Capri, Amalfi, and Ravello

Following our first few days on the beautiful Amalfi coast, we booked a day trip to Capri on Positano Boats. We got up early and walked the 600 stairs down to Praiano's dock, where our guide Francesco picked us up at 9AM. Our boat was the "Mr. Luigi." It was small but comfortable. We stopped in Positano to pick up a few more people, for a total of 10 on our boat. It was a nice size for a small group tour. From there we went straight to Capri, which took around 45 minutes, with dramatic views of the Amalfi coast along the way. 

David looking like an Italian movie star.

Francesco driving us around.

Brief stop in Positano to pick up a few people.

David got to drive the boat for a bit when Francesco had to go below deck with a screwdriver.

Amazing coastal scenery on our way to Capri.

Capri has been described as the most beautiful place on earth. We wouldn't go that far, but there's no denying the magic of the quintessential Italian island. Our first stop on Capri was the famous blue grotto. It's a small sea cave that you enter by rowboat through a very narrow entrance. The cave is lit from below by an underwater hole, resulting in a brilliant blue glow. It's a surreal and beautiful sight. Some of the rowboat captains sing, which echoes around the inside of the grotto. Unfortunately because it's incredibly touristy and crowded you don't get to spend much time there, and are ushered in and out swiftly and uncomfortably.

After the blue grotto, we continued on our boat tour around Capri, stopping by a few other larger grottos and coves. They're all a bit different, and with different names based on their color and shape. It's a unique experience that can only be had from the water, so we highly recommend a boat tour if you visit Capri.

Tons of rowboats going in and out of the blue grotto.

The water appears to glow blue.

It's a neat effect.

The entrance is very tiny - a rowboat can barely squeeze through.

This was called the red grotto, thanks to the red sea creatures on the rocks.

Kayakers going past another sea cave.

More brilliant blue water.

After circling most of Capri, we docked at marina picollo for 4 hours on the island. We walked through the town of Capri, did some shopping, and had lunch with a view. The island was very crowded (and it was a hot day), but we had fun walking around and climbing stairs. There aren't many "sights" on Capri, rather the attractions are the views, shopping, and people watching.

View of the harbor while climbing up from Marina Piccola.

The main square in Capri.

A very dramatic cat.

There were flowers everywhere on the Amalfi Coast, especially in Capri.

Great view from our table at lunch.

Pizza!

One of the many narrow atmospheric alleys.

Capri - vistas for days.

Walking back through the main square.

Heading back down to the beach and to our boat.

After returning to the boat, we continued our nautical tour, driving straight through i faraglioni, two big island pinnacles just off the coast of Capri. We stopped in a few more coastal grottos in Capri, then continued back to the Amalfi coast, seeing a few more grottos and an abandoned old fishing village. One of the highlights of our time in Italy was stopping to swim in an amazing grotto near Scoglio Isca. It was a large grotto lit from below, a glowing blue cavern that can only be reach by swimming from a boat. We had prosecco back on board, and enjoyed the sunshine while we cruised back to Praiano.

Leaving Capri.

We boated into another cool grotto.

We drove straight through this hole in i faraglioni.

A natural arch on Capri.

More cool caves and formations on the Amalfi coast.

The water was amazing shades of blue and green.

An old fishing village.

Back to Positano.

On our way to the final stop - Praiano.

After showering and relaxing a bit, we had a great dinner at Kasai. The menu was a bit more varied and inventive than other restaurants we'd been to on the Amalfi coast. We sat outside overlooking the moon-lit ocean. The food highlights were a delicious stuffed pepper and fried pumpkin flowers. Christina tried to make friends with a kitten that was wandering the streets, but ended up getting a little bite when she tried to feed the kitten some fish skin.

Amazing stuffed pepper at dinner.

The next morning, for our final day on the Amalfi coast, we took a Sita bus to the town of Amalfi. The buses run on a schedule and are fairly easy to take, but they were incredibly crowded. We stood the whole way from Praiano to Amalfi on the narrow winding coastal roads.

The town of Amalfi was an important maritime power with around 80,000 people in the year 1000. Unfortunately, a large earthquake and tsunami in 1343 destroyed the port and a large part of the city. Luckily, the impressive cathedral, built in the 9th century, survived the earthquake. Today only 5,000 people live in Amalfi, but it's still a thriving tourist destination. We walked around through the crowded streets, visited the gorgeous cathedral, and bought some local hand-made paper products.

The very impressive cathedral.

Tiling on the top of the belltower.

Inside the Amalfi cathedral.

The cathedral is perched at the top of a huge staircase above Amalfi's main square.

You can see the Moorish influence in the design of the arches, similar to those in Cordoba, Spain.

