I'm back after a long break over the holidays and start into the new year. But I just planned this year's European vacation and was re-inspired me to get the rest of my Italy adventure posted (I still dream of this trip!). Here is part two of our Italian getaway last September 2019!
Before we got to our second spot, we took a pit spot on the way to see Pompeii...
From Rome, we took the high speed train to Naples. We learned that you do NOT have to get to the train station in Rome much earlier than your train departure time at all. You don't even know what terminal you are at until 10-20 minutes before it is set to depart. And only then when you know your terminal (they show it on the big screen), it take a few minutes to get to the assigned terminal.
If you get to the train station 30 minutes before your scheduled departure, you'll have plenty of time. Getting to the train and boarding was also super simple. We had assigned seats, and all the seats around us were open, so it was quite relaxing.
Once we got to Naples, we transferred to the local Circumvesuviana (felt like the NYC metro) and that takes you straight to the main Pompeii entrance (vs. just the general town like the high speed train does). You buy your ticket at the station, and the Circumvesuviana comes every so often (like 5-15 minutes).
The experience is not super great. But it gets the job done and drops you off right where you need to be (literally, across the street) - so it was worth it. But basically, it's just like riding a crowded metro car. And if you have luggage, like we did, it's even more annoying. But after 20-30 minutes, you are there!
And you can check your luggage at the Pompeii ticket entrance for free (DO NOT check the luggage at the Circumvesuviana stop station, as that costs money, and literally across the street at the Pompeii entrance is a free one). We learned this the hard way.
We bought regular Pompeii entrance tickets after waiting in a short line. There was a separate line that after people got tickets they waited in a much longer line for an audio guide/tour info. We use the free Rick Steve's app to listen to a guided tour through our phones (just like we did throughout Rome), and it was great, free and no extra lines.
Pompeii was way bigger than I expected - wear comfy shoes because it's dusty and there are uneven walking paths all over the expansive space. It was very neat, and definitely recommend visiting!
After our few hours in Pompeii, we grabbed a slice of pizza and went back to the Circumvesuviana station to continue south to Sorrento to begin our second part of our Italian trip.
Staying in Sorrento
We decided to stay in Sorrento for the next 4 nights, since this city has the most options to travel in and out to other cities for day trips. Plus, Sorrento was super pretty and a bit bigger than other southern Italian cities, so there were more options and better costs for finding a place to stay!
We stayed in the heart of Sorrento in a great apartment that had updated bathroom appliances, was completely clean and a comfy bed! We could walk everywhere - including to the dock to catch the ferries to travel for our day trips to Capri and Positano!
Our first night in Sorrento, we walked all around and ate at a cute little restaurant, sitting outside to enjoy the bustling city square! You probably know that southern Italy is known for its lemoncello. So we started our southern Italy portion of the trip with a lemoncello cocktail.
We soon found out that you get a shot of straight up lemoncello after every meal though, so we became super fond of this lemony-tart liquor. I also got my fill of cannoli (my favorite).
By the time we got to Sorrento, for our second part of our trip, I also needed to find a laundromat. I worked really hard to pack light(ish), with a carry on sized bag (expanded to its biggest size) and a backpack. We found and walked to a laundromat for a quick load of washing, and then air-dried the times back at our apartment and had fresh clothes for the back part of our trip.
My FAVORITE meal (of maybe the whole trip... but that's really hard to narrow down) was at an "off the beaten path" restaurant my husband read about and found. La Cantinarria del Popolo had meat hanging from the ceilings and a huge outdoor patio. The first night we tried to go, there was an hour and half long line - and we were too hungry to wait it out. So we went for lunch on our day we stayed in Sorrento and it was so good.
1 Day in Capri
We took a morning ferry out of Sorrento to Capri for our first day trip away and spent the day on this adorable, quintessential and famous island. We started with a private boat tour around the island. Vittorio was our guide on his lovely boat with beautiful music and a comfy bow. We relaxed and took in all the beautiful views while Vittorio gave us some awesome history (he's lived there all his life!).
And while we were at it... we took a little detour on our boat ride to enter the blue grotto. I was super nervous because I don't like small spaces, and especially no control of getting out of said small spaces. But we had to do it.
A small boat came to get us off our bigger boat. You get real close to the ones you are with and the guide takes you into the Blue Grotto. The worst part (for me) was going in and out of the entrance. They go with the waves through this small opening and you have to lay back so you don't smack your head. It all happens fast and is a bit stressful, but once inside - it really is pretty! Very... blue!
