When I hear the word Italy, my mind immediately conjures up vivid images of pizza with a thick layer of cheese, romantic canals of Venice, freshly made pasta, the historical Colosseum of Rome, and of course, the picturesque Amalfi Coast surrounded by an endless ombré of blue ocean.
Rick, my boyfriend, and I were invited to a wedding on the coast, so we planned to meet in Naples to head down the coast together. I flew into Rome from Budapest, from there took a bus to the train station, and hopped on the three hour train to Naples. Rick had a long journey ahead of him, flying from NYC to Boston, Boston to Madrid and then finally Madrid to Naples. After two months of long-distance, it was great to be reunited! We spent a day in Naples visiting some friends, and exploring Pompeii, before starting our journey to the Amalfi Coast.
The groom and his friends planned a hike at 9:30 that morning, so we got up early to try and make it from Naples to Praiano by 9. The first step was getting on the 6am train from Naples to Sorrento, then in Sorrento, we caught the earliest bus at 8am that would take us along the Almalfi Coast. The roads are narrow with hairpin turns, so often times the bus would honk to signal to other drivers that he was coming around the corner. It was a gorgeous view from the bus, even though it was barely hanging over the edge of the cliff. Be sure to sit on the right side of the bus to get the best views. I was a little carsick from all the turns, so I didn’t get a chance to look, but Rick said it was stunning!
The Amalfi Coast consists of a number of small villages along the coast: Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Cetara, Furore, Atrani, Scala, Ravello, Minori, Tramonti, Maiori, Vietri sul Mare & Conca dei Marini. We hopped off at Bus Stop #7, which is in Praiano, and headed straight to the Path of the Gods trailhead, where we would meet the rest of the crew at a midway point. Path of the Gods is a relatively easy hike for fit individuals, and provides some of the most breathtaking views over the towns and vast ocean. Something to keep in mind when visiting the Amalfi Coast is all the stairs. There is only one main road that runs through the Amalfi Coast, so aside from that, everything is either up or down. No matter where we were headed we were climbing or descending an endless amount of stairs (well over 200 flights by the end of the day)! Our thighs burned, but the views make it worth it. It made eating all of the rich, delicious Italian food so much better, because we definitely worked off all the calories.
Rick and I both agreed that this was the most beautiful wedding that either of us had ever been to. The wedding party all stayed at Casa de Privata, which was a gorgeous venue with accommodation. They provided top-notch service, and ensured that the wine and cheese night, ceremony, and all the meals went perfectly. There were stairs leading right down to a private swimming pool, followed by more stairs that led to lounge chairs right by the ocean. It was a prime cliff jumping spot as well!
We definitely enjoyed spending time at the Casa, since it felt like a lap of luxury. Sydney and Henry were the most precious couple, and we felt blessed to be able to be there at the ceremony. I was especially thankful, since I had just met them the day before, and they both opened their hearts and families to me on such an important day. Much love to them both for a trip full of memories! Next, we headed off to explore Bari, including Palignano a Mare, with our bellies and hearts full.
The adventure continues!
Lexi
