Amalfi Coast Highlights!

For the second part of our vacation, we decided to go to the Amalfi Coast in Italy with my parents. My parents had already visited us in Geneva and both wanted to travel more in Italy too. Positano had been on my list and it was a great choice! I love southern Italy but hadn't been to the Amalfi coast yet.

I actually started planning this vacation quite some time ago - hotels in Positano book up very early for high season. We were lucky enough to find a two bedroom suite at a great hotel (Eden Roc) for us to share. The service and the views were incredible! The room was plenty big too  - there were two full bathrooms,  tons of storage, two bedrooms, and a living room with room for a bed for S. There was also a great balcony overlooking the Mediterranean.

Day 1 Highlights:


We all arrived in Rome airport on Monday (S was thrilled to see Papa and Grandma who immediately gave her new pom-pom toys -- even the customs agents smiled at our reunion), met our driver, and relaxed during the 3.5 hour drive to Positano. We had great views of Mount Vesuvius on the way and really enjoyed the coastal part of the drive from Sorrento to Positano.

On Monday evening, we checked into the hotel and then went to dinner for pizza and pasta. My parents had just arrived from the US so we didn't stay out late this evening.

Day 2 Highlights:
We enjoyed our first breakfast at the hotel and it was delicious - there was a wide offering of pastries, fruits, meat and cheese, and eggs.

We did a walking tour of Positano with Christine - it was a 2.5 hour walking tour and a great way to find little nooks in Positano that we might not have explored otherwise. S really enjoyed being out and about during the tour and we all learned a little bit more about Positano.

We celebrated my dad's 70th birthday together too - the hotel made a chocolate cake and brought it to our room mid-afternoon - S was so excited to get to sing Happy Birthday to Papa again! We all swam together at the hotel pool after that. S loved jumping to my mom and trying to splash my dad in the pool. She also made two friends from Illinois that made her some bracelets, which she proudly wears.

J&I did a wine tasting at the hotel before dinner- it was nice - there were 12 wines to choose from - we each chose three wines and each flight was accompanied with cheese and other antipasti. We then all had dinner at the hotel - the restaurant is on the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean - very relaxing and beautiful!

Day 3 Highlights:
As I planned this vacation, I saw many mentions of Ravello, Italy and decided that we must visit Ravello during this trip. Everyone agreed so off we went. We took the 30 minute ferry to Amalfi (gorgeous!) and took a car up to Ravello. The taxi driver suggested that two hours would be enough and he would meet us to drive back down. The highlight of Ravello was Villa Cimbrone - beautiful gardens with different sculptures and overlooks. We spent most of our time there.

We then went back to Amalfi and enjoyed lunch on the Duomo square. My parents and S visited the Duomo while J and I finished lunch and then we went back to the ferry. S fell asleep as soon as the ferry started back to Positano so we took her back to the hotel to relax while my parents did some shopping and more exploring.

J&I also had date night this evening! My parents and S had dinner together and then played special games my mom had brought for that evening (painting books, paper dolls, etc) while J&I went further into the mountains for a special dinner.

Day 4 Highlights:
Beach Day! We went to Fornillo Beach, which is short walk from the main beach of Positano to avoid the major crowds. We arrived fairly early and reserved 4 chairs and 2 umbrellas. The Mediterranean was much warmer than the Adriatic and seemed to have more waves to me. S splashed in the water a little bit and we all took turns swimming. S loved playing catch with her beach ball and looking for green glass pieces on the beach too.























After some relaxing time, we went out again for dinner - more pizza and pasta for us :). The highlight for me was trying the Positano lemon cake, which was amazing!


Day 5 Highlights:
We decided to explore the town a bit more. My mom wanted to check out the church gift shop, J&I wanted to shop a little, and S was excited to run around. It was quite hot so we didn't stay out for too long - we did find a great local ceramic shop that makes outdoor furniture - we took their book and might order from them when we are back in the US and need new outdoor furniture.

In the afternoon, a storm rolled in - at first it was just light rain (we actually swam while it rained), but it turned into quite a storm. We watched from our room while we played cards and ordered room service. It was a relaxing way to end vacation and nice way to talk more.

Day 6:
Morning came way too soon. Our driver picked us up at 5am - first stop was Naples airport for J, M, and S. Second stop was Rome airport for my parents. It was truly a wonderful vacation and I couldn't have imagined celebrating my dad's 70th birthday with him in a better way. We loved our time together and the memories are fantastic.