Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast Oh My!

My first time in Europe, we drove around Italy and Spain.  For us, that was the best way for our family to get to know all the cities in the shortest amount of time.  We discovered Naples our first trip to Italy.  On our first day of exploring we went south of Rome and our intention was to make it to Pompeii.  One of the most common questions I get asked when planning a trip to Italy for clients is if Naples is worth it.  Every city has something to offer in its own way, but in my opinion Naples is just another crowded Italian city.  However, Naples is a great starting point for some of the most beautiful spots in Italy. When arriving by ship to Naples you have plenty of options, you can either visit Pompeii, the Amalfi coast or Capri.  No matter which one you chose you’re winning.  

            We decided to visit Pompeii.  I believe that Pompeii is a place that everyone needs to visit once in their life.  For those that don’t know, Pompeii was an ancient Roman city located in modern day Naples.  In A.D. 79 Mt. Vesuvius erupted therefore, the city of Pompeii was buried under several feet of ash.  The city remained frozen in time until its discovery in 1748.  

            Walking through the cobblestone streets of Pompeii, you are able to feel as if you’re living among the Romans in the ancient times. Everything has been preserved from bath houses to forums, to individual homes to even a brothel.  You can see the city as it once stood before it was destroyed by the volcano.  There was something so fascinating to be part of history that way.  In a way Americans can’t relate to because compared to these countries we are young.  Pompeii can take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours so I would be sure to have ample time when discovering this ancient city. 

            I’ve been back to Naples several times since I’ve already been to Pompeii my next choice is the Amalfi Coast.   The Amalfi Coast keeps itching its way to my favorite place in the world.  Driving through the windy streets out of Naples, you pass through 3 separate cities ate once. 

Your first stop is Sorrento, a coastal town in southwestern Italy, that is famous for its sweeping cliffside views.  The town of Sorrento is very picturesque and best known for its Limoncello. Sorrento tends to be the busiest of the 3 main towns because it’s the first one and people usually stop here before they keep on going to the other ones because of time constraints.   

Your next stop is Positano, which has become one of the more famous stops. Positano is a cliffside village on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.  It is best known for its pebble beach front and its narrow streets lined with cafes. Positano is considered to be the most expensive of the 3 being the only one that gives you access to the beach. There are plenty of spots to eat and shop along the Amalfi coast.  

            Now is on to the grand finale, Amalfi, which is a town in the southwest point of Italy.  Here is where I would suggest for you to grab something to eat in a restaurant and to do any souvenir shopping since it’s the cheapest.  It is also your last stop on the tour of the Amalfi coast.  One of the prettiest sights in the world that I have had the pleasure of seeing.   I never get tired of driving through the Amalfi coast, no matter how many times I see it, it always seems to surprise me. 

 My best advice is if you only have 1 day to do the Amalfi coast I would rent a car and driver, they will take you all over and to the best places.  If you want to eat like the locals eat on the Amalfi coast you won’t be disappointed.  It also prevents you from getting motion sickness.  The roads on the Amalfi coast are narrow and very windy keep in mind you are driving on the edge of a cliff.  But it is definitely a must see for your stop in Naples. 

Where in The World is Dubrovnik!?

Has anyone ever arrived in a city and the moment you caught your first glimpse you looked around and simply said yup, I’m never leaving? That was exactly how I feel in Dubrovnik… but before I get there let’s talk about how I even discovered Dubrovnik.  

Planning travel for myself and other people is my job.  It became my job right after this huge trip abroad, when I decided to live in San Remo, Italy and travel throughout Europe before and after my time in San Remo. Now, many of you are surprised to find out that when I travel its very low maintenance and a lot of it is spontaneous. We were wrapping up our trip, we were on our way to Vienna from Budapest and in order to break out the train ride we spent a night in Croatia.  That train ride was an experience on its own.  

Once we got to Zagreb, we did what we normally did which was ask the front desk or concierge tips on what to do they gave us tips for Zagreb but they also said you have to go to Dubrovnik. It’s a beautiful coastal city, not discovered by tourism yet, and it has access to many islands so you can spend a day at a different island relaxing by the water.  At this point that’s all my sister and I wanted to do relax and enjoy ourselves we had been traveling for 2 and a half months at this point.   Keep in mind that when we were there Croatia had just become a part of the European Union for 3 weeks. 

After spending 2 nights in Zagreb we took a late night flight to Dubrovnik, which only took about 45 minutes.  Upon arrival we took a transfer to the Hilton Imperial Hotel.  The ride from the airport to the hotel was through the mountains and every time we caught of glimpse of the lights of Dubrovnik we knew we were in for a treat.  That night we weren’t able to do much but we knew we had found our place.  

The next day we woke up bright and early and decided to start exploring.  Since the hotel is literally within blocks from the Old Town we were there within minutes.  We spent the first day trying to figure out things to do and exploring all of the shops and the winding streets, hidden restaurants within the old town and we immediately fell in love.  That same night we extended our stay for 5 more nights in Dubrovnik canceled our flight home and told our family will see you in a week if we ever decide to leave. 

The next few days we took a ferry right from the Old Town in Dubrovnik to the Elefite Islands. We bought a ferry pass and spent each day discovering a new island, laying on the beach sometimes it was sand other times it was a big ol’ rock.  The water in the Adriatic sea was a lot colder than we were accustomed to however, it was still very refreshing.  

Dubrovnik was a city of many firsts, it was the first city where we spent about a week in just to enjoy and relax before heading home.  It was the first time we experience island hopping, it was the first time we climbed up any sort of wall, and it was the first time we rode in a submarine.  We merely went about 10 feet under water but it still was an experience non-the-less. 

We also spent a day climbing the Walls of Dubrovnik, which were made famous by Game of Thrones.  The walls are a series of defensive stone walls, that were built to protect the city.  Now they are mainly a tourist attraction, which tourist can climb the stairs and walk around the old town which is great to see the city from that point of view. 

Dubrovnik is a city made famous by Game of Thrones, however, visiting back in 2011 compared to visiting in 2016 was like visiting 2 separate places.  Dubrovnik is a city that will always have a special place in my heart, even if it’s crowded with tourism.  But I’m happy for the people of Croatia and its budding economy.  They deserve for other people to see the beauty of their country.