4 days on the coast in South Italy
Our trip covered Sorrento > Positano > Amalfi > Capri, and back again via Naples Airport. This entire region is so picturesque and calming!
Those who know me well know that I'm not usually looking for a peaceful / a do-very-little holiday... My favourite place to 'be at peace' is at home on my sofa, so it took me a while to really celebrate the serenity and views here rather than jet around from one place to another (which physically isn't possible to do on a whim because of transport constraints). The coastline and water is beautiful to look out at, just plan your days in advance to enjoy it all to the fullest!
Those who know me well know that I'm not usually looking for a peaceful / a do-very-little holiday... My favourite place to 'be at peace' is at home on my sofa, so it took me a while to really celebrate the serenity and views here rather than jet around from one place to another (which physically isn't possible to do on a whim because of transport constraints). The coastline and water is beautiful to look out at, just plan your days in advance to enjoy it all to the fullest!
Peaks in Pictures:
Peaks:
- Views, for days!
- That fresh air smell, and that fresh water in hair feeling
- Serenity & sense of peace
- Great wine (I preferred local reds over white wine here for the for time ever)
- Fresh fruit and totally-worth-it carb-loads on pizza and pasta 😏
- I chose to stay in Sorrento because it seemed like a good and accessible hub, but actually it became my favourite town of all that we visited! It has the most interesting to do, see, drink, eat, and is less tedious to explore over a longer period of time because the land is flatter.
Pits:
Gravel beaches.
The views and water are great though so just take something plump enough to be comfortable to sit on.
Transport constraints:
- Buses are few and far between, are usually 5-10 mins before or after the indicated time and get full at all the main stops. Get to your stop at least 20 mins earlier than the time needed so you can judge to see if the queue is too long to allow you to get on. You may need to consider walking up to one stop earlier if you're in Positano trying to get the 7.40pm bus back to Sorrento! Or, accept that you wont get on that bus if you're not one of the first 15 people queued, and go eat some more and come back later.
- Boats (unless private / specific to a tour) are also few and far between. If you've booked tickets in advance, get to the ticket office at least 30 -45 mins before departure because you still have to queue to get them printed. They are more expensive than buses, and also don't run past 6pm so plan for an early-day-early-return if you're travelling by boat only.
- Trains don't run to time but aren't that bad either. Usually run up to 10 mins later than the scheduled time but don't take the risk. We took the train from Napoli to Sorrento. The journey was pretty fun on there and the atmosphere was good (so was the graffiti!) but the trains do get busy so be ready to give up your seat for elders and children- and try stay out of the aisle if you're standing!
- We didn't hire a Vespa or a car, so I can't comment on how that helps with flexibility - the roads along the coast are narrow in places and have sharp bends so drive with caution to keep it fun 😉
South Italy in 4 days:
- Stay in Sorrento
- Explore Sorrento (walk around the parks, see the art, the church, eat gelato, pizza, pasta and wine)
- Take the bus along the coast line from Sorrento, past Positano and in to Amalfi. Sit on the right hand side - take some snacks and water because the view from the coast is very cool!
- Take the boat out to explore Capri (such a gem! Via Krupp view is breath-taking, and I also had the best pizza here ever)
- Have dinner in Positano, the beach has great views over the colourful building that create a pretty picture and Bruno's seems to be the most popular place to eat with a view!
- Limoncello tasting in Amalfi! It's best after dinner apparently (and feel free to google the questionably shaped bottles), but honestly neither of us really took to the taste haha
If I could go again, I would also:
- Get up early enough to get the 2 buses needed to do the Path of Gods hike during daylight hours (East to West direction - thanks Mitesh and Deepti for the tips!)
- Spend a day doing a guided tour visiting Pompeii, then visit Herculaneum alone and hike up Mt. Vesuvius
- Visit Ravello, have lunch where the yellow lemons grow (@NSfootprints!), and walk back from there to Amalfi. We started this walk the other way around with the intention of visiting Ravello; walked 15 mins up stairs from Amalfi and got ourselves so lost that we turned back around and ate loads on the square in Amalfi instead, woops 😉
If I've missed anything that you would recommend, please let me know!
Priya x
Comments
Post a Comment