Italy Travel Recap

It’s finally here- I am spilling all the details about our recent trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast! I am so excited to be sharing everything that we learned when we were there and hope this is helpful for those of you planning a trip!

I also had a few of you ask what I brought with me to Italy as far as clothes, shoes, converter for hair tools, etc. I wrote a full blog post about that here if you want to check it out!

I decided to break this down by day, as it was easier for me to remember HAHA!

Sunday afternoon/Monday

• Sunday afternoon we arrrived to the Nashville airport for our overnight flight to Rome. We initially flew to Atlanta and from there headed to Rome. In total, the flight was approximately 11 hours. When we arrived in Rome it was 10AM. After getting our bags, we arranged to have an Uber (yes, there is Uber in Rome!) take us to our hotel.
• The Leonardo da Vinci International Airport was approximately 35-45 minutes away from our hotel which was near the center of Rome.
• By the time we arrived to our hotel, Hotel Quirinale, it was around noon and check-in wasn’t until 2 PM. Scott and I were both exhausted so we hung out in the lobby until we were able to get into our room. We ended up napping for a few hours and woke up around 5PM.
• We decided to go grab something to eat at Osteria da Fortunata- there is a woman that sits in the front window who makes pasta! It was amazing to watch her! The restaurant is very small inside and seemed to get pretty busy around 8PM. Also, the menu is entirely in Italian, so that was a little difficult to figure out- luckily, the waiter spoke pretty good English and was able to talk us through the menu. We started with a caprese salad- Scott got the ravioli pomodoro and I got the bolognese (recommended by the waiter). Another interesting thing we learned is that if you wanted a single glass of wine, you could only get the house red or white- like you couldn’t pick a cab, merlot, pinot noir, etc. However, if you ordered a bottle, you were able to pick the exact kind that you wanted. Overall, it was a lovely meal and I would highly recommend!
• Went back to the hotel and called it an early night!

Tuesday

• Ate breakfast at the hotel- it was a free continental breakfast; pretty typical as far as breakfast foods.
• We planned to try to see the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Vatican. Our hotel was in walking distance to the Colosseum and Trevi Foundation, but getting to the Vatican required transportation (Uber).
• We had arranged for a tour of the Colosseum at 11 AM and a tour of the Vatican at 2:45 PM (I actually arranged for these online the night before HAHA- poor planning on my part). The Colosseum tour was booked through TripAdvisor and unfortunately Scott and I had trouble locating the meeting point- again, poor planning on our part. We headed directly to the Colosseum without realizing that the meeting point for the tour was about a 10 minute walk away from the actual Colosseum. The area was packed with people and Scott and I were both getting a little frustrated- so, ultimately we ended up leaving and went over to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was also packed, so keep that in mind! It is absolutely gorgeous and crazy to see it in person (instead of in Mary Kate & Ashley/Lizzie McGuire movies HAHA).

• Ate lunch at Pizza in Trevi- we were both starving and literally went to the first restaurant we saw. I ordered a pepperoni pizza and Scott got a sandwich- nothing life changing, but still good!
• Took an Uber to the Vatican. We were determined to not mess this tour up HAHA- Booked through ‘Skip the Line’ and included a tour of the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Sistine Travel. We were in a group of about 20 people with a tour guide. He walked us over to start the museum tour and we quickly realized that we would be standing in line for a while– like an hour. Honestly, we didn’t care too much- just happy we actually would be going on the tour! Once we got inside and the tour started, we quickly realized that although we loved our guide, it was seriously going to take 5 hours to get through everything- he was moving so slow! Scott and I actually left our group and proceeded to go through the museum on our own- we stopped when we wanted to and were able to spend more time in areas that we were interested in. To be honest, I loved this part, but it was insanely crowded inside- like I am talking shoulder-to-shoulder people standing in a museum. It was honestly a little overwhelming.

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• Took an Uber back to the hotel and ended up walking to The Flann O’Brien Pub to eat (right by our hotel). This pub had more American food than Italian- we both were crazing something other than pizza or pasta this night HAHA!

