Day 1 – 05/29/2017 (Monday)

We left from Pompeii in the middle of the afternoon (see more details here) and shortly after, we arrived in Vico Equense, the place we chose to be our base to get to know the famous Amalfi Coast. We chose Vico basically because there were 3 of us (me, my father and my brother) and we wanted a triple room, preferably in a hotel with a pool facing the beach.

Booking.com didn't show me anything that met our criteria on the coast itself, so we opted to stay a little outside of it (our pin in red), as you can see on the map below:

Our accommodation

We stayed at the hotel Residence Le Axidie, which is an old hotel that is undergoing renovations. The hotel is on a wonderful beach and has a pool facing the sea, but the rooms are spread out over a large plot of land and the paths are a bit confusing. Our apartment was super new and decorated clean, only that the wifi It didn't work properly inside, but we think it's because the apartment was quite far from the main hotel building. Some photos:

We had lunch at the hotel restaurant, which is right in front of the beach, and then we took the opportunity to relax on the beach, which was perfect with just us and the water was neither too cold nor too hot. Look at this paradise:

The road to Positano

We decided to go to dinner at Positano and no book or friend's story prepared me enough for the road we took between Sorrento and our destination. So many curves, so many crazy drivers and so many cars parked on the roads! Yes, parked! Obviously I drove like a snail, afraid of the super dangerous overtaking that was done in front of me and the people who crossed the roads as if they were walking on quiet streets. It was a horrible experience! I swear I was happy when I hit a little traffic and everyone was forced to drive slowly...lol. On the other hand, the view is spectacular! You drive the whole time with a view of the sea and the villas built on the hillsides, so it really is a movie set. You can stop in some places to breathe a sigh of relief and take photos, so I strongly suggest you do so when you have the chance!

Getting to know Positano

When we arrived in Positano, we parked the car on the road itself, copying the 500 cars that did the same, and went down several steps to the town center, which is closer to the sea. The town is lovely, with its streets lit up with so many little shops and restaurants, and it was worth all the trouble to get there. It is a place full of couples, mainly Brazilians and Americans, and so there are people talking loudly everywhere. (Sorry, this is the perception I have of my fellow countrymen and Americans, there is no way around it…)

Dining in Positano

We walked to the city beach and there are some very touristy restaurants there, you know? Since we were hungry and didn't have much patience to look for more local places, we chose to eat at Chez Black, a big restaurant with a very fishy decor and a fair rating on TripAdvisor. We ate really well, but the service was bad because the restaurant was packed. I think that's part of the experience of going to a trendy place in high season, right? (#neveragain)

We left the restaurant and didn't even think twice about walking up to the road to get our car. We took a taxi as soon as possible and it was the most expensive and craziest ride we've ever taken in our lives! The driver was driving so fast and drove for about 5 minutes, but the bill was – believe it or not! – 22 euros. We went back to the hotel feeling tense, because it was already dark and the lighting isn't that great, but we arrived safely, thank God.

Day 2 – 05/30/2017 (Tuesday)

We paid 8 euros per person to have breakfast at the hotel and although the banquet wasn't all that great, the view from the restaurant was beautiful:

Enjoying the hotel

After the stress of the previous day, we decided to stay at the beach and the hotel pool enjoying our family time. It was great to know that we didn't have any plans, except to reapply sunscreen after a few hours in the sun. Life is tough, right? 🙂

We had lunch again at the hotel (nothing special), but when the afternoon came to an end, we drove to another town on the Amalfi Coast.: Ravello. 

Getting to know Ravello

This city is considered the most beautiful on the coast, so we had to stop by. We took a different road, this time passing through Pompeii, because my beautiful brother forgot his passport there (HAHAHA). The road was very tiring and had a lot of curves and a lot of climbs, but I still thought it was better than the road between Sorrento and Positano.

We parked the car in a large parking lot a little below the city center (2 euros per hour) and then walked up the road. The center is lovely, with its little houses, shops and restaurants, but the best thing about the city, I think, is the view from the Villa Rufolo, as you can see in the photos below:

PS. They were setting up stages for the classical music concerts that take place in the summer, so the view of the garden itself was somewhat spoiled by the concert material. Can you imagine what a wonderful experience it must be to listen to classical music with this view? <3

Dining in Ravello

We chose the restaurant Sigilgaida, because it had a good rating on TripAdvisor and a beautiful view! The food was delicious and the service was great because the restaurant was empty when we went for dinner. It was perfect!

On the road through Amalfi, Praiano…

We then walked around the city to digest our food and returned, walking along the coast and getting to know the cities from the outside. Amalfi, Beachy, among others. They are all cute, but we didn't feel like stopping right away or going back to them the next day...lol.

Day 3 – 05/31/2017 (Wednesday)

We had breakfast again overlooking the beach and decided to stay the whole day without leaving our hotel in Vico Equense.

Exploring Vico Equense

We had a great time relaxing on the beach and by the pool, and when we got hungry, we went to have lunch at the only restaurant facing the sea in Vico, right next to the port. The food was nothing special and the service was horrible, but the peace of mind of not having to drive on Italian roads was worth it.

Day 4 – 06/01/2017 (Thursday)

We woke up relatively early and got ready to catch our boat to Capri. We had a nice surprise the day before when we went to the hotel reception and were told that there is ferry boats which pass through Vico before going to Sorrento and then Capri.

We bought our tickets in advance at reception and left the car with most of our stuff parked at the hotel at no cost (our original plan was to drive to Sorrento to catch the ferry and pay a fortune for some secure parking). We only took clothes for 3 days in Capri and we only got around by taxi, since outside cars are prohibited. Read all about our stay in Capri in this post.

Want to know more about THIS TRIP? See the posts below:

• Italy – Rome, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii and Caserta (10 days – SUMMARY)
• Italy – Caserta and Pompeii (1 day)
• Italy – Amalfi Coast (3 days)
• Italy – Capri and Anacapri (3 days)
• Italy – Rome and Vatican (2 days)

If you want to know more about our other trips around Italy, see below:

• Italy – Rome, Tuscany, Bologna and Cinque Terre (14 days -SUMMARY)
• Italy – Rome and Vatican (4 days)
• Italy – Bologna (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Summary (4 days)
• Italy – Tuscany – San Gimignano and Volterra (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Florence (2 days)
• Italy – Tuscany – Lucca (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Monteriggioni and Siena (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Montepulciano and Cortona (1 day)
• Italy – Tuscany – Pisa (1 day)
• Italy – Cinque Terre (2 days)

If you are looking for tours in Italy, check out the suggestions from our partner Civitatis: