Our week at Villa Vittoria was almost perfect - it's just the right place to celebrate a landmark birthday with friends and family. The villa is located in a reasonably quiet street only five minutes walk from the shops and main streets and 10 - 15 minutes walk from the station, so there's no need to hire a car. There was ample space for the nine of us (spread over six bedrooms) in the villa, with a roomy well-kitted kitchen, amazingly long dining table, indoor sitting area and, best of all, lots of different sitting areas outside, mostly with shade if required. The curvy swimming pool was great!
The owner Vittoria met us on arrival and showed us how to make use of all the facilities, and we were introduced to her friendly cleaner Lucia who provided the daily cleaning service. The couple of minor problems we had during the visit were sorted out within minutes.
Naples Villas' local property manager Carmine looked after us unbelievably well during our stay. He was there to greet us and to make sure we both knew exactly what the arrangements were for the week. We had asked in advance for trips to Capri and the Amalfi coast and a wine-tasting to be organised; he appeared each day just before we set off to check that the minibus or taxis were there, etc. He also organised a fantastic in-house chef to provide an amazing birthday meal for us - and turned up to do some of the cooking himself!
All the arrangements worked like clockwork, and only the weather let us down a little on the day we went to Capri - and then I was kicking myself for not having taken Carmine's advice three days earlier to bring the boat trip forward...
We visited Pompeii and Herculaneum; the Amalfi coast by minibus, stopping in Positano, Amalfi (superb lunch at the Marina Grande restaurant on the seafront) and Ravello (unbelievable scenery); a winery in the Vesuvian hills where the lunch they served was amazingly good, the wine and food produced using organic farming methods; and Capri, where a visit to Tiberius's villa 2km from Capri town is a must, and where we also persuaded a restaurant (E'Divino) to open up just to give us a late lunch - another spectacular meal).
When not actively sight-seeing we wandered happily around Sorrento or sat reading and relaxing in Villa Vittoria's beautiful outdoor area. We had excellent takeaway pizzas from the bowling alley next door, and ate well at Il Leone Rosso and Aurora Light in Sorrento. It was an unforgettable trip!