Tips in Rome

1. Try to book tours in advance- the main sites to see in Rome are the Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Vatican, and the Pantheon- obviously there are many more places to see, but these were top on our list.
2. We were told that My Best Tour was the best to book through- a follower said she was able to do a private half day tour of the Colosseum and a half day tour of the Vatican; she gave amazing reviews!
3. Multiple followers mentioned that Giolitti had the best gelato in Rome; also was told there was an amazing rooftop bar at the top of the Spanish Steps.

Wednesday

• Travel day from Rome to Praiano (small town along the Amalfi Coast) Woke up early and took an Uber to the Roma Termini Train Station (about 7 minutes away from the hotel). Booked the train through Italiarail a few months in advance from Rome to Naples.
• Arrived in Naples and a driver was waiting to pick us up- it was really cute because he had our names on a board and we felt very fancy HAHA! The hotel in Praiano, Villa Corallium, arranged for this transport- most hotels should be able to arrange for transport or give you the name of a company to work with.
• The drive from Naples to Praiano took nearly 2 hours due to traffic. Also, the road along the coast has many turns, so heads up for anyone who gets carsick easily!
• Arrived at Villa Corallium around noon and checked into our room. Villa Corallium and Hotel Onde Verde share the same grounds/amenities/lobby and are both run by the same family.
• Ate lunch at Franchino, the hotel restaurant- I ordered the Amalfi Coast risotto and Scott got the sesame tuna. Best views of the water!

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• Spent the afternoon walking around the hotel/relaxing
• Walked to a late dinner at Locanda Costa Diva- you eat under lemon trees and it’s magical! One of our favorite dinners!

Thursday

• Boat day aka BEST DAY: I emailed the hotel about 2-3 weeks in advance and asked them to help me find a boat that would take us on a private tour of the Amalfi Coast. The hotel recommended La Sibillia and the private tours ranged from 200-700 euros depending on the type of boat you chose. I ended up booking a boat for 500 euros (expensive- I know, but this was the TOP thing we wanted to do on this trip and I felt like it was 110% worth it). Obviously, there are less expensive boats and you can also go on group tours that are much less expensive.We arranged for a 4 hour tour beginning at 9AM. Ate the free continental breakfast at the hotel (delicious with the most amazing views!) and headed down to the dock which was directly below our hotel- super convenient!
• The caption of the boat spoke broken English, but he was great and stopped to show us many things! We went into caves, stopped to swim, and saw lots of yachts. The boat had towels and there was a cooler full of water, juice, and champagne. It was seriously the BEST experience and I don’t think I have been more happier (except when I got married haha!). Scott and I just sat on the front of the boat and it was so nice and relaxing!

• Came back to the hotel at 1PM, freshened up, and decided to head to Positano for lunch. Positano is 11 miles away from Praiano- you can get there by water taxi, taxi, or by the bus (if you watched my Instagram stories, you know what happened here haha!). Ended up taking a taxi to Positano (35 euros one way eek!); bus ticket is only about 2 euros, but this day was an Italian holiday and the buses were PACKED and basically wouldn’t pick us up haha.
• Arrived to Positano and had a late lunch at Chez Black located right on the beach. Heard lots of Italian celebs eat here, but we didn’t see anyone famous. Ordered the pepperoni pizza (shaped like a heart!) and Scott ordered the fish of the day because he’s healthy like that. Finished with the vanilla gelato with berries and it was so good!

• Walked around Positano for a little bit- there are shops everywhere!
• Took a taxi back to the hotel and ended up going to bed super early.

Friday

• Breakfast at hotel
• Headed back over to Positano around 1 PM via taxi for a cooking class at Buca di Bacco. The class started around 3 PM, so we walked around for a bit. Buca di Bacco is a high-end restaurant/hotel that closes between lunch and dinner for cooking classes- so we had the whole place to ourselves! You are able to cook in their actual kitchen along with their lead chef, Andrea, who was amazing! Prior to the class starting, they provide you with a bag filled with an apron, cookbook, and a tool to make gnocchi. There were 4 other couples (all from America) in the class with us and it was so much fun! We made gnocchi with pesto, eggplant parmesan, marinara sauce (Scott mixed that up!), pizza, and chocolate cake. Afterwards, we all sat together and enjoyed what we made- plus you have amazing views of the Spiaggia Grande (beach). During the class, they served Prosecco and during dinner there was plenty of wine! We ended up staying and chatting with the other couples for about 3 hours- it really was amazing and so fun to get to know other people! Also the food was AMAZING and was probably my favorite meal!
• Walked around for a bit after dinner and then took a taxi back to our hotel.

