Amalfi Coast: Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Anacapri, Naples
Hi everyone!!
Hands down the most incredible weekend of my life. The Amalfi Coast is easily the most beautiful place I've ever visited. The entire region is blooming so it smells of sweet flowers and citrus everywhere you go. The water was bright blue, and we got SO lucky with phenomenal weather and sunny, clear skies. My roommates and I booked this trip through the same travel company Bus2Alps that I went to Budapest/Vienna/Salzburg with.
On Thursday night we got on our charter bus to head to Sorrento which was going to be home base for the weekend. At 4:37 am right as we were pulling into Sorrento, our bus abruptly stopped in the middle of the road. One of our guides got on the mic on our bus and told us we had to stop because of "a parade (???) going on" and to "take it in because it was going to be a real cultural treat." All of us were waking up totally confused and we looked out the bus window and to our utter shock was the creepiest procession I've ever seen in my entire life passing along either side of our charter bus. Locals had silently lined the streets and were watching as people in all black cloaks (imagine the KKK but in black) walked down the street holding massive crosses, swinging clocks, and holding lights. There was also a band playing the eeriest music I've ever heard. It seriously looked like something out of a horror movie. Sorrento is apparently known for their bizarre Easter parades. I've attached a link to a website that has some pictures so you can see it for yourself. It was seriously the weirdest thing that's happened to me since coming abroad. http://www.travelbusy.com/two-very-special-easter-parades-in-sorrento-on-the-amalfi-coast-in-italy/
After finally getting to our hotel at 5:30 am, we got about an hour and a half of sleep before having to get up and get ready to get on our cruise to Positano. We boarded our yacht at 8:30 am and sailed to Positano, stopping along the way for us to jump in the water. I don't even have the vocabulary to describe how beautiful the coast line was, or how many shades of blue the water was. The entire cruise to Positano, my friends and I were sitting on the deck in the sun just taking it alllllll in. It was one of those moments that I really appreciated the crazy beautiful life I'm currently living.
We docked in Positano and the beach was even more beautiful than pictures could ever show. The houses stacked on top of each other on the hillside were brightly painted and looked fake. We were able to lay on the beach for almost 4 hours and swim around in the cold water, which felt incredibly refreshing since it was so warm out. Like I said earlier, we really lucked out with the weather and I got a real nice tan (don't worry mom, wore plenty of sunscreen :) ).
That night we went out to dinner and after spending the majority of the day on a boat, I felt like I was rocking back and forth in my chair. It was the strangest feeling. I had a delicious piece of sea bass and fresh veggies for dinner. We went out to a bar after dinner with a bunch of people on our trip and just all hung out. We turned in relatively early since we had to be up super early the next morning. I really didn't think any day was going to be better than this one, but it kept getting better as the weekend went on.
Saturday morning was a 6:30 am wakeup call. We jumped on a ferry to Capri and then loaded onto boats for an island tour. Our first stop on our tour was the Blue Grotto, a sea cave is known for its bright blue water due to reflected sunlight. Inside the cave the water glows electric blue 20 meters down. It's so hard to explain just how bright blue the water is, despite it being inside a cave.
We continued our tour around the island, sailing by the Love Rocks and stopping in at a few other grottos and cave areas. The rocky coast line of the island actually inspired the landscape in Jurassic Park! Pictures don't even do the beauty of the island justice.
We docked back in Capri around 12 and hiked up to Anacapri, the second level of the island. Once we reached the top, we had stunning views of the water and the entire island. We had a couple of free hours to wander around, so we grabbed lunch and then wandered in and out of the little shops. I bought myself a little turquoise bracelet to add to my collection on my wrist :) We had to be back down in Capri at 4, and decided to take a taxi down the curvy roads instead of walking down, and I'm SO glad we did-- the taxis are convertibles!! Our driver was blasting music and we were all singing along and smiling in the warm sunshine. Just another moment of pure joy.
We took the ferry back to Sorrento and got back to our hotel absolutely exhausted. The company we were with had planned a BBQ on the pool deck for us, which we gladly took part in. Everyone on the trip came to our hotel and we all sat around the pool eating, drinking, and hanging out with one another until about 1 AM. These trips are so fun because you get to meet a bunch of people and spend the weekend with them. Even though I was there with 5 of my roommates, some of the girls I went on the Budapest/Vienna/Salzburg trip were in Amalfi so I got to hang out with them again!
Sunday morning my friend Jamie and I woke up early and got on a bus to go climb Mt. Vesuvius, an active volcano in Pompeii :) We lucked out with the weather again (it was supposed to rain!) and got to hike up the volcano with nothing but a little wind. The views from the top overlooked the entire coast and sea. The hike was definitelyyyy needed, I've been starting to go insane with the amount of cities I've been in, I miss Mt. Diablo at home and trees and being surrounded by nature. A nice little way to celebrate Easter!
