For as long as I can remember, going to Positano was a dream of mine. I’ve studied abroad, then traveled back to Italy, but for whatever reason never made it over to Positano. As a matter of fact I never properly enjoyed the experience of truly being in the Amalfi Coast. This time, my only goal was to lay out on the Marina Grande in Positano underneath an umbrella on a sun bed. My dream come true!
I’ll start with our train ride from Rome to Napoli. Rome being the metropolitan tourist destination, made it easy for us to say arriverderci to the chaos of the city.
Arriving in Napoli Centrale, Napoli’s main train station was just as chaotic, you could literally hear the buzzing of people coming, going, shopping or standing around waiting for their train platform to show up on the marquee. But if time is of no essence and you’ve got time on your hands before your trip down south I suggest you wander around the city and find yourself some Arancini. And if you’re making a day trip around Napoli, find yourself a sit down restaurant because you’re going to want to eat the pizza. It is out of this world delicious. We were more than eager to find our train to Sorrento, which I should mention is not nearly as nice as TrenItalia. The Circumvesuviana train headed south of Napoli is hot, crowded, humid, and quick. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a seat and a slight breeze whenever the train doors open and shut. If you’re unlucky you’ll have caught you arm in the rapidly shutting train doors, as one unlucky Italiano did shouting at his friend to get on the train! Oh Jesus get me to Sorrento veloce!
When we finally did make the final stop to Sorrento, it was like a slice of heaven and I immediately felt like I could finally inhale that wonderful ocean air. Finding our airbnb apartment was no difficulty and not very far from where you’d catch one of the many buses all over the coast. We were lucky to have such a great location in Sorrento near enough to the grocery store, restaurants, the open markets and the beach! We had a lovely host by the name of Giacomo and his daughter Laura who greeted us with home made Limencello! We knew we were in for a wonderful sojourn. The loft was super cute and we couldn’t have had a more accommodating and helpful host who was available host who thankfully also helped us when we got locked out later that night. We were also literally right next to an old mill which looked like some sort of medieval fortress down below in a quarry. I could feel the history every time I walked by it. Sorrento is such a cute and airy town, you can’t help but feel the atmosphere with open markets and Limencello souvenirs in just about every direction.
The next day we made our way to my much awaited trip to Positano! I deliberately watched The Talented Mr. Ripley before this trip- an odd choice of movie I know as it’s pretty grimm, but I do remember how picturesque Positano was. Nothing does it justice quite like being there in person. All I wanted was to be on that beach, and considering it was 90 something degrees outside, I needed it asap. The beach was interesting, Europeans definitely are a lot more freeing and non-judgemental when it comes to the different body types. The beach was pretty rocky, filled with pebbles and no sand. I only found it somewhat painful when I was in the actual water, not the easiest thing in the world to try and balance yourself on rocks and water shoes might’ve been helpful. But it didn’t matter, I was trying my hardest to ingrain the fact that I was swimming in the Amalfi Coast in my memory. It was surreal to me.
Day trip number 2 was to Capri. Capri is pretty special. I had been once before and memories of being on the jetfoil from Sorrento came flooding back. I remember picking a stone up from one of the beaches 7 years prior and called it my Capri stone. I’d pack it on any trip feeling like it gave me luck. I think back then I wanted a token, something to remember just how special the island was. Nothing’s really changed in that regard. Capri is full of narrow streets, small squares, open air cafes, gorgeous cathedrals and even more gorgeous views from any view point on the island. We explored the island a bit by foot and then ventured on the island tour boat ride where we were able to see the many grottos. Unfortunately the weather made exploring the blue grotto cave impossible, but we did also get to see the legendary Faraglioni limestone rocks. All in all it was a wonderful day and an absolute must for anyone traveling to the Amalfi.
I had the most wonderful trip exploring the Italian coast and feel incredibly lucky to have done so. I cannot wait to get back there again!