Travel Diaries- Positano, Italy

Courtney — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 22:41:00 +0000

Have you ever traveled somewhere and instantly felt a shift inside?

Like a deep breath in and out.

Something that you maybe can’t explain just exactly with words-

because you feel it.

If you have been following my blog for any length of time- you already know what fuels me.

My everyday fuel- my morning cup of coffee if you will –

is inspiration.

I am inspired by a lot of things.

My family. Flowers. Patina. Ambiance and travel to name a few.

Last fall, my husband and I traveled to Europe –

and stayed an extra week to do some exploring.

We were in France for 5 days for work and

heading over to Italy for a bit of a holiday after that wrapped up.

Yes, vacations are now known as holidays and garbage as rubbish. haha.

Random fact- I love saying rubbish.

I don’t know why but it is so much better than

trash or garbage for sure.

Side Note- You might want to put a whole pot on- this is a loooooong post.

I had been looking forward to our fall travel for months.

I had just wrapped up a summer that was full of dream work –

literally dream work doing what I absolutely love to do.

And I literally just wrapped up.

As in the night before we got on the plane to Paris- I was several hours away from home

standing in the middle of a field working until it was dark.

Along with that summer of dream work –

there was a bit of a crazy schedule at home with my husbands work schedule

So… when fall rolled around-

I was beyond excited to get back to Europe

but I was also running just a bit on fumes energy wise.

So I was also looking forward to hopefully finding a slower pace and a bit of quiet

and refueling.

We started in Paris and then down by Avignon and in Nice where we were catching a plane to Italy the next day.

Our original plan was stay in Positano and then explore the Amalfi Coast area

before going to Rome or Venice.

My husband found an incredible historic villa on Capri that

had to be booked for 3 or more days- so we

figured we would stay on Capri and explore Positano and the area

from there.

I will share Capri in another post- but we loved Capri- it is such a beautiful island.

After 3 days- I was excited to venture over to Positano and stay a night there.

We hopped the ferry and our first glance of Positano from the water- we were enamored.

Positano is built on the side of a huge mountain.

The architecture, the sights, the sounds, the people.

I could literally listen to all the chatter all day long and never tire of it.

And as we carted our luggage up through the town and up the many steps to our hotel

I fell in love more with each step.

Our hotel was perched up on the side of the main hillside

and we had a balcony with the most incredible view.

I literally walked in and plopped my luggage down and opened the doors to the balcony

and sat.

And sat some more.

The sounds of the restaurant below us and the silverware on the plates.

The sounds of the waves as they rolled in and out and echoed against the mountain.

The music playing in the distance and

the feeling of the sun on my skin.

BEYOND.

My husband ventured

out to grab some fresh produce for cooking for dinner -and I had a wee bit of a cold

trying to start up so I just sat.

Literally sat for several hours simply soaking up the view.

Breathing it in and out.

It was almost like meditating without realizing it.

And as the sun started to set and the houses started to light up… oh my.

I tend to ‘feel’ energy and in Positano- the energy is nothing short of magical.

Maybe it is the sea, the history and architecture- the romantic notion that goes along with an old village in Italy and the kind eyes of the people who live there.

Or all of that and more.

That first night as we sat on the balcony –

staring at that view, the lights coming on one by one and the shades of purple and pink in the sky

and across the water as the sun set.

So we decided to stay another night.

And then another night again after that

and do Rome or Venice another time.

The next couple of days-

we wandered and hiked and explored Positano-

tiny back roads and lots of steps

the churches

slivers between buildings with steep walkways

and beautiful beach areas.

We rode the ferry to Amalfi and wandered there for the day-

and we sat on the beach and listened to the sounds of the ocean and Italy life until dark.

I would have loved to have stayed another week (ok- month)

It was completely blissful in Positano.

A few things to note if you go

Positano and the Amalfi Coast are very much destination areas –

the good news is that if you don’t speak a ton of Italian- or any even- you should be just fine.

Basic greetings & conversation would be good to learn –

good manners in their language and you trying to say something in Italian is appreciated

– just as we would appreciate the same of tourists in our own country.

Of course, the people are incredibly lovely- kind and gracious and are eager to help you

and to share with you how beautiful their country is. We were pointed in all the right directions for

things we wanted to see and also restaurants, ferry times etc.

Food

We like to stay in a hotel or VRBO

where we can prepare food – but I do realize that may not be the usual.

Number one- we are vegetarians and yes- can find salad, pasta or pizza at most places in Italy.

But number two- we also like to make fresh dishes with their seasonal produce-

and they have many vegan options in their markets-

especially in the larger or more touristy areas and the prices for fresh grown produce, fresh breads, etc- are incredible compared to California.

And… just for scale – look how HUGE the lemons are.

When should you go

Uhm- anytime-haha. Positano and the Amalfi Coast is a busy area-

so plan the time of year you go if you want to avoid crowds.

We were in Positano in the middle to end of October which – we were told was considered to be the last of the tourist season for the year- and the hotels warned us to be mindful of the ferry times

as they were not running as often as during the busy season.

We were in Cinque Terre in May- and it was not too busy at first- but it really filled up with people by the time we left. I am guessing Positano has a similar busy busy season.

The weather was wonderful in October-

warm tank top weather with loads of sunshine.

Shopping

We didn’t really do much shopping- to be honest. But there is a ton of it so plan on an extra bag if you are ready to shop until you drop. Beautiful linens, leather sandals, handbags, soaps, you name it.
We were traveling very light this trip and actually didn’t bring any souvenirs or anything else back with us- just the experience.

We enjoy a gelato in Amalfi- which was actually far more crowded than

Positano while we were there.

We did try Limoncello for the first time… and for folks who are more red or white wine and that is it- that limoncello was pretty darn strong.

But when in Rome, as they say.

Positano and the Amalfi Coast are a bit more involved to get to than Cinque Terre which is up by Genoa and Florence- and is very similar with villages built on the hillside.

I would recommend flying into Rome and catching the train to Salerno

and then a ferry to Positano-
you can stop at several villages and explore and catch the next ferry if you would like.
Just mind those ferry times.

Salerno to Rome (or vice versa) is

about 2- 2.5 hours through the countryside – and that was another beautiful view.

When we left Positano- we arrived in Rome where we had a flight to Paris the next day

and so had the afternoon and evening and next morning to explore.

There is of course- so much to do and see in Rome- and we didn’t do everything – but we found a hotel just steps away from the coliseum and wandered into the evening exploring.

I will share our stop in Rome- and also all about Capri soon.

And I will ask my husband the name of the hotels we stayed at in Positano and add that to my Travel Diaries page as well.

All in all- if you are thinking of going to Positano- Just GO.

You will love it and love all the magic that is there.

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Travel Diaries- Positano, Italy