After hiking the volcano, we jumped back on the bus and headed to Pompeii to see the ruins. In 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius exploded and covered the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in volcanic ash. Perfectly preserved under the ash, the excavated city gives a glimpse into the everyday life of its inhabitants. Walls, pillars, steps, and even street signs and house numbers still exist in the ruin city. It was incredible to walk around the city and walk on the same ground that people once did during ancient Roman times and see the perfectly preserved mosaic floors and painted walls inside what was once someones home.
Sunday night my roommates and I went to dinner at an open-air restaurant that was situated under a lemon tree garden. The entire restaurant smelled of blooming flowers and sweet citrus. I had citrus sea bass for dinner (treat myself a little, it was Easter dinner after all) and a glass of delicious Italian white wine. After dinner, we went out to a bar that had opened up just for the Bus2Alps tour group (this company has so many connections with the locals in the places that they visit, they pull strings for us and get us discounts and deals at places) and hung out with all the kids on the trip again. I've had one of the tour guides, Kevin, on 3 different trips, and Brodie on 2 of them (both of which were in Amalfi with me too) so I hung out with them all night.
Monday morning (Italy recognizes Monday as a holiday, so we had school off) we were up and out of the hotel and on the way to Naples before heading home. I'd heard some questionable things about Naples but tried to keep an open mind about it since I'd never been before. I'll keep it brief, but Naples was a shithole. SO dirty, SO many weirdos (there's a huge mafia presence in Naples), and just overall not a pretty city. Great pizza though, haha. I ordered my first (!!) pizza since being abroad, gluten free with tomatoes, capers, anchovies (shocking, I never thought I'd actually eat these) and olives and it was DELICIOUS. I'm really picky about the pizza that I order, because more often than not, the gluten free dough restaurants serve is frozen and not fresh. This place's gluten free dough tasted like focaccia bread, it was unreal. I've seriously never eaten such a good pizza before.
After pizza, we jumped back on the bus and headed back home to Florence. This weekend trip was easily the best trip I've taken since being abroad. The Amalfi Coast is stunning and we couldn't have been any luckier with the great weather.
My final quick turn around of the semester-- I'm headed to Morocco on Thursday for my last trip. This was the very first trip I booked when I got to Florence in January, I cannot believe it's here. It's going to be 96 degrees in Marrakesh which is where we'll be spending our time, I went and bought some lightweight flowy pants at a boutique today so that I'm not dying in real pants. I'll be riding camels, hiking, and ATVing in the desert :)))) Super excited for this trip, I can't wait to share it with you all when I get back!!
Xo,
Katie girl
Hands down the most incredible weekend of my life. The Amalfi Coast is easily the most beautiful place I've ever visited. The entire region is blooming so it smells of sweet flowers and citrus everywhere you go. The water was bright blue, and we got SO lucky with phenomenal weather and sunny, clear skies. My roommates and I booked this trip through the same travel company Bus2Alps that I went to Budapest/Vienna/Salzburg with.
On Thursday night we got on our charter bus to head to Sorrento which was going to be home base for the weekend. At 4:37 am right as we were pulling into Sorrento, our bus abruptly stopped in the middle of the road. One of our guides got on the mic on our bus and told us we had to stop because of "a parade (???) going on" and to "take it in because it was going to be a real cultural treat." All of us were waking up totally confused and we looked out the bus window and to our utter shock was the creepiest procession I've ever seen in my entire life passing along either side of our charter bus. Locals had silently lined the streets and were watching as people in all black cloaks (imagine the KKK but in black) walked down the street holding massive crosses, swinging clocks, and holding lights. There was also a band playing the eeriest music I've ever heard. It seriously looked like something out of a horror movie. Sorrento is apparently known for their bizarre Easter parades. I've attached a link to a website that has some pictures so you can see it for yourself. It was seriously the weirdest thing that's happened to me since coming abroad. http://www.travelbusy.com/two-very-special-easter-parades-in-sorrento-on-the-amalfi-coast-in-italy/
After finally getting to our hotel at 5:30 am, we got about an hour and a half of sleep before having to get up and get ready to get on our cruise to Positano. We boarded our yacht at 8:30 am and sailed to Positano, stopping along the way for us to jump in the water. I don't even have the vocabulary to describe how beautiful the coast line was, or how many shades of blue the water was. The entire cruise to Positano, my friends and I were sitting on the deck in the sun just taking it alllllll in. It was one of those moments that I really appreciated the crazy beautiful life I'm currently living.
We docked in Positano and the beach was even more beautiful than pictures could ever show. The houses stacked on top of each other on the hillside were brightly painted and looked fake. We were able to lay on the beach for almost 4 hours and swim around in the cold water, which felt incredibly refreshing since it was so warm out. Like I said earlier, we really lucked out with the weather and I got a real nice tan (don't worry mom, wore plenty of sunscreen :) ).
