The Amalfi Coast

For the second part of our Italy vacation, we spent a week exploring Naples and the beautiful Amalfi Coast. The coast, along the Gulf of Selerno, is dotted with picturesque villages clinging to mountains that plunge into the sea. This is the type of scenery we'd be seeing all week:

We weren't kidding that this place is beautiful!

But first, we had to make our way there from Rome. We bid adieu to David's parents and Paul's family, and took a taxi to the train station, stopping for lunch again at Mercato Centrale. Our train to Naples was about 15 minutes delayed, but once we boarded it was a fast and comfortable trip. Arriving in Naples, we met up with Giuseppe, the driver arranged by our AirBnB. There are a few ways to get from Naples to Praiano, the village we'd be staying in. Most involved transfers between buses and ferries, or renting a car and driving on the narrow winding cliff-side roads. So we opted for the driver as the easiest option.

The area immediately near the Naples train station isn't great, it's kind of grungy, but the city is in the middle of a construction project to spruce up the main plaza in front of the station. It's not the best introduction to Naples, but when we returned a few days later we ended up loving the city. Leaving towards the South, we passed Mount Vesuvius. It was a dramatic sight seeing the volcano rising above the city and the coast. We'd be back in a few days to tour Pompeii. As we continued toward the Amalfi Coast, the road got narrower and we passed through a few tunnels. The final stretch, highway SS163, is a narrow road that winds along the coastal cliffs. The views are astounding, and the oncoming buses are terrifying. This road is not for the faint of heart (or the easily nauseated)! We'd have plenty of experience on this road throughout the next few days, on buses and on foot.

Pizza lunch at Mercado Centrale at Roma Termini.

Christina and David E with their last Roman lunch.

This is what the train stations typically look like. Always bustling.

This is actually a pretty wide part of the road on the Amalfi Coast. It's a narrow and winding route.

The Amalfi Coast is a UNESCO world heritage site, and it's really pretty. Our AirBnB was in Praiano, a wonderfully quiet town. In total we spent four nights here enjoying the sea, the sun and the food. We liked all the towns we visited on the Amalfi Coast, but some of the cities (especially Positano and Amalfi) get absolutely slammed with tourists. Praiano was a nice change of pace, with an unassuming main square with local kids playing soccer, and no huge hotels or gimmicky tourist shops. There's not much to do except enjoy the sunset over a shot of limoncello, and that's exactly the point. There are a few roads the wind up the mountain, but you have to do a lot of walking and climb a lot of stairs to get around anywhere on the coast. Our apartment was 111 steps up from the street level. A porter helped us carry our bags up when we arrived. All of the stair climbing helps to keep people fit. Our apartment was lovely, with a balcony and a couple of terraces with amazing views down to the sea, the church, and over to neighboring Positano.

Steps up to our AirBnB. We went up and down these 111 steps at least 20 times.

What a view to have from your living room!

Our back terrace, complete with outdoor shower.

Our front terrace.

The first evening we mostly just settled in. We took a short walk down to the Mediterranean, passing through the church piazza. It was 601 steps down... then back up. The pedestrian pathway to the sea wound past whitewashed houses and a couple of small bars and restaurants, ending at a small rocky beach and dock. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, then had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the church. Seafood is the specialty of the region, so we had a mixed platter with mussels, clams, octopus, squid, scallops, and shrimp. The finale was a complementary digestif of delicious melon liquor.

Parrocchia di San Gennaro - the main church and square in Praiano.

There were a lot of fish and squid art on the pedestrian paths around town.

The path down to the beach.

Almost there!

Most of the Amalfi Coast is very rocky. Not great for swimming, but the views are amazing.

We caught the sunset from near the beach.

Stairs everywhere. Bonus rowboat guy.

Sunset from a seaside terrace with a tiny bar.

From Praino, you can see the sunset over the island of Capri.

Can't get enough of those Amalfi sunsets! Praino is the best place to watch them, since it faces west.

Back to the church. Only 111 more stairs up to the apartment from here. The area with the green umbrellas is where we ate dinner.

All kinds of seafood.

The moon and the church dome.

The next day we woke up and decided to tackle the Path of the Gods. This trail climbs up over Praiano and follows the ridge before ending in Nocelle, a little town just east of Positano. The trail is a must do if you're in this part of the world. The views are amazing! It's a Mediterranean version of our experience on the Kalalau Trail in Hawai'i. Most of the trail isn't too strenuous, it just takes a lot of work to get up to the ridge before the few kilometer walk along at the top.

Immediately after exiting the trail there was a vendor selling Italian Ice (granita). Lots of people stopped there to hydrate after the long and warm walk. From here you can either catch a bus or walk down a million stairs to the main road and then finish last 1 or 2 km on foot to Positano. There was a friendly older Italian gentleman who didn't speak English directing people to bus or road from behind his gate in a sunlit garden. Every woman that he spoke to he called bella. Players gonna play! We went by foot, but would probably recommend taking the bus - walking along the main road isn't fun.

Buongiorno, Praiano!

Positano in the distance. We were going to hike there today.

Most of the trail looked like this. Beautiful juxtaposition of sky and sea.

Usually no hand-rail, but mostly not necessary. Paul's taking a lean.

Praiano below. The hardest part of the hike was getting UP here.

David sporting his Roma shirt. A mistake in Campania.

There were lots of flowers along the trail this time of year.

Path of the Gods Buddies!

Positano is getting closer.

There were quite a few goats up along the trail. This one just stole someone's lunch on a picnic table!

Granita shop in Nocelle that does gang-buster business.

Beautiful Positano on the Amalfi Coast.

After the long hike we were starving. We found a restaurant with views that overlooked the city and the sea. Paul and I got boozy banana drinks! After lunch we walked around town for a while and souvenir shopped. Positano is much busier and more commercial than Praiano. The sidewalks were packed with tourists. After an hour or so we got some gelato and waited for a bus back to Praiano.

Picture-perfect day in Positano.

The beach from our restaurant.

Lunch crew!

Quite possibly the prettiest caprese salad ever made. The buffalo mozzarella in Campania was to die for.

Plants and pottery are meticulously displayed everywhere on the Amalfi Coast.

Tourist strip in Positano.

Steps, shade and sun.

Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta in Positano.

After returning to Praiano we decided to go down to the beach again. Cue 600 step voyage down to the water number two! Today we decided we'd actually swim a bit. The water was on the cool side, probably around 70°F. The beach is very rocky, and not the best place for people with delicate feet. Christina queened out a little bit about the cool water and slimy rocks. David E., being a solution-focused guy, turned some rocks over for her so she could stand on the non-slimy side. Princess. On the way back up at sunset, we stopped by a bar and had some Amalfi Mojitos (made with lemon instead of lime). The mint comes from their own little garden. Very cute!

Enjoying an Amalfi Mojito (with local lemons and mint) while watching the sunset.

The evening lighting was amazing every day we were here.

Yet another beautiful sunset from Praiano.

That evening we just got some groceries and cooked at home. We made a salad with chicken and tomatoes. Paul accidentally tripped a fuse and we learned that some of the vacation homes have fuse boxes both inside the house and out on the street! We had to call our host to tell us how to find the box. Interestingly, anyone walking down the sidewalk could at any time turn off our electricity...kinda odd. Next stop, Capri!