Paradise in Positano, Italy

If you have never traveled to the Amalfi Coast, you MUST put this on your bucket list of places to visit!  It is so beautiful and stunning! You can pinch yourself as you view the coastline that adorns the crisp, blue Mediterranean water; or the villas that encroach and embed themselves on the ledges of the rocky hills.  Diane and I continued our sister trip from Oslo, Norway arriving in Rome and hopping a train to Naples.  From there, Mario our driver leisurely drove us through the busy part of Italy to the amazing Amalfi Coast, stopping a few times to take in the views.  We were so excited to be here!!

We arrived in Positano around 4 pm on a Friday and stayed @ the Eden Roc Hotel.  Our room was perfect with a living room, large bathroom and balcony that gave us a beautiful view of the Sea and town below us.  The sun was out, temps were in the 50’s and we dressed for our first dinner out in Praiano, just a 15 minute car ride away.

Our first full day was all about enjoying the area.  We strolled down the narrow streets, stairs and curving corners … visiting the shops along the way.  We ate lunch and then the walk UP … back to our hotel.  You need to make sure you pack really comfortable shoes and be very willing to walk … no strollers, wheelchairs, canes were in view.  You will definitely get your steps in!

Our second day was spent jumping onto the Ferry to Capri! What a lovely island to visit and we lucked out as rain was in the forecast but never affected us.  We met up with our new friends from London, Dani & George and decided to stick together for our day in Capri. Well, we should have taken the funicular up .. but NO … I saw the signs to the “center of Capri” and hoofed it UP, UP and UP and away!  Let’s say it was a LONG way up but it was so worth it!  I loved seeing the lavender wisteria and buildings along the way. We did walk through the “5th Avenue” row of stores, however, the window of baked goods … OMG!  I wish I could take it all home with me!

Slightly off the beaten path, we stumbled upon this view were we saw the bluest water below and boats zipping in and out of the Grotto.  I have never seen a view like this before and all the walking was worth it!  Once we got our fill, two of us wanted to continue on the walk, and the other two wanted to go back down for lunch.  They had enough of walking. Let’s just say 13,000 steps and counting!!  Well, it was a lovely, tiring day with great people and wonderful food!  My sister and I really enjoyed our day in Capri and took the ferry back to Positano.

The next day was another adventure with a bus ride to Amalfi and then another bus to Ravello.  This quaint town contains two Villas (Rufolo & Cimbrone) with beautiful gardens, statues, old stone and iron works. Since it was the beginning of the season, not all the flowers were in bloom.  What we saw though, was gorgeous!  With breathtaking views of the Coast, old clay rooftops, bare vines waiting for life to begin for a season … our senses were on overload.  You cannot possibly imagine these sights, nor commit them to memory.  Everywhere you look, it’s another perfect image to capture and explore.

This was our last full day in Positano. We were sad to leave because it has such charm!  It can be a very romantic place for couples and even though this was a sister trip, we enjoyed everything we did together.  It was relaxing most of the time and we thoroughly savored the food and wine in this region.  Fresh seafood of octopus, clams, mussels & red snapper; fresh pasta, tomatoes & herbs; tiramisu, cappuccino & Zambuca to finish it off!

We had decided to break up our travel and spent our last full day in Rome.  We did a little bit of sightseeing and walked to the Trevi fountain. I was so amazed at how busy it was here!  So many stores, cafes, tourists, scooters, cars, buses  … made it a very active city! As we wandered, we had one final destination in mind we heard about:  Hotel de Russie.  We planned on enjoying a glass of wine here but it was such a lovely place.  With an outdoor terrace within its walls, we found it very comfortable and enticing.  We had a great waiter, Jacob, who took our picture and catered to our every need.  We enjoyed our small plates, red wine and toasted to our sister adventure!  Thank you Diane for a wonderful vacation, a fantastic birthday present and the precious time together to make these memories.  Ciao Italia!