Day Trip to Amalfi, Italy

There are so many options around the Amalfi Coast, it's hard to decide how to prioritize your time.  However, whatever you decide to do, the adventure will be well worth the experience.  No need to make plans ahead of time.  It's better to allow the charm of the city lead you to your next destination.  We wandered down to the beach, where we found several boats that will take you to various cities along the Amalfi Coast.  So, we decided to take a day trip to Amalfi.

View of Positano from the sea

For the best view, sit on the left of the boat as you're heading from Positano to Amalfi.

The lovely little town of Amalfi

The entrance to the town square.  We found Amalfi to be filled with more tourists compared to Positano.

The center of the city is perfect for taking a mid-day break;  filled with lots of shops and restaurants.

The Cathedral of St. Andrew is a 9th-century Roman Catholic church, a sacred destination

The mountains tower high above the city, almost as if they're hugging it tight and protecting it's secrets.

Italy's version of Diagon Alley

"Rocket" (aka arugula) pizza, very simple and light with extraordinary flavors

Cacio e pepe (aka black pepper spaghetti)

Another shot of the Cathedral of St. Andrew.  Extraordinary detail in the architecture, both inside and out.

View from the top steps of the Cathedral

The Cloister of Paradise was built between 1266-1268 to house the tombs of wealthy merchants.

The ceiling features paintings of the life of St. Andrew.

The Shrine of St. Andrew

These set of magnificent bronze doors feature four figures in the center; Christ and Virgin Mary at the top, St. Andrew and St. Peter below.

Several smaller towns line the coast between Amalfi and Positano.

Back to our home away from home, Positano.

Another perfect day in the Amalfi Coast.  

Positano, Italy Part 1

When I think about what heaven is like, Positano comes pretty close.  A cliffside town on the southern coast of Italy where multicolored balconies and cascading flowers tug you further into it's fairy land.  The weather is perfect and the locals make you feel at home.  It's a dream world where life is carefree and everyone is young at heart.  The kind of place where time does not exist...

Don't expect to see much of the view if you're the one driving.  The road along this cliffside is narrow and windy.  Barely enough room for one car each way, let alone a bus!  But it's true what they say about the drive along the Amalfi Coast... it is the best scenic route in the world.  

Our first view of Positano from the top of the hillside

The water is clean enough to drink.  Several of these fountains can be found throughout the city.

No matter where you go, you'll have a stunning view of the city

Explore the alleys.  Even if it means you climbed extra steps only to end up at a dead-end, you never know what you'll find

Our view from breakfast every morning.  Even the sun is cheerful and welcoming!

Our private balcony at the hotel.  Like I said, no such thing as a bad view in this town

The streets are lined with boutiques and cafes.  Positano specializes in linens, hand-painted ceramics, and hand-made leather shoes and sandals.

A view of one of the docks, where you can take a boat to any city along the Amalfi Coast.

The city is just as beautiful when it's lit up

One of the best meals we had in Italy.  La Tagliata is at the top of the mountain overlooking Positano.  A family-owned restaurant where they serve you more courses than you've ever had in your entire life and a full bottle of wine per person to start with.  No menu, just fresh foods and local vegetables that are in season.

Most restaurants ended each meal with a shot of limoncello.  A sweet, but refreshing way to cap the night off.

It's easy to lose track of the tragedies of the world in a place as perfect as Positano.  It's a place where one can actually stop to think, be creative, be silent, be at peace.  Sometimes, everyone needs a little place to escape to when the stress of life becomes overwhelming.  Positano will always be that place for me.

Pompeii, Italy

This marks the first day of our two week, bucket-list fulfilling, unbelievably picturesque, once in a lifetime-type honeymoon.  It was definitely one for the books.  An easy world to capture in time through a few simple clicks. Everything was so picture perfect.

Our first stop was in Naples, Italy.  However, we didn't stay very long... 

 Just long enough to try some pizza (hello! the birthplace of pizza!)

and some classic due caffè espresso.

From Naples, we took the Circumvesuviana (watch your pockets!) to Pompeii.  Luckily, they had a place for us to store our luggage while we toured the city.  

Pompeii is an ancient Roman town that was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79.  From what they say, the city was preserved for hundreds of years beneath the ash due to lack of air and moisture. 

Mitoraj sculpture

Mitoraj sculpture

Mitoraj sculpture

Excavated ruins

Mitoraj sculptures

Bath House

Take good walking shoes and watch your step.  The streets are made of cobblestone and uneven the majority of the way.

Massive Amphitheater

As you walk through Pompeii, you will find yourself wondering how ancestors from a very distant past could create a city so advanced for its time.   Their bodies linger as a chilling reminder of the skillful hands that created the ancient walls still standing today.  Would anything from our time period survive a thousand years?  Let alone a volcanic eruption?  Questions to ponder as we make our way through Italy and Greece.  Next stop...the Amalfi Coast!