Hi! Two months later…I’m finally sharing more photos from our trip to Europe! I shared a blog post about the first half of our trip, spent in Greece, HERE. Today, I’m going to share about the second half, where we visited Italy – Rome and the Amalfi Coast, specifically! I’ve broken down the post based on the three different places we visited and stayed with info about what we did and photos from each spot below. Honestly, this post is REALLY long and I could have broken into three different posts, but decided to just bundle into one. As always, thanks for reading! xx
ROME:
We were in Rome for around 36 hours, getting in on Friday evening and leaving Sunday morning. We stayed close to the train station, since we were coming via train from airport Friday and leaving via train on Sunday and wanted to be close by. Most of Friday evening and Saturday were spent just wandering around to different neighborhoods and walking a TON. Some highlights from our time in Rome:
visiting the Spanish steps (although tourist-y) // getting croissants at Antrico Forno Roscioli (this family is known for their bread and baked goods) // wandering the Campo de’ Fiori market // lunch at a cute cafe called SOFIA, where we had buttery focaccia bread and a yummy tomato and bacon pasta // having wine at Ai Tre Scalini, an adorable family-owned tiny wine bar, right across the alleyway from Emma // dinner at Emma (where we had THE best, paper thin pizza – it was magical and so delicious. make a res! // rooftop views at Hotel Campo De’ Fiori (I would stay at this hotel if I came back to Rome, just for the incredible, plant-filled rooftop and views) // exploring the Traveste neighborhood (bop into the gorgeous Basilica de Maria while you’re there) // gelato (twice in 36 hours) at Gelateria Romana // having a Lizzie McGuire moment at the Trevi Fountain
CAPRI:
Capri was one of the most magical places I’ve ever been to in my entire life. ✨ It was truly so, so beautiful and I’m really glad we went! The coastline of Capri reminded me a lot of Northern California – areas like Big Sur and Mendocino. We took the train from Rome to Naples and then took a ferry from Naples to Capri. From the ferry, you take the funicular (train that goes up a mountain) to get to the main part of town. From there, we walked through the tiny cobblestone streets/alleys to our bed and breakfast. Cars don’t fit through the narrow streets outside of the main road – so walking or paying for a cart service to bring you to your destination.
We stayed in Capri for only one night and while there isn’t a *ton* to do in Capri itself, I could have stayed for longer and just lounged and wandered around the adorable island. Capri is also very expensive, so keeping the trip shorter can help save $$ ? . You can also take a day trip to Capri from Positano or other spots along the Amalfi coast – which is a great and inexpensive way to check out the island without staying overnight.
Two highlights from Capri (outside of the truly incredible views and just general adorableness everywhere): visiting the Gardens of Augustus to overlook Via Krupp, which is a historic switchback path down to the coast. You pay a euro to visit the gardens and wander around. The Via Krupp path itself was closed when we visited and I was in no shape to do *that much* hiking anyway ?. Another favorite experience was hiking to the Arco Naturale, an incredible natural arc within the rocks – pictured below. We stopped for lunch along the pathway and E ended up hiking down to the water for more pretty views while I napped afterwards!
POSITANO:
““Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would be a cliff except that stairs are cut in it. I believe that whereas most house foundations are vertical, in Positano they are horizontal. The small curving bay of unbelievably blue and green water laps gently on a beach of small pebbles. There is only one narrow street and it does not come down to the water. Everything else is stairs, some of them as steep as ladders. You do not walk to visit a friend, you either climb or slide.” – John Steinbeck, 1953
This quote couldn’t be more true about Positano or the Amalfi Coast in general. I find myself thinking about the time we spent in Positano frequently – leisurely strolls through town, hours spent on the beach, soaking up the beautiful views at every turn. It’s such a stunning, picturesque and magical part of the world and photos truly don’t do it justice.
We were in Positano for five days and nights. We spent most of our days in Positano walking into town for a leisurely breakfast and wandered around town and then the rest of the day either doing a mini adventure (like the Path of the Gods hike) or spending hours at the beach reading, swimming and napping. In the evenings, we would hang out on our patio for sunset views and grab dinner at one of the great spots in town. A lot of people choose to do day trips when in Positano, visiting places like Priano, Sorrento and Amalfi. Since we had done so much travel and moving around up until this point in the trip, we decided to just stay put in Positano. ? More details on our favorite beaches and food spots below!
Beaches: Our favorite beach was Fornillo, since it was much more secluded and quiet. We went here almost every day and LOVED it. We did spent one afternoon at Spiaggia Grande, which is the main beach in town and where you see all the iconic umbrella photos of on Instagram! It just wasn’t as relaxing in my opinion, but definitely stunning. We also tried to go to Arienzo, which we’ve heard great things about, but it was closed because of the rain earlier in the week. This is the “300 steps beach” – a big walk down, but the beach is a lot more secluded than the main beach and apparently the beach club is super fun!
Food + dining highlights:
Da Vincenzo for dinner – one of the best in town. Super high quality food and they have an adorable shop nearby with ceramics and other local trinkets for sale. Make a res! //
La Tagliata – one of the most fun dining experiences! You call ahead to make a reservation and the restaurant sends a shuttle to pick you up for dinner. They only do one seating each evening and there’s no menu. It’s 40 euros per person, which includes legitimately 10 courses of food and a bottle of wine per person. It’s like being at a family reunion – the grandmother of the family does all the cooking and when she came out of the kitchen, every stood up and clapped for her. Very unique and fun. //
Cappuccinos and pastries at Collina each morning.
Saraceno d’Oro – delicious family spot where we had pizza! Not overly fancy, but super tasty and the workers were super friendly.
Il Fornillo – we went here on a night it was POURING outside and I had the best cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) pasta of my life. Obsessed. Like Saraceno d’Oro, not fancy, but really good.
Casa e Bottega – we went here for breakfast twice and they have super local, healthy food like acai bowls, omelets, etc. Tons of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options. Everything was delicious and the restaurant itself is so cute. Pictured below!
Another dining highlight was our surprise anniversary dinner at Michelin-starred Zass in the San Pietro di Positano hotel. The dinner experience starts with drinks and snacks on their gorgeous patio. I had THE best mocktail of my life made with fresh squeezed/pressed strawberries, pineapple and oranges. After your patio drink and light bites, they bring you inside for your dinner. Fun fact – they give everyone a slice of pizza from their pizza oven as a pre-dinner appetizer! Super fun and just as delicious as all the other food we ordered.
Other recommendations from friends, but spots we didn’t get to visit: Next2 // Al Palazzo // Franco’s // the champagne bar in Le Sierenuse hotel (pictured below – we just didn’t get a chance to go to the bar!) // Da Afolfo // Max Restaurant
Whew! This was a long post! Thank you for reading and of course, if you have any questions about our time in Italy or specific recommendations, just reach out. ?