Italian Summer

To be honest I didn’t have any future plans to go to Italy after my first trip to Rome almost 2 years ago… and boy was I missing out!!! My lovely boyfriend and I decided to spend a week in Italy with his sweet sweet friend, whose family owns a summer home in Sorrento. We were lucky enough to get a trip with a “local” who grew up visiting Italy his whole life and someone who spoke Italian.

Route:

Going: ORD- FRA-NAP
Coming NAP-EWR-ORD

From Naples to Sorrento we took the local train. A bus at the airport took us to the station. From there we hopped on the train to Sorrento which took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. (try and get on the express train, faster and nicer)

(for anyone with airline flight benefits)
ZED on Lufthansa to FRA: $86
ZED on Lufthansa to NAP: $70

Sorrento.

This beautiful coastal city was something out of a story book. A city perched on top of the cliffs, over looking the perfect blue water. We got our fair share of hills and steps in wile staying here; much needed exercise considering all the carbs we ate.

We spent days sitting by the water, eating pasta and roaming through the streets shopping. Since we visited in the middle of July is was as hot and humid as one could imagine. Being by the water was a must as we would step outside and endure immediate sweating.

Our friend is also a dive instructor so he took us out scuba diving one day. His girlfriend and my boyfriend are also certified divers so it was a must on the agenda. It was a lovely day and such a beautiful view to see the coast from a boat.

Dive shops sometimes have intro dives for those who are not certified. If you are interested in checking that out in Italy I would hight recommend it.

Food.

This was my second time in Italy and apparently I did not do it right the first time around. I was so impressed by the food; everything tasted so fresh and delicious. I can’t wait to go back just to eat fresh Italian food. We consumed so much pizza, pasta, gelato, cheese and wine. The seafood was also a fresh option I enjoyed all too much.

The one gelato place I will note is Primavera. Located on the main city street, this popular spot has been visited by the Pope. The walls are lined with so many photographs and there are so many flavors to choose from.

Two of my favorite restaurants were Ristorante Zi’ ntonio and Leone Rosso.

Capri.

The perfect day trip from Sorrento is right across the water to a gorgeous island called Capri. You can catch a ferry from the port for around $40 roundtrip. Go early because the line for tickets can be long with all the other tourists looking to purchase tickets. Also, head to the ferry a decent amount of time before departure because it fills up very fast!

We spent the day roaming around the island, walking up and down the hilly terrain between the tiny streets. To get up the hill you can either walk up or take the funicolare (cable car). Tickets are about $3 and the line takes maybe 15-20 minutes. We opted for the ride up and the walk down as the walk was long but easy when going downhill.

Once up to the top there are shopping streets to roam or you can walk anywhere else through the island. I would recommend walking towards the viewpoint to see the Faraglioni. This is a beautiful rock formation off the coast is visited be many boats. There is a passageway between the two; you can sit and watch boats float along the passage.

Positano.

A great second option for a day trip from Sorrento! We embarked on this journey via car. I would recommend driving because you will get to see the Amalfi Coast. Plus, as you are approaching the city you will get great view of the city sitting on the hillside.

We parked in a carpark near the top of the city and walked all the way down the hill. So. Many. Steps. The hike was long but we really got our steps in going up and down the hill (worth it for the gelato and pizza we rewarded ourselves with later). We really wished we had brought our swimming suits because the beaches looked so gorgeous and blue.