19 Nov 2023
This was our second time to work with Danieli! I can’t say enough wonderful things about him and how professional and enjoyable he is! My husband and I were recently in the Amalfi area for our 30th. We had visited in May with our daughters and had such an incredible time, and appreciated the tours and services Danieli offered, we returned just a few months later! This visit, Danieli picked us up from the airport in Naples and dropped us at our villa. He is from the area and knows EVERYONE. Everyone knows and respects him. He is a tremendous resource and loves to share about his home area with a passion. He is just so knowledgable. He drove us to Mt. Vesuvius the next day (a must) and made sure we had a nice lunch afterwards. He then drove us to Herculaneum for a wonderful private tour of the city and museum with an archeologist as our guide, that he had arranged. He later arranged for Salvatore (who we adore) to drive us into Amalfi for an amazing dinner at a restaurant in the square across from the church. Danieli is a sommelier and knows everyone. He is friends with the owner of this particular restaurant and we received VIP treatment as a result. Salvatore waited for us while we ate. We loved Ravello during our first visit and wanted to return. We had asked Danieli in advance if we could observe an olive harvest. He arranged for us to take a walking tour of a property in Ravello and we were able to learn about olives and observe a small harvest. The owners own the olive oil store, pizza restaurant, and the family owns the local ceramic store. We had such a fantastic afternoon at their pizza school. Very fun and educational. We did a bit more balsamic, olive oil, and wine tasting and headed to their store for a another bulk order to hold us for a while. The grand finale was our day in Avellino that Danieli had arranged. Such a wonderful surprise. He drove us to Avellino for an afternoon of truffle hunting! A day we won’t forget in the beautiful mountains with an expert truffle hunter and his sweet dog, Argo. We had a knowledgable guide who made the day great. Danieli collected chestnuts as we went on the truffle hunt. We celebrated the afternoon with a incredible private lunch at an exclusive restaurant. The chef prepared each dish for all of us to enjoy with the truffles we had collected. It was truly unforgettable. We were even able to bring the truffles home with us, as they had been packaged safely for travel. An amazing visit. Danieli drove us back to the Naples area to catch our flight to Greece. We were sad to say goodbye but know we will return. We will always make it a priority to stop through the Amalfi area on our travels to see Danieli and learn new things about the area!
In May, we were with our two daughters. Danieli arranged for us to be driven to Amalfi from Naples. The highlights of that trip were, full day private boat excursion (Salvatore delivered us safely to our boat pick up, captain and boat were incredible, fun Blue Grotto experience, fabulous and memorable lunch on the water), Pompeii visit with an archaeologist as our guide, wine tasting and lunch in Pompeii, cooking class in Agerola, lemon tour/lemoncello class, mozzarella making class, and balsamic/olive oil tasting. All of these were just beyond memorable experiences. When we were finished with our tours and excursions, Danieli/Salvatore would happily drive us into towns for shopping, walking, etc. They are just truly wonderful! Danieli drove our family to Rome and connected us with some great people who helped us with that leg of our journey.
I do NOT recommend trying to rent a car and driving along the Amalfi Coast. My husband has no issue driving in Ireland and other difficult places. However, it is just not advisable to attempt the Amalfi Coast on your own. The roads are incredibly tight and winding. There are tour buses and public transport to have to navigate around. Parking places are also almost impossible to find. Save yourself a headache and leave it to a local professional. Danieli is the best! He is like family now! You will have zero regrets. Only wonderful memories!