an italian summer (part.II)

Hi everyone,

We are delighted to take you to the Amalfi Coast on this second part of our Italian summer!

We will be talking about Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano and Capri. Enjoy!

Moving along the coast 

We have decided to rent a car to hop from town to town (if you don’t have much luggage with you, it is better to rent a smaller car). Be advised that you will drive in the mountains, which means driving is tricky: small routes, big buses, lots of turns…

Parking is either scarce or very expensive, especially in Positano.

We have seen most tourists use buses - they drive across villages and operate connections across towns. This is a very good option if you don’t feel like driving or don’t want to pay a fortune to park your car.

You can also rent scooters, but from what we have seen, for safety reasons, it’s safer to do so when driving inside of cities, as opposed to using the scooter to get from one town to the next.

Sorrento

Sorrento is this quaint and chic town on the coast of the Gulf of Naples.

That is where we rented a house, which allowed us to travel across the Amalfi coast quite easily.

The town is probably the biggest of the four we visited and hosts a range of cute streets and restaurants. There is a beach down at the harbour, but note that coastal beaches are not the white and sandy type you’d expect! Most have rocks and/ or a stone-like colour. Still, they are beautiful and nice on a hot summer day!

Walk down to the harbour to watch the sunset and colourful docks turn into outdoor restaurants.

We loved:

-Ibisco Garden has won our hearts for the best food (and service);

-We also recommend Ristorante Parrucchiano Favorita, a 19th-century establishment that created cannelloni!

-Try Raki for good ice cream and sorbets! 

Positano

If you drove to Positano, leave your car at one of the private parkings at the entrance of the town (on top) because the streets down there are very crowded and narrow, and there aren’t many options further down. 

Positano is where all the hype resides, and we can definitely understand why. That is also the reason why it attracts many tourists. Nothing wrong with that, but we were not expecting so much crowd accumulating in these narrow streets.

We loved:

-We sat at La Coquille, a secluded place down the beach, for some fresh air and immaculate vibes;

-There are addresses that seemed very popular, such as Rada Beach restaurant and Chez Black for seafood;

-We would recommend Casa e Bottega for really cute and floral tones (and the freshest food);

-Il Fornillo looked like such a romantic place with its purple flowers surrounding the restaurant. If you try it, let us know!

Amalfi

We visited Amalfi for sunset the same day we went to Positano (so you can stack both on the same day). The town is definitely bigger than Positano and has a beautiful Roman church in the middle. Live music was playing there the day we went. 

Capri

You can access Capri by ferry (on which you can take your car if wanted) or boat (book with a company that will pick you up and get you there on a boat).

Capri was, without a doubt, our favourite town. It draws tourists, but some areas of the island are less crowded. Capri’s streets are sloped, with constant ups and downs. You will need to take the public buses to roam around or a (very cute) taxi. Anacapri was less packed and a lot more serene and peaceful.

We loved:

-We had a typical Italian lunch at Le Arcate

-We sat at Villa San Michele to enjoy a beautiful view of the island.

Capri is very famous for being a luxurious pit stop for celebrities during their own Euro summer, and if you are in a shopping mood, that is definitely the place you would want to visit! Walk around Via Federico Serna for (luxury) retail therapy and people-watching from the terraces of luxury hotels.