The World in Her Eyes - The Amalfi Coast
Oh, you dolce Italy!
When it comes to Italy, everybody knows how dolce la vita is there!
There’s something very unique about this country, and I kind of feel like I wanna visit every corner of it.
This was our 3rd time in Italy, and we opted to explore the wonders of the Amalfi coast, while celebrating our 5th Wedding Anniversary.
The most romantic place to stay
After a brief research, I quickly realised that Amalfi and Positano are the most crowded places to stay. While I don’t mind if a place is full with tourists, but it wasn’t something we been looking for now.
And there it was Praiano in between, just about 25 min drive to Amalfi and 15 min to Positano. A perfect choice to enjoy the beauty of it!
We stayed at that time named Casa Colomba ( now they changed their name to Residence Li Galli, ),a small yet very friendly family run casa, serving delicious homemade breakfast.
The view from every room is speechless, a place where the sky meets the sea, overlooking to Positano and Capri.
Exploring the Coast
Day1 ~ Praiano
After our arrival to Casa Colomba, we decided to explore Praiano.
Definitely worth visiting the Church of San Giovanni Battista, which has a beautiful maiolica tiled floor from the 13th century.
From there a small path with a descending 300 steps leaded to the Marina di Praia, a small pebble beach, totally worth the view.
And to make our end of the day as perfect as can be, we had our most romantic dinner ever on the Coast at the La Dolce Vista Restaurant, http://www.hotelsmeraldo.it.
The view over the caldera accompanied with the most breathtaking sunset made our night unforgettable.
I don’t even wanna mention their delicious pasta.
Day 2 ~Ravello-Amalfi-Fiordo Di Furore
After our breakfast, we headed to Ravello, to visit the Villa Cimbrone, and Villa Ruffolo .
I must say that that both places are magical.
The views of the Mediterranean and the dramatic coastline from the Terrazza dell’Infinito, lined by a series of marble busts at Villa Cimbrone is breathtaking, I think is the best I’ve seen in my life.
The main villa is a private hotel, but the gardens are open to the public, the entrance in 7 euros.
Is considered the most memorable sight on the Amalfi Coast.
Also if you have time I would recommend to visit the Duomo Cathedral and the Villa Rufolo, which overlooks the Piazza Vescovado, and is the historical and cultural center of Ravello.
The villa has some of the most beautiful flower arrangements and holds annual summer concert series.
Our next stop was Amalfi, a very pretty yet very petite town.
The easily walkable place with a small beach and sun filled piazzas stole my heart.
It looks like a cluster of white houses clinging to the rock and connected to each other by covered alleys and stairways.
A town with history and culture.
At the main square there is the beautiful Cathedral of St. Andrew, with it’s impressive staircase, the bell-tower in Arab-Norman style and the charming Cloister of Paradise.
Our last stop was the Fiordo Di Furore, carved over the centuries by the river Schiato.
Thanks to its unique location, the area was a true natural fortress, invisible to those who came from the sea.
For this reason, Furore is defined as “the district that doesn’t exist”, even nowadays.
A really magical place, not to be missed.
Day 3 ~ Positano and Capri
A visit at the Amalfi Coast can’t be complete without visiting Positano and Capri.
We arrived early morning to avoid the crowds and discover a bit Positano.
It is known for its picturesque staircases, whitewashed houses following the natural course of the mountain and creating a vertical landscape.
And famous for its handmade leather sandals and cotton/linen clothes.
After wandering around Positano we took the Ferry to Capri to taste la Dolce Vita. An island famous for its landscape, expensive hotels, yachts and designer fashion boutiques.
One of its best-known natural sites is the Blue Grotto, a dark cavern where the sea glows electric blue. To get to know the island from the sea view we rented a boat from www.caprislandtour.com .
It was the best experience ever on a boat.
Sailing around the coastline, passing through the Faraglioni Rocks is something we will remember forever. The Faraglione di Mezzo is characterized by a central cavity, large enough to allow for the passage of a small boat.
The legend says if you kiss under the cavity with your loved one, you will stay together forever.
Top Tips:
If is possible try to rent a car, perhaps a cabrio, this way you can experience the view of the coastline of your own tranquility; buses don’t run as scheduled; ofter is very crowded and if so the driver won’t stop.
If you wanna know the whole coastline by the sea then I would suggest to go for a boat tour, or rent your private boat for a more experienced adventure.
The whole Amalfi Coast is absolutely magical but prepare yourself to climb steps, and I mean deep and hundred of steps, the view is definitely worth it, and also the comfortable shoes.
To avoid the crowds try to wake up early, this way you can have all the coastline for yourself. I mean is a good feeling. We woke up every day around 6 am.
And you must try their limoncello spritz. The best one ever!
Our trip to the Amalfi was absolutely worthwhile.
A land where lemon tree grows, locals are friendly, food is exceptional, the view is speechless, having the two main elements of this landscape : the sea and the mountains.