Italy Summer 2019

ROME & AMALFI COAST 

This post is delayed for sure, but I wanted to share the highlights of my trip and have a place to store some of the amazing pictures I captured along the way! 

There is just so much I have to say about my AMAZING trip to Italy and a lot of it is hard to put into words. I've tried to include a picture from each highlight of the trip, without totally overwhelming the post with photos. 

To start, I would like to note that I went to Italy for 12 days the second week of July. June-July is the height of the tourist season in Italy, with August being their "siesta". Which means that most families from Italy go on vacation, and all the more authentic shops and restaurants shut down for business for the month. So if you are looking to get the real cultural experience I would advise to plan around these to factors. Despite being there during the height of the tourist season, it was not too crowded, and Rome felt empty compared to a normal city in the US. Temperature wise, we had great weather. Rome for sure was a lot warmer than the Amalfi coast, as to be expected. 

The first part of our trip was spent in Rome! This city was absolutly magical and charming which is why I enjoyed it so much. Yes, there are lots of tourist destinations but despite this, the city is actually quant and not as "busy"  as cities in the US. I stayed on the famous art street in Rome, in an apartment, where all the galleries line the street and of course right next to all the designer shops. 

Places I visited in ROME: 

• Spanish Steps 
• Fontana de Trevi (if you want good pictures go at 7am)
• Colosseum 
• MANY many churches 

In addition we did a day trip to the Pope's Summer home (Palace of Castle Gandolfo) about an hour outside of Rome. It was absolutely beautiful and a nice break from the heat of the city. You can take the train there from the center subway system within Rome! 

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Some things to note about ROME:

• Out of respect of the churches, you will most likely need to cover your shoulders and knees when you go inside. I found that because it was so hot that it is best that you bring a scarf so that you can cover yourself as need be but not suffer in the heat along the way.
• You walk everywhere! There is no uber, no Lyft, and practically no taxis (super hard to flag down). So unless you are interested in renting a moped for the week (once you get there you will regret that lol) I recommend some white platform sneakers that are comfortable. 
• Be careful of the tourist traps: there are lots of people selling things on the street and although I personally did not experience this, I've heard of the street vendors scamming or steeling from tourist. 
• Most people wear neutral colors in the city (wanting to fit in? save the color for the Almafi Coast!)
• USE THE SUBWAY!! It is super easy, as long as you can figure out how to buy a ticket with the automatic machine. Use google maps to plan your transit route and follow the directions because they are accurate. 

This is where I find it hard to explain this part of my trip in words, so I am going to try and provide a sufficient amount of pictures to explain it! I think one of the most important part to note is that there are many different towns within the Amalfi Coast. All the towns are build on the side of the cliffs that overlook the beach. So all the roads run directly along side of the cliff with no guard rail. It was very scary being a passenger driving along the coast, so I totally recommend getting a local to drive you around while you visit. 

My home base in the Amalfi Coast was the town of Sorrento. I am so grateful that is where we stayed because it is most definitely the best town, with the most to do, and least steep, scary roads. 

Highlights of my time on the ALMAFI COAST:

• Hiking the "path of the gods"
• Taking a boat to capri (a small island off the coast)
• Shopping in Capri
• Eating all the seafood (my absolute favorite)
• Day trip to each town: Positano, Amalfi Town, Ravello
• Finding the cutest little fruit stand on the side of the road
• Beach day on a pier 

Fun Story from the Path of Gods Hike
The Path of Gods is a hike that runs along the coast and has outstanding views and really helps to connect all the small towns visually in your head. There are still some very remotes part of the Amalfi coast where people live without technology, tourism, and even electricity. On the first leg of our hike we crossed paths with a Shepard who was about to hop on his mule, yes mule, and ride back to his little house where he was going to make fresh goat cheese. At this point, you must be thinking I'm joking with you. But I'm totally not, and I have the pictures to prove it. Down below, is a picture from the hike. The Sheppard was so kind and invited us back to his house where he made us a fresh snack!

THANK YOU ITALY for this amazing experience, I hope to be back soon!