That night we went out to dinner and after spending the majority of the day on a boat, I felt like I was rocking back and forth in my chair. It was the strangest feeling. I had a delicious piece of sea bass and fresh veggies for dinner. We went out to a bar after dinner with a bunch of people on our trip and just all hung out. We turned in relatively early since we had to be up super early the next morning. I really didn't think any day was going to be better than this one, but it kept getting better as the weekend went on.
Saturday morning was a 6:30 am wakeup call. We jumped on a ferry to Capri and then loaded onto boats for an island tour. Our first stop on our tour was the Blue Grotto, a sea cave is known for its bright blue water due to reflected sunlight. Inside the cave the water glows electric blue 20 meters down. It's so hard to explain just how bright blue the water is, despite it being inside a cave.
We continued our tour around the island, sailing by the Love Rocks and stopping in at a few other grottos and cave areas. The rocky coast line of the island actually inspired the landscape in Jurassic Park! Pictures don't even do the beauty of the island justice.
We docked back in Capri around 12 and hiked up to Anacapri, the second level of the island. Once we reached the top, we had stunning views of the water and the entire island. We had a couple of free hours to wander around, so we grabbed lunch and then wandered in and out of the little shops. I bought myself a little turquoise bracelet to add to my collection on my wrist :) We had to be back down in Capri at 4, and decided to take a taxi down the curvy roads instead of walking down, and I'm SO glad we did-- the taxis are convertibles!! Our driver was blasting music and we were all singing along and smiling in the warm sunshine. Just another moment of pure joy.
We took the ferry back to Sorrento and got back to our hotel absolutely exhausted. The company we were with had planned a BBQ on the pool deck for us, which we gladly took part in. Everyone on the trip came to our hotel and we all sat around the pool eating, drinking, and hanging out with one another until about 1 AM. These trips are so fun because you get to meet a bunch of people and spend the weekend with them. Even though I was there with 5 of my roommates, some of the girls I went on the Budapest/Vienna/Salzburg trip were in Amalfi so I got to hang out with them again!
Sunday morning my friend Jamie and I woke up early and got on a bus to go climb Mt. Vesuvius, an active volcano in Pompeii :) We lucked out with the weather again (it was supposed to rain!) and got to hike up the volcano with nothing but a little wind. The views from the top overlooked the entire coast and sea. The hike was definitelyyyy needed, I've been starting to go insane with the amount of cities I've been in, I miss Mt. Diablo at home and trees and being surrounded by nature. A nice little way to celebrate Easter!
After hiking the volcano, we jumped back on the bus and headed to Pompeii to see the ruins. In 79 A.D., Mt. Vesuvius exploded and covered the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in volcanic ash. Perfectly preserved under the ash, the excavated city gives a glimpse into the everyday life of its inhabitants. Walls, pillars, steps, and even street signs and house numbers still exist in the ruin city. It was incredible to walk around the city and walk on the same ground that people once did during ancient Roman times and see the perfectly preserved mosaic floors and painted walls inside what was once someones home.
Sunday night my roommates and I went to dinner at an open-air restaurant that was situated under a lemon tree garden. The entire restaurant smelled of blooming flowers and sweet citrus. I had citrus sea bass for dinner (treat myself a little, it was Easter dinner after all) and a glass of delicious Italian white wine. After dinner, we went out to a bar that had opened up just for the Bus2Alps tour group (this company has so many connections with the locals in the places that they visit, they pull strings for us and get us discounts and deals at places) and hung out with all the kids on the trip again. I've had one of the tour guides, Kevin, on 3 different trips, and Brodie on 2 of them (both of which were in Amalfi with me too) so I hung out with them all night.
Monday morning (Italy recognizes Monday as a holiday, so we had school off) we were up and out of the hotel and on the way to Naples before heading home. I'd heard some questionable things about Naples but tried to keep an open mind about it since I'd never been before. I'll keep it brief, but Naples was a shithole. SO dirty, SO many weirdos (there's a huge mafia presence in Naples), and just overall not a pretty city. Great pizza though, haha. I ordered my first (!!) pizza since being abroad, gluten free with tomatoes, capers, anchovies (shocking, I never thought I'd actually eat these) and olives and it was DELICIOUS. I'm really picky about the pizza that I order, because more often than not, the gluten free dough restaurants serve is frozen and not fresh. This place's gluten free dough tasted like focaccia bread, it was unreal. I've seriously never eaten such a good pizza before.
After pizza, we jumped back on the bus and headed back home to Florence. This weekend trip was easily the best trip I've taken since being abroad. The Amalfi Coast is stunning and we couldn't have been any luckier with the great weather.
My final quick turn around of the semester-- I'm headed to Morocco on Thursday for my last trip. This was the very first trip I booked when I got to Florence in January, I cannot believe it's here. It's going to be 96 degrees in Marrakesh which is where we'll be spending our time, I went and bought some lightweight flowy pants at a boutique today so that I'm not dying in real pants. I'll be riding camels, hiking, and ATVing in the desert :)))) Super excited for this trip, I can't wait to share it with you all when I get back!!
Xo,
Katie girl
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