Ravello

As you wind and wiggle around the zig-zagging lanes from Positano along the Amalfi Coast, you will pass clusters of vineyards and lemon orchards. They lurch above a cobalt sea between carved cliffs and mountain peaks, all before revealing the terraced town of Ravello; a series of opulent villas and medieval church spires that cascades down steep slopes peppered with acacia trees.

And just in case the setting isn't romantic enough, Ravello tour guides can help you fill days with traditional Campanian cooking and tastings of rich Italian red wine. Shoppers will also find boutiques and crooked craft shops hiding down every lane and alley, which shoot off in all directions in a montage of painted ceramics, sun-yellow limoncello and olive oil bottles.

Sightings of the grand Cathedral of Ravello – built in the 1200s – and the soaring terraces of the Villa Cimbrone are a must. But so are ferry outings across the Tyrrhenian Sea to the fabled island of Capri. There, even more elegant dining establishments await, along with shadowy grottoes and caves, and the ancient remnants of Roman villas once inhabited by emperors.