All in all, if you are looking to do a boat ride tour of any sort around Capri, pay just a little bit more to do the private (relaxing) way vs. shoved on a boat crammed with a bunch of other tourists, a la...
After our morning adventure on the water (and during a quick rain), we ate lunch before we took by foot to explore the Island. We hiked and rode the chairlift to the very highest part of Capri, Monte Solaro. Here you can get a 360 look all around the island.
{his beer came in a fancy glass and side bucket of ice to keep it cool!}
We walked the small, winding streets lined with shops to get back down to the ocean level. We ended the day relaxing at a beach bar with a drink, and gazing at the beautiful ocean before taking our ferry back to Sorrento.
1 Day in Positano
After a day spent in Sorrento, and our last full day in Italy, our grand finale was in Positano. Another easy and lovely ferry ride from Sorrento to this colorful dotted getaway town for a day exploring.
Positano might have been my favorite Italian town, with colorful and vibrant views at every turn. Our plan of attack for seeing this town was to spend the morning walking around the town - all the way up to the top! We started with breakfast at the beach level and watched as ferries came and went.
By afternoon, we hit up a local grocery store to got sandwiches, drinks and snacks for a beach picnic.
We had brought out swimsuits to spend the afternoon lazily on the beach. This was one of my very favorite parts of the trip. It wasn't just any beach day - the views were extraordinary, we had adorable beach chairs and an umbrella, great people watching, and Greg actually relaxed which was amazing in and of itself. We ate our lunch, read, talked and took a few dips in the ocean to round out our day.
Positano was a great way to go out! We ferried back to Sorrento and ended the day and our Italian adventure with dinner and packing.
Leaving Italy
The next day, we ferried to Naples to fly out, fondly waving goodbye to Italy! Because we flew TAP, we elected for a free 2-night stop over in Lisbon, Portugal on our way home... so while our Italian trip was over, we still had 2 more days of our vacation to explore a new city.
Rome, the heartbeat of Italy, the home of so much unfathomably deep history, and the perfect Italian city to kick off our 10-year marriage anniversary trip.
Not only is it the easiest city to fly into (way more flight options), but this city keeps you busy and walking everywhere - don't save it until the end when you are winding down from your travels. With our bright eyes and bushy tails, we ate our way through this city (pasta on pasta!), yet still managed to loose some pounds with all the walking!
When planning for this trip, we worried if 3 days would be enough for Rome. After talking with many others who'd visited Rome and reviewing a ton of itineraries online, we felt good about our plan. After three days (2 full days with an evening and a morning on either side) and three nights in Rome, I can confirm that it was the perfect amount of time, and we felt great about moving on to other cities on our trip.
Arriving in Rome:
We planned to fly direct, over night from NYC to Rome on Norwegian Air, but 2 days before we were set to take off, they cancelled the flight. Insert deep breathing and hours on the phone here.
We had to shell out about triple the cost to get a new flight into Rome (not even direct...), but made it the same afternoon as planned, putting that stress behind us. We took a taxi from the airport to our Airbnb apartment, located in the heart of Rome and perfect for walking to just about anything (which we did!). It was a great location and space for what we needed (but beware, the bed is up on a loft which you reach by a small spiral staircase - maybe not suitable for everyone).
Night One:
Our first tourist activity: to meet up with my cousin who just happened to be in town for work and go to a Roma football game at Stadio Olimpico. This was Greg's very exciting must-do, and we enjoyed the experience - which was my first soccer/football game outside of the US.
The stadium itself was way bigger, and old and historic looking (like the rest of the city), but more barebones. They don't need all the concession stands and tons of flashing lights I guess. But the energy of the fans is unreal.
My only watch-outs for attending a game:
The limited concession and beer stands only take cash! Bring cash.
The stadium is out of the city center, so definitely wasn't walkable for us. We went early so we could walk around, so getting a taxi there was no big deal. But getting a taxi back was impossible. We even walked out a ways to a taxi stand, but all the taxi drivers used the stand to park while they attended the game themselves. :)
Day Two:
Since we only had two full days, they both needed to be spent hitting up some major historic sites. Our first full day in Rome was dedicated to the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica and Sistine Chapel. We pre-booked and did a tour organized through Vatican (recommended) of all three that lasted about 3.5 hours.
