Our Italian Getaway :: The Itinerary

In the fall of 2019 Andrew and I purchased a trip to the Amalfi Coast, Italy. The purchase price included round trip airfare, 2 hotel stays and day trip to the island of Capri.

The rest was for us to figure out on our own, and being adventurers {we don’t really sit still}, I knew we needed a plan. With the help of two shows, Stanley Tucci’s ‘Searching for Italy: Naples and the Amalfi Coast’ {Hulu} and ‘Footloose in Italy’ {Prime Video} we got started.

Something to note, I am a planner and Andrew is more spontaneous so my goal was to have one thing planned each day and the rest we would figure out as we went along. Looking back, our trip was amazing…a wonderful meshing of activity, slowness and unforgettable experiences.

Here is our Itinerary:

• Tuesday – we flew out of Charlotte, on Lufthansa, direct to Munich – an 8.5 hr flight. From Munich, Wednesday morning, we flew to Naples which was about 1 hr 40 min.
• Wednesday – we landed in Naples around noon. I had hired a car through our hotel, Belvedere, in Amalfi to come pick us up from the airport. I’d heard that the roads along the coast were narrow and curvy and we didn’t want to rent a car. The drive from the airport was about an hour – and it was such a beautiful drive! Upon arrival at the hotel, we got settled and decided that we would spend some time by the pool to relax. **Hotel pools close at 6pm. Andrew guessed this was an effort to get people out and about to the restaurants and shops. Dinner was at Ristorante Lido Azzurro at 8pm with our friends who had also traveled to Italy on their own holiday.

• Thursday – we took the ‘Sita’ or the bus from our hotel to Amalfi {about 15 min} where we ate brunch at a seaside restaurant. From there we hopped back on the Sita to Minori. I had printed out a map of the Santorini Peninsula during our planning to see what other cities were around those where we were staying, that could be easy to get to; Minori and Maiori were two of those to the right of Amalfi. Minori was about a 20 min ride from Amalfi, complete with picturesque views of the cliffs and Tyrrhenian Sea. In Minori we had dessert and Lemon Spritzers at Gambardella.
  Seated between the two small cities was the Lemon Trail, an ancient path winding among the lemon trees. From city to city the walk was about 35-40 min, and we met a sweet Italian lady selling ‘Lemonata’ out of her home. This was probably one of the sweetest and most personal experiences we had on our trip.
  In Maiori we shopped at some of the local spots and ate dinner at Pineta 1903, under a lemon grove…Andrew and I were both asking why things like this don’t exist in the states {or at least in South Carolina!}.

• Friday – Andrew had a wild hair and rented a scooter for us to drive to Positano! Talk about an adventure! We had so much fun winding around the mountains, honking at other cars and embracing all the spectacular views. We even stopped along the way at Costa Diva in Praiano for breakfast. In Positano we explored all the local shops – Andrew really wanted an Italian watch so we were able to find one at Feludei – Federico and Margherita were so kind to us! We had lunch at Al Palazzo, surrounded by more lemon trees and other crops like tomatoes and fresh herbs. The Bartender even walked past at one point with a handful of mint he’d just picked and let me take in the fresh aroma.
  The afternoon hours were spent learning to cook Italian at Buca Di Bacco with Chef Giuseppe. He taught us how to make Margherita Pizza, Gnocchi with Pesto, Eggplant Parmesan and Almond Chocolate Cake. It was the most fun and unforgettable experience!

• Saturday – we ate breakfast at our hotel and took the hotel bus down to Amalfi, where we boarded the ferry to Sorrento. Everything I’d read said you had to see the entire coast from water, so this was the best way to travel from one side of the peninsula to the other. In Sorrento we stayed at Hotel Belair, which was perched high above many of the other hotels and restaurants – the views were simply stunning. As we explored the city by foot, Andrew wanted to find a cheese shop and thanks to Google, we stumbled upon Caseificio Apreda Francesco. A magnificent shop of cheeses, ‘Saloomi’, wine, breads and spreads. Andrew asked for a menu, but the owner said they didn’t really have one 🙂 So Andrew asked him to take culinary liberty and bring us whatever he wanted, including cheeses, meats and of course, olives. I really just don’t have words to describe what all this was like. The people were so nice and so happy to serve us the finest of their goods, with delicious local wine. We will forever remember this spot.

• Sunday – our Capri adventure! We sailed over to the island {about 20 min} where we joined up with our tour guide and rode a bus to the top of Capri. There were shops, and cafes and a cathedral was holding church service when we arrived. After a short tour around Capri, we loaded back on our tour bus to Anacapri – the tallest part of the island. I had noted in my plans that we needed to take the chair lift to the top, so of course we did! There was an additional cost for this and the ride was about 15 min, but the views from the pinnacle were so worth it! One fun thing that happened while at the top was we met two couples – one from NC and the other from GA! Small, small world.
  Part of our ticket included a visit to the Blue Grotto, but because the seas were a little more rough, we weren’t able to see it. Instead, we went the other way around Capri to see the Faraglioni – three dramatic towering rock formations.
  Back in Sorrento for dinner, we again walked down to the bustling aread of the city and after walking down several busier streets, found a more quiet avenue and Ristorante Sorrento. A lovely, family owned eatery where the food was so delicious and fresh. Strangely enough the couple that sat next to us and another family that was there were all American.

• Monday – our last day for exploration and we finished with a bang! Just before we left Columbia, sort of last-minute, I booked a Pompeii/Mt. Vesuvius/Wine Tour for the day. Our car picked us up just after breakfast and we set out on a 40 min drive to Pompeii. I’d not fully done my research on this ancient city, and was blown away by all the buildings and artifacts that have been recovered by the Archaeologists. After our 2 hour tour of Pompeii, we were back in the car and off to Mt. Vesuvius. I’ll just say this, it was so hot. Andrew commented a few times, that we were nearing the face of the sun, it was so hot.
  Cars/buses can only drive up so far, and then you hike the rest of the way. It took us about 25 min to get to the top of the crater, where you guessed it, we saw a giant bowl of dirt. It was amazing to see the views from this height, and to pinpoint Pompeii from where we were, but it was hot.
  We rounded out the day and our trip at Casa Setaro – a family winery where we had the most tasteful wines ever made. Andrew and I may have ordered a case to be shipped to us.

We got back to our hotel, showered and packed our bags and were in bed by 7:30pm because we had to get back up at 2am the next morning. I had hired another car to pick us up at 3am because our first flight, from Naples was at 6:20 and we had about a 45 min ride to the airport. Fact: our driver drove about 95 to get us there….

We were back in the Charlotte airport at 4:15pm Tuesday and quickly made our way back home to see our kiddos.

WOW! What a trip! It was everything I’d imagined and more. The pictures online don’t really do it all justice – the colors are so much more brilliant in person. The people are warm and welcoming and ready to talk to you about their city, their family and the way they live. I can’t wait to go back.