overlooking the sea.

In the southern region of Campania, perched high above the town of Amalfi, Ravello has historically been considered the jewel of the Amalfi Coast. Shipwrecked by a storm along the coast, some Romans took sanctuary in the hills above and called the location “res bella” – a beautiful place. It morphed into Ravello, the name we use today. And, indeed, it is truly beautiful – every sense will appreciate your surroundings – you will take deep breaths of flower-fragrant filled air, have whiffs of delectable meals being prepared, your eyes disbelieving the many gardens, ancient villas, mosaics and the famous Vietri pottery, lest not forget the Mediterranean views that will forever be etched into your mind.

Such notable writers, composers and artists eventually found their way to Ravello – Boccaccio’s protagonist, Landolfo Rufolo from Ravello, was written in the DeCameron, Richard Wagner composed Parsifal while visiting Villa Rufolo; and the list goes on, Toscanini, Rostropovich, Mirò, Escher, Turner, Ruskin, Foster, DH Lawrence and more recently Gore Vidal. It is a place to create and live la bella vita.

And, now the Mayor and the town invite Da Vinci Capers’ participants to follow other artists’ footsteps to begin our own personal creative journey.

Sample Itinerary

Sunday / la domenica

Mario Capuano, of Wagner Tours will be waiting for you upon your arrival to whisk you away to our home for the week in Ravello, a Unesco World Heritage site. You will have time to unpack, freshen up and rest before we all gather poolside at 4:00 pm for an aperitivo and to go over the week’s itinerary.

We will meet the other Da Vinci Capers and take a private walking tour of Ravello to get oriented. Afterwards, Villa Maria will host our welcome dinner on the terrace overlooking the Gulf of Salerno.

Monday / il lunedì

Sensazione – The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight.

For Leonardo, drawing was much more than illustration, it was the key to understanding creation and creativity.

We will have our easels waiting for us in the beautiful gardens of Villa Cimbrone. Gore Vidal said that from the Terrazza dell’Infinito, to which a long path in the garden leads, one could enjoy the most beautiful views in the world. These views of the sea and coastline along with the gardens and sculptures will spark our creativity while trying our hand at watercolor painting. After lunch at Villa Cimbrone, we will have time to continue painting, explore on our own or just take a rest and enjoy the views.

Amalfi is famous for its paper, long praised by writers and artists. In the afternoon, we will visit the Museum della Carta and mill. You will have time to explore this vibrant town on your own www.museodellacarta.it.

Note: For all those music lovers – there is a concert at the Villa Rufolo Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. (See: www.ravelloarts.org for the Concert Society schedule, and www.ravellofestival.com for information on their summer festival.)

Tuesday / il martedì

Dimostrazione – The commitment to test knowledge through experience, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

Leonardo would proudly refer to himself as uomo senza lettere (man without letters) and discepolo della esperienza (disciple of experience) – learning through practical experience.

The best way to learn a language is to jump in with both feet and experience it! We have two fun and fantastic teachers from Sorrento Lingue to teach us everyday expressions: I would like an espresso. Where is the restroom? How much does it cost? (the most important one!). Our “classroom” will be in the beautiful Villa Eva. We will divide into two small groups – people who have never studied a foreign language and people who have. As in Leonardo style, we’ll also have practical experience buying items in the town market. With teachers at our sides we’ll learn to negotiate like true Italians!

While we are recuperating from our market experience, the chefs from Villa Maria are busy choosing the fruit and vegetables from their organic garden for our cooking lesson. The chefs at Villa Maria have long been known for their magic in the kitchen, and now they will pass along some of their secrets.

Later in the afternoon, we don our aprons and head for the kitchen! After an introduction on the history of the Amalfitane Cuisine, we will have a chance to cut, slice, and dice. The lesson is in English, but this is a good time to interact in Italian using every one of our new ten Italian words! (Wine will be served to help in this effort!)

Dinner, including our masterpieces, will be served at Villa Maria.

Wednesday / il mercoledì

Time for relaxation – Leonardo loved exchanging ideas with others and brainstorming, but he said that most of his creative ideas came to him when he was alone.

A good morning to sleep in, rest by the pool, hike down to Minori or perhaps take a ferry to Positano… Don’t forget your travel watercolor kit or journal in case you become inspired!

Connessione – A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena.

Leonardo said, “Nature is full of infinite causes that experience has never demonstrated.”

It is said that when Leonardo was dumbfounded by nature’s mysteries he could contemplate but not penetrate, he would set down the scalpel, compass and pen and pick up his paintbrush.

And, Nature came full-force that day in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius erupted, engulfing Pompeii in a horrific storm of cinder and ash. Later in the afternoon, our knowledgeable guide, Bartolo Giusto, will give us a private tour of Pompeii. Bartolo brings alive the ancient Roman town that was buried. We will visit the famous sites in addition to the newly opened brothel and ruins not available to the general public.

For dinner, we can’t leave Italy without tasting the famous Neapolitan pizza, straight out of the wood-fired ovens.

Thursday / Il giovedì

Saper vedere – Knowing how to see – a photographic workshop.

Leonardo wrote that, “the eye encompasses the beauty of the whole world.”

Today is a photographer’s dream day. We have a workshop on how to learn to see in a new way with your camera. We talk about the quality and generation of ideas and new ways of looking at ordinary things in life.

But, our actual site is all but ordinary. Weather permitting, we travel by boat to the island of Capri, where Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius lived and ruled Rome, and today, where the rich and famous play. While exploring the island on foot, we will experiment with our new knowledge. Then, we’ll reconvene for a discussion and scrumptious dinner.

Friday / il venerdì

An open morning to reflect upon the week, take a walk or a ferry ride, finish painting your seascape, purchase those last-minute gifts . . .

Ravello – La Città della Musica (The City of Music)

Leonardo da Vinci loved music and called it, “the shaping of the invisible.” This ethereal quality did not keep him from experimenting with it. For Leonardo, music was sensory, soulful nourishment. He was a gifted musician and played the flute, lyre and other instruments. He had a beautiful voice and, as Giorgio Vasari wrote in The Lives of the Artists, “Leonardo sang divinely without preparation.”

This afternoon is dedicated to music, the art that is often called, “The Universal Language.” We will have a workshop on “The Art of Listening – A Musical Discovery.” The key to appreciating music is in becoming an active listener.

To conclude our week’s adventures, our farewell dinner will be a four-course meal served in the beautiful Villa Eva – perhaps with the most breath-taking views in all of Ravello.

Note: Please note that this is a sample itinerary, and is subject to change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.