One of the most wholesome trips to look back on.
The last hoorah to end our study abroad experience. My best friend Emma had just finished Semester at Sea and was spending one last week with me in Italy before returning home.
This trip had been a dream of mine for a while, planning it through Pinterest, picturing myself laying out in the sun with a floppy hat, sunglasses, and an issue of Italian Vogue in my hands. However, the weather didn't hold up its end of the bargain, but nothing can take away the beauty of the Italian Coast.
We planned this trip through Bus2Alps, which is a great program that plans everything from activities to transport to hotels. If you are interested in this the exact same one we did, you can click here. I highly recommend it for a first-time trip to the Italian Coast, as everything is booked and you hit all the hot spots.
Day 1(ish) - Sorrento
After my class, we took an Uber (which is not Illegal, despite what I was told my entire stay) to Rome Termini Train Station. This is where we met the Bus2Alps group we were traveling with. We boarded the bus and 4 hours later we were in a sea-view hostel. Beautiful during the day, but at night it was a little too close to the shining. Apparently, Emma and I were the only two that felt this way, but to each their own.
We got in pretty late, so we just unpacked and went to bed.
Day 2 - Capri Island
Rise and... gloom? We woke up and had our breakfast with a foggy, yet still beautiful, view of the sea. In the morning light, we realized the hostel wasn't as freaky, so we ate some cornettos with jam and had heaps of our morning coffee.
First on the agenda was to board the ferry and set sail for the special island of Capri.
On the ferry, we got some overpriced instant cappuccinos, where I spilled the majority onto myself, but, overall enjoyed the quick ride over to the island.
Once we got to Capri, we boarded a smaller boat and went on a private tour around the island. It was gorgeous, even with no sun the water was such a vibrant shade of blue. Not even clouds could take away from Capri's beauty.
The first stop on the private island tour was the Blue Grotto. It was 15 euros per person and we were transferred from our boats onto tiny fishing boats.
Now comes the best part.... entering the grotto. Normally, you can casually enter through the normal boat-sized entrance, and duck a little so you don't hit your head. However, on a choppy day, you get a little more bang for your buck. We had to wait for the perfect time for the wave to crash against the rock, to leave a tiny opening where we then would all lay down flat and squeeze our way into the tiny hole from the rope that basically (excuse my gen z vocab) yeeted us through.
Here's some proof for the haters. It felt very Pirates of The Caribean.
The water was unbelievably blue, and our guide's singing really added to the magic of it all.
We saw many more of the island's gorgeous touches and then made our way to the mainland. When we got off the boat and we were in Capri Town, the bottom level of the island of Capri.
Our next mission; Hiking from Capri Town to Anacapri, the highest level. It was only a 30-minute hike up the mountain and the blood orange lemonade vodka concoctions we were served at the top, really made it worth the haul. ;)
At the very top, we went to Carlo's Sandal Shop where they welcomed us with chocolate samples and shots of limoncello. Chocolate, Limoncello, and my very own hand-made custom sandals? I've reached Heaven.
I picked out the material for my sandals, and measured my feet, along with sneakily trying to ask my mom for her foot measurements via WhatsApp so I could surprise her with a pair. Looking back, I'm more concerned about why she didn't question that.
While we waited for the shoes to be crafted, we headed out to get some dinner at Le Arcate
Ristorante Pizzerie, where we got an Anacapri special. Only available upon request, this Lemon Shrimp Pasta in itself is worth booking the flight for. My mouth is watering...
We decided to go on a walk around the area and found ourselves in a local neighborhood. We enjoyed the walk where we pretended we were locals, then came across what looked like an enchanted lemon forest. After walking into it we realized it was Ristorante la Zagaza, so we sat and got some lemon tiramisu with lemon tea. There's a theme here...
I already am obsessed with lemons, but Capri took my love to another level. The pasta, the desserts, the tea, and the candy. All lemon, all good.