I recommend this because the tour guide keeps you moving to the important stuff (especially if you have a husband that will stop and linger to read anything and everything....), you skip the long lines and get the background stories. Regardless, it still felt like we were cattle being herded through the museum.
After the tour... Greg somehow talked me into climbing to the top of St. Peter's. There are two tiers, and you can either walk the stairs or take the elevator to the first level which is inside of the dome. That part of was ok.
Then you have to take the remaining 320+ stairs (no elevator) to the second tier, which is at the top of the dome on the outside. It's a lovely view of the city, but... getting there can be panic-inducing and intensely claustrophobic. The series of staircases are tight - single file tight with solid walls closing in on you. You had to lean with the wall as you walked to up the stairs. And then some were tiny, spiral staircases that seemed to go on forever.
I don't like tight spaces or heights, so this was a nightmare.
On the plus side, Rome has free, fresh water allllll over the city.
(After we came back down to the first tier... less than enthusiastic)
After this... let's just call it, a learning experience... it was time for much needed (late) lunch. We walked back towards our apartment and just stopped at a cute little place along the way - there are so many places to duck into, you probably can't go wrong. We started with drinks and a charcuterie board of meat and cheeses - chefs selection, and then moved right into pasta (duh).
After lunch (which was now closer to dinner), we went back to the apartment to rest. I took a nap, while Greg walked to the Pantheon. He did the Rick Steves self-guided tour via Rick Steve's app (free!!).
After my much needed nap/rest, we had a walking food-tour which we booked through Airbnb - I definitely recommend! It was a great value and nice way to try a bunch of food, cheese and drinks while walking around the city, learning about the history of different parts and buildings. I loved it!
Day Three:
Another full day, packed with all the things you just have to see when in Rome. You read all about these things, you study them in school, it seems you know about it all already... but being there, in person, is profound. Something that has existed longer than the US as a whole, and way beyond that, with so much history you can feel it.
The Colosseum was one of my favorite monuments that we saw. One of the seven wonders of the medieval world, and it was a wonder to be there.
Obviously a big tourist attraction (and apparently backdrop for Instagrammers around the world), so long lines and big crowds. We did not pre-buy tickets or do a tour for this, but instead downloaded Rick Steve's audio guide (again, free!) on the Colosseum. And to get tickets, we followed Rick Steve's advice to skip the long line you'll see at the Colosseum entrance, and pick tickets up at the Palatine Hill office - just about a 6 minute walk east of Colosseum.
Then we walked back to the Colosseum with our tickets, skipping the long line and walking into the separate line for those with tickets or doing a group tour. I'd also advise going first thing in the morning - it only gets more crowded throughout the day.
After the great Colosseum, we walked back to Palatine Hill entrance and through these grounds which was also on the way to our next site.
The Roman Forum contains mannny ancient monuments (see the full list here), and is an impressive city in and of itself which was the center of day to day life in BC Rome. Again, we did a free Rick Steve's audio tour as we made our way through this city within a city.
After all this... it was time for another late lunch. (Word to the wise - eat a good breakfast and/or carry a snack.) But this time, we headed for a restaurant I had flagged from some pre-trip research, and it did not disappoint. The good part about eating late lunches is when we went it was not that busy.
CiPASSO had the most wonderful lasagna I've ever had.
And then after some lunch and wine... we had our first gelato (of the trip, of Italy).
After another rest and some freshening up, we walked to the Trastevere area (just east of the river) for our last dinner in Rome. We ate at La Taverna Dei Monti, and it was a complete blast! Not only did we get to hook back up with my cousin, but her co-workers, too, and they took us to the most amazing hidden gem.
The food was amazing. And the history of the building was epic. We sat outside under twinkle lights, but had to duck to go inside to go to the bathroom. Legend has it, the first floor of this building a century plus ago was where animals lived (thus the low ceilings).
And this is the place I had my most favorite dessert of all time. I need to figure out how to replicate this chocolate ricotta deliciousness.
Last Morning
Our last little bit in Rome was spent getting ourselves to the train station (way too early as it turned out), grabbing a cappuccino and pastry before hopping aboard and heading south!
The high-speed train was super comfy. We took the Rome to Napoli train, and then began our second Italian adventure with a pitstop to see Pompeii before ending in Sorrento. More on those next adventures soon.
We somehow mastered some light packing to enable easy maneuvering, which lead to these outfit pieces on repeat:
