For a long time, I dreamt about going to the Amalfi Coast. It has always been on my bucket list so for my birthday this year, I decided to make it happen and take a trip of a lifetime. During my 10-day visit, I made it to Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi and Positano.
Each town has its own unique character but if I had to pick favourites I would have to choose Positano and Naples. The best way for me to describe Amalfi coast towns; Pompeii is the grandfather, Sorrento the Father, Amalfi the Mother, Capri the boujis sister, Positano the fun uncle and Naples the quirky, alternative cousin (and black sheep of the family).
NAPLES
To me, Naples had the most heart. I was warned about the high crime rate and intimidating alley ways (especially after dark), but I liked the realness and rawness of it. It was also the town with the most interesting background filled with culture, beautiful architecture, mythology, and a warm friendly community. The food in Naples is also unbelievable. I went on a street tour where I got to try authentic homemade pizza, Mozzarella and Arancino and everything tasted incredible. Naples may be dirty and gritty with a bad reputation of (mafia and crime) but I liked its transparency and historic look and feel.
SORRENTO
I was so glad I chose Sorrento as a
base for the Amalfi Coast trip. It was easy to get to from Naples airport, easy
access to other coastal towns and reasonably priced. As it’s set on a hill top
above the harbour, Sorrento has a stunning coastal scenery overlooking the
Gulf of Naples and Vesuvius with sweeping water views. It also has cute narrow streets
with colourful boutique shops and restaurants and is basically an idyllic
seaside town. We stayed very close to cafe-lined the Piazza Tasso square which
meant we were right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the main town.
POMPEII
If you’re staying anywhere near
Amalfi, I would definitely recommend visiting Pompeii. Known as Europe’s most
compelling archaeological site, the ruins of Pompeii captures so much history, it’s
frozen in time. Ancient buildings, architecture, figures of the bodies and
streets all so well preserved that you feel like you’ve gone into a time
machine. Beautiful!
CAPRI
As beautiful as it was, I liked
Capri the least. If you’re a millionaire with a yacht, you’ll definitely enjoy
everything Capri has to offer but I found it too expensive and a little pretentious.Having said that, it has the brightest
sapphire blue water you could ever imagine and spectacular views. I also think I didn’t enjoy it as much as the
Grotto was closed the day we went because of the windy weather.
AMALFI TOWN
I found Amalfi Town very graceful and serene with its cluster of white buildings and beautiful landscapes. It’s one of the largest towns along the coast full of stunning hill top views and beaches. I found it a bit quieter than Sorrento but lots to see and do especially tasting its famous limoncello. I see Amalfi Town as the mother of the coast because it has a calming, nurturing feel about it. If I ever visit again, I would probably stay here.
POSITANO
To me, Positano is an architectural
wonder. The best views of the town are from the beach, or from the sea which is
why we visited on boat trip. The houses are beautifully stacked on top of one
another painted in shades of white, peach, pink and red and the town is a maze
of pretty flower-covered alleyways lined with boutique shops that all seem to
lead to the sea. The cobbled beaches aren’t amazing but the views from them are
spectacular especially when you’re coming in on a boat. I would say that
Positano is definitely one of my favourite coastal towns to visit