We sat and chatted a bit, sitting in the small bit of sun that peaked out, until it was time to pick up my sandals. The owner of this shop was so sweet, and I already can't wait to come back and build on my hand-made shoe collection.
The shoes took less time than we imagined so we went and embraced our touristy selves, and tried to find the best Capri memorabilia to take home. Obviously, everything I picked had to do with lemons.
We walked from the tip of the mountain back down to sea level to dock our ferry back to Sorrento.
We enjoyed the most gorgeous and unbelievable views on our climb down the mountain.
When we got back we headed into downtown Sorrento, where we feasted on fried calamari, pasta, and of course more desserts; chocolate cake and lemon meringue.
We also decided on some post-dessert gelato (um yes, it's definitely a thing) while we enjoyed the local night life, and then made our walk back up to the hostel.
Day 3 - Positano
Saturday morning started with brekkie, as usual, and then a private boat cruise to Positano. Although this day was another gloomy one, nothing could take away from dreamy Positano.
Everything was how I imagined.
On our way, we had a light lunch and enjoyed the beauty of the surrounding coast.
It was a little bit of a bummer that our warm-weathered swim and chill 'cruise' turned into a bundled moment inside, but we were still enjoying the views from the window, as you can see.
When we docked, I ate at Vine e Panini to get a very highly recommended panini. In my panini I got the basics; salami, mozzarella, tomato, and a little peso. Sandwich in hand, we wandered our way around the local shops, admiring all the original work this town offered.
It began to pour so we made a pit stop for drinks at a restaurant on the beach that offered heated covered seating. We waited for the rain to stop and then we went back out to accomplish some major boutique shopping.
My mom told me that the one thing I should DEFINITELY get while in the town of Positano was a bikini. The bikinis were all hand-made by these individual shop owners and were all so special. They had beautiful prints in so many different bathing suit styles. I almost got three of the same prints in different styles, but then limited it down to one, because I have a box of bikinis at home that I don't even get through during summer.
After our shop, we then sat at a restaurant, elevated a little on the cliffside that overlooks the water. Here we contributed to a consistent theme of this post: dessert and cappuccinos.
Then the sun decided to peak out for our last 2 hours in Positano, so we went to lay on the beach, put some music on, and sat in disbelief that this is the life we were living.
Day 4 - Naples/Pompeii
We started our last day like every other, breakfast with a view. Surprisingly (and sadly) the day we left was the day the sun was shining and it was in the 70s. But either way, we enjoyed the warm weather and sun during our trip to Pompeii.
The bus arrived and it took us on a mini drive on the coast while on our way to Naples.
Both Emma and I opted out of the guided tour and just decided to explore the ruins of Pompeii on our own. The ruins were incredible, and honestly hard to describe. It was such an amazing experience to see such an ancient city preserved by the means of its end. It's just frozen in time.
The rain surprised us with a quick 10-minute downpour and luckily Em and I were right by the cafe, so we walked in and got Cappuccino's (duh).
After our coffee break, we lost where we were in the city.
We ended up in a quieter area with some really cool and extremely overgrown homes.
Both of us were getting a bit hungry so we ate at Pompeii Pizza and got our highly anticipated Sicilian-style pizza (a.k.a thick crust and lots and lots of sauce). YUM!
We did some shopping at the fun booths outside of the ruins and found that the city of Pompeii themes the souvenirs around naked people, getting it on. I mean I guess their world was ending and they wanted to go out with a bang. Quite literally. We continued giggling like idiots at the raunchy gifts, getting a couple as gag gifts for friends back home.
We basically slept the majority of the way home and then eventually we were back to rainy Rome. We went to bed early so Emma could catch her morning flight and I was ready for my final exam.
Despite the weather, my dream vacation to the beautiful seaside of Italy was fulfilled. From custom sandals and bikinis to lemon overloading my taste buds, this trip will always be close to my heart. I can't wait to come back, preferably when I can take a dip in the Italian waters.