Our Italian Adventure: Part 2 - Positano
Shay and I returned from our Italy adventure earlier this month. While we were there we visited Rome, Positano, and Capri. I'll be blogging about each place and sharing with you exactly what we did. At the end of this blog series I’m going to share our budget for this trip (spoiler alert, we’re broke)! My hope is that I can help future Italian adventurers plan accordingly and learn from our experience.
Click here for the “Part 1- Rome” blog post.
Warning, I’ve decided to write these as travel journals. I find that when I’m doing research for a trip it’s helpful to come across detailed blogs with links of information, rather than just a photo diary.
Next up, Positano!
Day 1
Shay and I woke up early in Rome to catch a 10:40 AM train to Naples. Once we arrived at the Naples station, there was a private driver (Jack the Driver) waiting to pick us up and drive us 1.5 hours to our apartment in Positano. I read a lot of travel blogs warning people about how crazy the bus ride is around the Amalfi Coast. Think: twice as long, standing only, packed like sardines, and scared for your life making tight turns around the mountains… no thank you! I can honestly say, the comfortable black car with leather seats and air conditioning was well worth the money. In addition, our driver was born and raised in Positano, and therefore knew exactly where we were staying. Without his help locating our apartment, we surely would have gotten lost. Once we got there and stepped out onto our balcony, I was in complete awe of the views! Our apartment was up the mountain a bit, so we had a great view of the town and the sea. Just like in Rome, we spent every spare minute on our balcony appreciating the scenery. That afternoon we walked around, explored the town, had lunch on the beach, and soaked in the sun.
Day 2
Shay and I spent the entire day relaxing at the beach. There are several beaches in Positano. There are public beaches, and there are private beaches where you have to make a reservation at a beach club to get in. Beach clubs in Positano (and possibly elsewhere along the Amalfi Coast) are not like beach clubs here in America where you pay a yearly membership. Instead, you just call a day or two in advance to request a pickup, make a lunch reservation, and reserve a beach chair. That morning we were picked up on the pier and driven by boat to the Bagni d'Arienzo Beach Club. We had cappuccinos and fruit for breakfast in our lounge chairs, had lunch in the restaurant, and then they drove us back to the pier around 4:00. It was one of the most relaxing things I’ve ever done. I can’t remember the last time I laid on the beach for 6 hours rotating naps in the sun and digging into a good book. TAKE ME BACK. That night we had one of our favorite meals in Positano. I know this to be true, because by the time I realized I wanted to take a picture of it, our plates had been licked clean. If you get a chance, dine at Ristorante da Vincenzo. Everything we ordered was amazing!
Day 3
We woke up and took a bus from Positano to Praiano (another small town along the Amalfi Coast). We then climbed 1,000 steps to get to the trail for the Path of the Gods where we hiked west toward Nocelle (see map below, we hiked from point D to point B). You guys, I had no idea that I was supposed to train on the Stairmaster before going on this trip. I mean, 1,000 steps just to get to the start of the hike?! By the time we were finished our pedometers showed that we had climbed the equivalent of 195 floors! (That’s ascending only, not descending.) So for those of you Chicagoans reading this, Shay and I basically climbed to the top of the John Hancock TWICE in a single day. (Legs = Jell-O) Thank goodness there were breathtaking views around every corner to keep me motivated. Once we got to Nocelle, we took a bus back to Positano. We then got lunch and each ordered our own pizzas, which we devoured on our balcony so quickly I barely remember what it tasted like. After that we showered (um, obviously) and met up with some friends for a drink who just happened to be passing through Positano at the same time we were there! It was so nice seeing some friendly faces, and it reminded us just how small this world really is.
I would absolutely visit the Amalfi Coast again. After our three days in Positano, Shay and I agreed that we could have used at least one more day, maybe even two! I would have loved another day at a beach club (especially after that crazy hike), and wished we had time to visit another neighboring town.
Thankfully, our coastal vacation wasn’t over, after Positano we hopped over to the island of Capri for 2 days. Check back soon for the continued story of our Italian adventure!