Looking down at the main square.

After we had our fill of Amalfi, we caught another crowded bus to Ravello, a small city situated further up the mountains. Ravello is a quaint little tourist city, a bit quieter and removed from the bustle of the coast. We spent some time in the cathedral, walked around the narrow pedestrian ways, and toured the gardens at Villa Rufolo, a 13th century Moorish-inspired villa.

The SITA buses made it relatively easy to get around the coast, but they were always VERY crowded.

Ravello's main square. Ravello was very clean and well manicured.

Il Duomo Ravello.

Homes and vineyards high up in the Amalfi Coast hills near Ravello.

Art inside Ravello's Duomo.

This is supposed to be a depiction of Jonas being swallowed by a whale...

...people really didn't know what whales looked like back in the day.

Typical street scene in Ravello.

David's always making cat friends wherever he goes.

Inside the Villa Rufolo.

View of the coast from the Villa Rufolo.

Manicured gardens at the Villa Rufolo.

Not a bad place to spend a couple hours in the afternoon.

While in Ravello, we had lunch at a little cafe called Babel, where we communicated entirely in Italian! The waitress was really nice and humored us as she was fluent in English. For lunch we had some bruschetta, salad, and Italian gazpacho. Overall, Ravello is a really cute town high up in the hills above Amalfi. The city goes for more of an upscale, artistic element, so if that's your thing put Ravello on your Amalfi Coast list. Villa Rufolo is a great place to take in dramatic views of the sea.

Cute polpetto bruschetta at Babel.

After spending a few hours up in Ravello, we went back down to Amalfi on yet another hair-raising bus ride. The total time we spent in the city of Amalfi was cut a bit short due to how crowded it was. We weren't in the mood to deal with the crush of people, so once we got the gist of Amalfi we decided to hop the bus back to sleepy Praiano. Catching buses in Amalfi is really confusing. Make sure you leave a few extra minutes to figure out which buses head in which direction; they're not always clearly labeled and the area is very crowded. Luckily for us, this time we were able to get a seat on the bus, so the ride back to Praiano was a bit more comfortable.

Overall, traveling around from town to town in Amalfi is a little stressful. You have to buy bus tickets from tobacco stores. Generally, there aren't transit system employees you can ask questions about how to get where you're going, so you're on your own or at the whim of a passerby to help you out. The buses run fairly frequently, but they take a while to get where you're going due to congestion on the narrow two-lane roadways. The alternative is expensive taxis or renting a car (but good luck finding parking).

Standing on a crowded SITA bus. Hold on tight!

After we got back we met up with Christina and David E and watched our last Amalfi sunset. The natural beauty of the coast is something we'll definitely always remember. The four of us picked Criscito's for our last dinner on the coast in Praiano. The restaurant was small but had some nice tables on a deck along the road. They mainly specialized in pizza (surprise). That said, this place was the first restaurant where we found fried pizza! David got a really excellent amatriciana fried pizza. What's fried pizza you ask? Well, instead of baking the dough they fry it and then top it and pop it in the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese, and voila! David thinks it was one of the best things he ate all trip. David E wasn't so lucky. He decided to let the waiter select a pizza for him. If you know anything about David E, you know he's not much of a fan of green food. The waiter came back with a veggie pizza with a squash puree for sauce. And hopefully that's when David E learned to not let people select food for him! =)

The tile dome of the church in Praiano from our balcony.

The cross-eyed cat that hung out near our place.

Our last sunset on the Amalfi coast.

Italian beer with dinner at Criscito's.

So ended our time on the Amalfi Coast. Each of the towns has its pluses and minuses. We recommend you do a little research to figure out which one is best for your travel style, and use that town as a base, taking half-day trips to see the other towns if you'd like. Positano is probably the prettiest town overall, with the most diversity in restaurants, shops and easy access down to the beach... but you'll pay for the convenience, with extraordinarily high hotel prices. Praiano is great if you want a place that's sleepier but still has dramatic views, and is good for lounging on a balcony or hiking the mountains. If churches are your forte, the best we saw on the coast was the Duomo in Amalfi. But Amalfi is very crowded and can get a little frustrating. Amalfi and Ravello are close together, which is nice. Ravello was probably the most artistically oriented town on the coast. The town also had a slower pace which we thought was relaxing.

As for islands, there are a lot in the Gulf of Naples to choose from. We only ended up visiting Capri. Capri is very beautiful. While busy, it didn't feel as packed as Amalfi and there were more places to sneak off to. The winding narrow streets were atmospheric and the food and vistas were both great.

From the Amalfi Coast, we ventured back to Naples to finish up our Italian vacation. Stay tuned!

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!