I spent ten amazing days in Italy.. We started out in Rome and then headed down to the Amalfi Coast ending the trip up north in Florence. This blog post features images from the lovely town of Positano (where we stayed) and a day long boat trip we took to the fabulous island of Capri where I’m told you could hobknob with the rich and famous if you happen to spot them. I didn’t see any of them which is fine because I’m not much for hobknobbing.
The drive to the Amalfi Coast was a little scary to be honest. We were driving on the edge of a cliff but everything just kept getting prettier and prettier so I tried to focus on that (while gripping the car door handle so hard I left a mark). Once we arrived in Positano it was so full of gorgeous sites, I quickly forgot about that frightening ride. Everywhere I looked - BEAUTY. The bluest sea I have ever seen. Bright, blooming flowers crawling up buildings. Incredibly detailed and interesting architecture. Bright yellow lemons dripping off trees. Gigantic rock formations jutting out of the water covered in lush greenery dotted with structures here and there.. I felt so lucky to be there.
First let’s talk about the boat tour. We used Gianni’s Boats. It was an eight hour aquatic expedition (haha) traveling up and down the Amalfi Coast with a two hour stop in Capri for sight seeing and lunch. We had the best weather! Sun was shining. Bright blue skies with high thin clouds. Warm but not hot. This was an amazing experience I would highly recommend. The captain, Michele, and his first mate, Marco, took excellent care of us. They were friendly and entertaining and made us laugh (a must). The captain stopped the boat so I could get some really great shots of all the spectacular scenery which I really appreciated. If your planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast - please give them a call. You won’t be disappointed. Shout out to my lovely daughter, Hannah, who booked this fabulous activity.
These are the images from that tour. There are a few iPhone photos thrown into the mix. Enjoy!
A famous landmark off the coast of Capri which I was told by our first mate, Marco, has been featured in many Dolce and Gabanna campaigns! GORGEOUS! New dream: shooting a job at this location. SOMEDAY I will.
We had a fabulous lunch at Ristorante Ciro a Mare. The food was so fresh and tasty, the Aperol Spritzes were yummy and the service was top notch. The scenery - breathtaking! They brought the lobsters out so we could meet them before throwing them in boiling hot water. Must be an Italian thing. We didn’t have the lobster but the calamari was delizioso!
We stayed at Hotel L’Ancora in Positano, I booked a two bedroom suite with an ocean view veranda. The veranda had outside seating with soft cushions and charming flower boxes to enjoy while taking in the breathtaking scenery. It was clean and the beds were super comfy. I slept like a baby and I never sleep well on vacation. There was a side room with a big jacuzzi and more ocean views which was the best place to wind down at the end of the day before heading out to dinner (with a moisturizing mask on your face and apertif in hand - just a suggestion). A breakfast buffet was included in the room rate which we loved and totally took advantage of. Antipasto for breakfast almost every day! Barbara at the front desk made sure we had everything we needed and made our stay so pleasant. My friend Peter found this hotel on Trip Advisor and recommended to me and I can’t thank him enough. Highly recommend if your taking a family vacation.
We spent one day wandering around town. So many cute shops and art galleries located along these winding paths. The smell of pizza and lemons wafting through the air. Wine and aperol spritzes available everywhere you looked - just imagine a hot dog stand but yummy cocktails instead of hot dogs that you could walk around sipping because public drinking is legal in Italy - another reason to love it!
If you find yourself planning a vacation to Positano the most important piece of advice I could give would be - wear comfortable shoes! We did a lot of walking and although I wanted to wear heels with my cute outfits - it didn’t happen. I would have had very sore feet and I didn’t want that to ruin my experience. On the upside - lots of walking and climbing stairs helped to burn off all the pasta and booze which is a big plus.
I could not blog about a trip to Italy and not mention food, right?? I mean come on - DELICIOUS. I don’t think I need to tell you a lot of PASTA was consumed. Homemade pasta. We enjoyed fresh seafood with our pasta, the tastiest sandwiches and of course plenty of fresh mozzarella! I had a special birthday dinner at Lo Guarracino. The views were spectacular at that spot. I had a delicious lobster and linguine dish at Buca Di Baco. Located right on the beach, you could people watch and enjoy the moonlight shining on the sea from your table. How great does that sound??
Thanks so much for checking out my post. I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos of this beautiful spot and if it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, I hope you get there. It’s SO worth it.
Stay tuned for more images from my trip in upcoming blog posts.
CIAO!
Deb