A European summer holiday is hardly complete without a trip to the Amalfi Coast. It is easily one of the most gorgeous, most desirable, and most charming coastal regions in the world. Who doesn’t love the awe-inspiring mountainous scenery, delicious food, and cruising the coastline on the back of a scooter?
We based ourselves in a campground in the heart of Sorrento which was perfect for us. We didn’t have a choice in the matter because a) there are no campgrounds in Positano, Amalfi or Ravello and b) there was no way we wanted to drive any further than we had to on the terrifying narrow Italian roads!
The drive from Matera to Sorrento was one of the most intense drives we have done thus far. We try to avoid toll roads as much as possible this trip purely due to the cost (some tolls could be € 30). We started our drive on the non-toll roads but quickly discovered that it was almost impossible to make it to Amalfi in one piece. Let’s just say the roads are not designed to fit a 7m campervan. We were very happy to arrive at our campground and were not in a rush to move anywhere!
As I said, we used Sorrento as our base. From here we rented a scooter spent the next few days exploring the little seaside towns that are dotted along the coast. There is a multitude of scenic places to stop along the Amalfi Coast, but the real jewel of this region is the picture-perfect town of Positano.
However, we had heard lots of horror stories about the coastal drive – some people saying it was the most terrifying drive they have done or you would be stupid to drive it!
That being said, on our first trip down the Amalfi Coast, we opted to take the bus. Imagine massive coach buses navigating down narrow, winding roads that have a sheer drop to the deep blue sea below. Now that is terrifying. We definitely had a few “hold your breath” moments. The buses squeeze past each other within cms of touching and often drive in the center of the road as they go around hairpin turns. It is also incredibly common to see local drivers in cars or scooters to overtake on blind corners and wiz back into their lanes just in the nick of time. It really goes against everything you are taught in driving school.
After the bus ride, we still decided to rent a scooter *gasps*. In all honesty, we found it far less terrifying being on a scooter than on the bus! We just took our time and pulled to the side to let the crazy drivers overtake! How responsible are we?! I will say though, we were in the Amalfi Coast in the fringe season so yes, it was still busy but not as crazy as what we’d heard it could be like. Maybe if it was busier we would have had a different experience.
Positano:
Ahhh Positano. It is the postcard shot of a European summer spent on the Amalfi Coast. The pastel colors of homes and shops climbing high into the mountainside, the coastline alive with colorful umbrellas, and the magical light as the sunsets, Positano is an Italian dream. It’s hard to believe this legendary luxury destination was once a poor fisherman’s village.
I had been looking forward to reaching Positano and the picturesque town did not disappoint. We liked Positano so much that we visited a few times over our time on the Amalfi Coast.
There isn’t necessarily a whole lot to do in Positano however there are things to see. We spent most of our time wandering around the picturesque streets, stopping every few metres for photographs. We ventured into a few little shops and I managed to hold back strong temptations to buy everything in sight!
We walked down the Spiaggia Grande, the town’s main beach and quickly decided not to fork out a small fortune for a beach chair and umbrella! We, of course tried the famous lemonchello gelato, after all, the region is famous for its lemons – some are even the size of my head!
On our last evening in the Amalfi Coast we made our way to Positano one last time for cocktails at sunset. I’d heard of a gorgeous bar – Franco’s, that has stunning views over Positano. We arrived before opening and unfortunately the queue was so long there was no way we were going to get in. Quietly, I’m happy we didn’t bother because we later found out cocktails were €20 each! Instead, we went to the rooftop bar right next door and had cocktails for half the price!
We thoroughly enjoyed Positano however, we both agreed it is a destination worth revisiting at another stage in our lives – preferably when we aren’t on a 6 month road trip and a strict budget. It is an expensive destination so to have a full Positano experience where wining, dining and boat cruises are on the cards, you need to have a fair bit of extra cash to spend!
Cruising the Coast
The drive along the Amalfi Coast is spectacular, winding along the open roads that have been carved into the rocky mountainside, high above the glistening sea below. The sunlight casts a hazy light far into the distance where the curves and bends in the road appear to stretch on into infinity.
We loved the feeling of being free in the sun, cruising down the coast so we spent the entire day on the road. We stopped multiple times along the way to take photos, wander through little towns and enjoy a cold beer. It was one of our favorite days we had on the Amalfi Coast.
Path of Gods:
The Path of Gods is a gorgeous hike that starts Nocelle and ends in Positano. You can do the hike either way but I believe it is far more scenic walking towards Positano! It offers breathtaking views of the sea, villages, and vineyards along the way. We discovered the Path of Gods through friends who raved about it a few years ago. We knew it was something we had to see for ourselves!
Due to the heat, we left our campsite in the early hours of the morning and started the hike before the sun packed a punch. The hike was a beautiful way to see Positano and other villages from a different viewpoint.
Pompeii:
When I was young, my mum showed me photographs of Pompeii- a buried city, preserved like a snapshot of Roman life frozen in time. She visited 30 years ago during her European OE so of course, it was a place I knew I had to see for myself.
We originally were meant to travel to Pompeii in our van, but after the terrifying drive into Sorrento, we decided to do Pompeii as a day trip via train.
When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the sheer size of it. The archaeological site covers over 160 acres so you could very easily spend days trying to see all of Pompeii. As we only had one day, we organized a 3-hour walking tour which was perfect.
It was incredible to see how well the ash has preserved the details of the city and gave an incredible insight into how the Romans lived 79 AD. The fresco paintings, mosaic on buildings and even graffiti that has been carved into walls, all perfectly preserved as if time stood still. We even went through one of the many brothels in Pompeii where the paintings of the different “positions” you could choose from were still visible! As Pompeii was a port town many sailors were visiting, one of the ways the brothels advertised their businesses was by carving a penis into the stone with the directions to the nearest brothel. Whoever was on the marketing team deserves a gold star!
In the main streets, the paved paths still have large indentations of where the horse and cart wore down the pathways. Although partial destroyed, shop fronts, restaurants or private homes still stand and you can get a sense of the layout of the buildings.
The eeriest part of our tour was seeing the plaster casts of civilians and animals that were encased by ash and pumice. Back in the 1860s, an archeologist found that decaying bodies left voids and by pouring plaster into these voids meant that a cast could be made of the positions people wherein when they died. Seeing these was a reminder of the terror people faced as their city was engulfed by ash and rubble.
Relaxing at the campsite:
When we weren’t cruising on our scooter down the coast or learning the history of the frozen city of Pompeii, we were either relaxing at our campsite by the pool or spending time with some new friends.
I have to put this part in the blog because it’s too funny not to write about it!
We were pretty excited to swim in the pool and lay on comfy deck chairs however when we arrived, we notice a few kids wearing swimming caps. Morgan and I figured that it was due to the parents probably not wanting to deal with the whole hair washing saga in the evenings. It wasn’t until we were boiling hot laying in the sun that we noticed adults were also wearing swimming caps. Uh oh… that was when we discovered the rule “no caps, no swim”. We really tried to fight the desire to cool off in the pool but alas, the heat got too much.
So here you go, I’ll leave you with this:
Hope you have a good laugh at our expense!
