Positano & the Amalfi Coast

Earlier this summer, Josh and I went to Italy on a work trip. We decided to spend a few extra days exploring the Amalfi Coast and I’m so glad that we did! It ended up being one of the highlights of our year. Here are a few tips if you ever visit…

We drove from Rome to Pompeii and stayed the night nearby. We watched some documentary films about the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD before bed… which of course kept me awake as I worried about being drowned in lava while I slept. When was the last time it erupted anyway?

Anyway, we enjoyed exploring the archaeological park the next day. We got up early to arrive as soon as the park opened. I’m so glad we did, because we had the whole place to ourselves for at least an hour before the big tour groups moved in.

Since you’ll be getting up early, I also highly recommend the Campana Bottega Di Caffé Speciali—our warm and friendly barista served up some pour-over coffee that was to die for (especially after drinking so much espresso!).

After Pomeii, we drove the legendary Strada Statale Amalfitana—a two lane, cliffside road full of curves, zig-zags, narrows, and hairpin turns. Josh loved it. On the passenger side closest to the cliffs and the sea far below, I was less thrilled… especially when we had to drive around giant tour buses on the sharp turns.  Nevertheless, it is no doubt one of the most scenic coastal drives in the world!

We spent the next three days in Positano. It is so beautiful that pictures just don’t do it justice. We celebrated our fifth anniversary this year, so spending time together on this trip was like a second honeymoon. 🙂

For our day at the beach, we rented an umbrella and beach chairs. It was something like 15€ for the day, and definitely worth it if you don’t want to sit on the ground or get totally sunburnt.

We also took a boat ride to the island of Capri. We were worried because we hadn’t made advance reservations, but we were able to find a boat with an opening by going down to the beach early and asking around. It’s a great day trip!

Our recommendations…

• To stay: Stanza Iris (Salvatore was a great host and his place has an incredible view!)
• To eat: Casa e Bottega (lots of healthy and organic options after a week of binging on Italian carbs)

We also got to do quite a bit of droning while we were there… Check out our video!

I hope we can visit this beautiful part of the world again someday!