Bellissimo!

The Amalfi Coast is ideal for hiking, with ancient footpaths and stairs that once were the only connection between villages. My daughter, husband, and I took several half-day hikes (teenage son slept in) that wound up and down steps, along donkey paths, past ruins and waterfalls and old churches, by goatherds, through woods and once, by accident, someone’s lemon grove.

On one hike we discovered our favorite restaurant, San Giovanni, in the hill village of Pontone - a speck, if that, on the map. Fortified by plates of calamari, risotto, and bruschetta, we pushed on to Ravello, way above. Coming back into Minori after a hike, we were thrilled to see the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) cyclists zoom by in a blur.

Best view of the trip was at Villa Cimbrone at the tip of Ravello, 1,500 feet above the Mediterranean. These formal gardens include fountains, statues, lanes, a tea garden, and a terrace with several marble busts on pedestals. It was difficult here to tell where the blue of the sea ended and the blue of the sky began.

Biggest ripoff was the trip to the isle of Capri, especially the Blue Grotto. It cost 11 euros each to take a boat to the grotto from the Capri waterfront, and another 10 euros to go inside. There were literally boatloads of people waiting to enter the cave, accessible only by rowboat. Sergio finally rowed over and motioned for us to get in and flatten ourselves, our heads clearing the sole entrance by a hair or two. Inside the turquoise grotto, Sergio launched into a hearty version of “Volare,’’ which all the other rowers seemed to be belting out, too. At the end of the five-minute round trip back to our bigger boat, he held out his hand for a tip. I whispered, “five euros’’ to my husband, and Sergio shook his head. “Ten,’’ he said, suddenly summoning English.

The one bright spot on Capri was the chairlift to the top of the island, where we enjoyed a beer and a 360-degree view of the Bays of Naples and Sorrento.

You can’t visit Amalfi without a trip to Pompeii, the town that in AD 79 was buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The excavated site includes well-preserved remains of the amphitheater, homes, businesses, and the plaster casts of fleeing victims. Nearly two millenia later, frescoes, political slogans, and even surgical instruments remain.

But some of our best time was spent at our local beach, sunning and swimming and, at night, strolling or playing cards at an outdoor bar, watching the waves lap the shore and the lights come on in the surrounding hills.

Two weeks had flown, and after one last pizza, one last sip of limoncello, one last gelato, we wrote Tina and Giovanni a goodbye note, closed the apartment door for the last time and headed back to Rome. Our $5-bill vacation stash was gone, but to a very good cause.

Bella English can be reached at english@globe.com.