Saturday

• Originally had plans to go to Capri this day, but when we woke up we decided we wanted to be lazy and lay by the pool all day.
• Ate breakfast at the hotel and spent the day at the pool- amazing views!
• Ate a late lunch at Franchino at the hotel- got the Fusilli with meat sauce and Scott got the Carnaroli risotto. Finished with the lemon gelato- served in a lemon and was so cute!

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• Made reservations for a late dinner at Il Pirata which is located directly below the hotel along the coastline. Really liked the vibes at this restaurant and wish we would have had lunch here one day instead of eating at the hotel. Very romantic with candles and the prettiest views! We started with the prawns (so good, but you only get 3 pieces and it was super expensive!), Scott ordered the ravioli, and I ordered the gnocchi (SO GOOD!). It was our last night in Praiano, so we decided to be crazy and both order desert- Scott got a chocolate almond cake and I ordered the tiramisu- so good!

Sunday

• Slept in a bit and packed up everything
• Hotel arranged to have a car take us to the Naples train station; left Praiano around noon and wanted to cry because it was the best trip!
• Took a train from Naples back to Rome and arrived around 5 PM (the trip only takes about 1 hour 15 min). Took an Uber from Roma Termini train station back to Hotel Quirinale.
• Checked back into Hotel Quirinale and funny enough stayed in the exact same room as earlier in the week.
• Walked to La Cucina Nazionale which was a few blocks away from our hotel for dinner. Sat outside as it was such a pretty night and I love to people watch haha! Scott ordered pizza (he said it was by far the BEST pizza he had the whole trip) and I embarrassingly ordered a burger. Yes, I know. Such an American thing to do, but I really just didn’t want any more pasta or pizza haha! The waiter was AMAZING and brought us limoncello on the house- he was so sweet! We sat at this restaurant for a while just trying to soak the last little bit of our trip.

Monday

• Had to be at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport at 9AM, so we ate an early breakfast at the hotel and checked out. Took an Uber to the airport and headed home! Sad day!

Amalfi Coast Tips

• Transportation was probably our biggest issue here. The bigger towns (Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, Capri) all have huge water taxis that will take you from place to place at a very reasonable price. Unfortunately, since we were staying in a smaller town, the large water taxis didn’t make stops there, so our main two options were either the local bus (super cheap (2-3 euros), but unreliable) or taxi (35 euros one way). Our hotel did mention that they could arrange for a water taxi to come get us, but it would be around 70 euros (nearly $80!) which is crazy expensive!
• We learned a lot from the couples who did the cooking class with us- most of them were staying in Positano, so they told us a few tips about the town! If you are staying near the beach, be prepared to be dropped off quite a bit away from your hotel when arriving. There is one main road in Positano and to get down to the beach where some hotels/restaurants are you must take countless flights of stairs. So, if you are arriving/leaving with all your luggage, the last thing you’ll want to do is drag it up and down all these stairs. Instead, arrange for a porter (approx 30 euros) to take care of your bags for you- they will put them on a golf cart and transport them.
• Make reservations for dinner if possible
• A few followers sent restaurant recommendations in Positano, so I thought I would share the ones we weren’t able to make it to: Rada, Music on the Rocks (club), and Franco’s Bar (actually walked past this place a few times and it looked amazing– GO!).
• Followers also sent recommendations for Capri: Monte Solaro Chairlift, Da Luigi Beach Club, and La Fontelina (has super cute blue and white umbrellas).

I hope this guide was helpful and please reach out if you have any other questions! For those of you headed to Italy- you will have the time of your life! It really is such a magical place and I am so excited for you to go! Thank you for reading -sorry this was a long one! -A