We spent 6 evenings here in Joe's lovely 2-story apartment, contained within a larger home which houses his mother on the first and second floors. The property is as described and shown in the photos - a very beautifully remodeled residence, with incredible views of the Latteri mountains, particularly from the large terrace off the master bedroom. Joe is a thoughtful and accessible host who will ensure that all questions are answered and that you are well taken care of!
A warm welcome was offered by charming neighbor Franca, who let us in and showed us around, and a welcome basket of wine, fruit juice, fruit and cookies was offered upon arrival. Immediately, we felt part of the small commune as we watched a wedding party from our terrace overlooking the 1,000 year old Benedictine abbey, waved at Franca and her 2 year old playing on a nearby terrace, and set our schedules by the abbey's quarter hour chimes.
While initially we planned to spend time at the more well-known towns such as Amalfi, Positano and Ravello on the nearby Amalfi Coast, the beautifully relaxed pace of this home and its neighborhood made us shutter to think of braving the hordes. So we stayed closer to home, visiting Cetara and Vietri sur Mare (towns on the far east end of the Amalfi Coast, nearer to Salerno, quite beautiful but much less touristed). Day trips to Herculaneum and Pompeii were quite easy to navigate (though there were hordes there, and the weather was quite hot).
A very special day was spent driving about an hour south to the Cilento coast, where we visited the ancient Greek city of Paestum and its 3 intact Greek temples. With very few tourists, it is especially lovely in early evening. If you go, plan to visit the water buffalo farms near Paestum, and have a meal focused on mozzarella products (we loved Barlotti, and had an amazing meal of ricotta quiche with green onions; smoked mozzarella; fresh mozzarella; ricotta timbales; and, from the garden, roasted zucchini and tomatoes; roasted eggplant and peppers; and spicy greens with garlic. With a glass of local wine and, for dessert, buffalo milk gelato or a pear-icy ricotta tart, the price was about $30/per person. Local agriturismo venues also abound in the Cilento area where you can have a farm-to table dinner with the host, who is often a farmer. The Cilento coast is sandier and warmer than the Amalfi coast, so plan to also rent umbrellas and loungers at a lido (we enjoyed Lido Cascada.