A place where the sea and sky are indistinguishable, and everyone's favourite colour must be blue, the Amalfi Coast is a Mediterranean dream full of citrus delights, opportunities for long, late meals accompanied by white wine, delectable fresh seafood dishes, clifftop terraces in hues of orange, yellow, and pink, and rustic, rugged landscapes. As well as the usual tourist draws, the region offers some everyday surprises that form its unique sense of place. This photo essay takes a look at some of my favourite places and faces from a recent visit.

Italy is famous for its rustic yet opulent architecture from the renaissance and earlier, and Ravello is no exception.
Gardens, big and small, offer tranquil places to reflect and wander. Filled with lavender, rosemary and other Mediterranean classics, and bordered with perfectly maintained hedges, landscape design enthusiasts would love the gardens at Villa Cimbrone. Stone pines (Pinus pinea) remind you that you are in the Mediterranean.
Up close, the stone pine bark is both abstract and full of texture.
Small dogs make friendly companions on the streets of Bomerano, and most towns along the Amalfi Coast. This pup loved the attention he got from a group of hikers, and joined them for the first five minutes of their trek along the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods). But although there are dogs, its really the cats who rule the streets.
Exposed to the elements, the cliffs along the Path of the Gods present a rugged, yet warming, landscape of dried grasses splashed yellow with wild fennel.
Rock walls and sunny patches make perfect resting places for small lizards to bask in the sun. Always welcome, pollinators and other flying insects are at home amongst the flowers along the Path of the Gods.
The expression on this cats face embodies my feelings whilst on the Amalfi Coast perfectly - completely relaxed, content and utterly happy.