Amalfi Coast, Italy

Hey friends! This post is LONG overdue... because well, life! We have been BUSY around here, but I am excited to catch the blog up. 

Ready for a news flash: we fly back to the US in one week. ONE WEEK! It is so hard to believe that our year abroad is coming to an end. 

Anyways, more about that later. Now to share Amalfi. I have dreamed about the Amalfi coast for a long time. I think everyone has that one (or 12) place(s) where they dream about because the pictures are just that dreamy. Amalfi is one of my places. 

The Amalfi Coast is a 50 km (roughly 31 miles) stretch of coastline in Italy, just south of Naples. It is so amazing that UNESCO deemed it to be an outstanding example of Mediterranean landscape. Mountains plunge into the sea between picturesque small towns. (It even sounds dreamy, I know.)

February may not appeal to all Amalfi travelers because the town is a little sleepy. It is not considered tourist season and the weather can be iffy. A lot of shops, restaurants and hotels are closed from October until May. BUT, if you do your research Amalfi has a lot to offer in February. 

One of the downsides of traveling during a low season is that the transportation to and from Naples airport is scarce. You don't have as many trains/busses (so timing is an issue) and there are no ferries that run. We opted for a car and drove the coast, which truthfully may have worked out for the best! 

Google maps was even preparing us for the drive... the street we were turning on is called Panoramica!

Remember how I said the weather could be iffy? Well our arrival day was cloudy, cold and rainy! But the excitement made all that okay.

We stayed in Positano, which is one of the first small towns on the coast. It is incredibly charming. Our hotel was incredible and the workers really treated us extra special. We normally opt for hotels/hostels that are budget friendly - meaning it is clean and has a bed, but Positano was my birthday trip and Blake really pulled out all the bells and whistles for this fancy hotel!

There are only 3 restaurants in Positano that are open in February. One in particular was super close to our hotel and offered a shuttle to and from the hotel to the restaurant- we loved it so much that we ate there every night. 

  

Bruschetta, pizza, pasta, wine and of course limoncello. 

Fun Fact - Limoncello is a liqueur produced from the lemon peels of Amalfi lemons. 

Yes, you have to look at my feet. But woah views! That was pretty nice to wake up too. Day 2 promised sunshine and blue skies!



Walking down to the shore!



Positano



Selfies with my love.



The water was so incredibly blue! Unlike anything I've ever seen!

We declared this day Amalfi day and we dedicated the whole day to exploring this city! After exploring the city, we did a little chunk of the Path of The Gods hike!









Too many pictures, because I love them ALL!



So. Many. Stairs.

But, the view just keeps on getting better!



Our view to the left.

And to the right!



Making our way back down!



I love all the houses!

About this time, I was probably in a tri-pod! I think it was over 1500 steps!

We made our way to our dinner spot, devoured something delicious and went to sleep early!

Day 3 we headed out for the coast!



Just driving along!



A ceramic shop... okay we spent too much time here! How amazing.



First stop: Amalfi (the city on the coast).



Beautiful, but not as charming as Positano - in my opinion!



Amalfi Cathedral



The town was definitely more lively though! There were quite a few shops and restaurants open!



And we found gelato, so I was pretty much STOKED!



Continuing our drive! That peninsula WAY out there is Salerno; the last coastal town.



Ravello: a small town way up the side of the mountain!



Exploring Villa Rufolo in Ravello. *Side note* If you go in the winter months, paying for Villa Rufolo isn't really worth it because all of the gardens are dead!



Lemon trees!

We finished out the evening by driving back to our hotel and heading back to our dinner spot! We met a wonderful couple who were living abroad in Naples. We chatted and drank way too much wine - as one does in Italy!

Amalfi needs to be on your list! It was an amazing few days.