A few years ago, Italy called, and I picked up.
I have been inside Rome’s colosseum, I have quite literally frolicked in Tuscany with a glass of Chianti classico in my hand, and I’ve spent an afternoon floating in blue water and under golden sunlight in Cinque Terre. [Kristen Gruidl, if you’re reading this, wow, I miss you and I miss these moments, in that order.]
I have also sat in one of those skinny gondola boats while an Italian man in a bright red striped shirt sang us sweet nothings and steered us down the canals of Venice. How could I forget?
This June, Italy was calling again and we answered on the first ring. Her name was Amalfi. Here are a few memories of our beautiful weekend with her.
Praiano
Praiano is the smaller, more quaint fishing village next door to the famous town of Positano in the Amalfi Coast. It sits in a cove on the edge of the cliff in such a perfect position that you can see Positano and the sunset to your right, Capri across the horizon, and the sunrise to your left. “The heart of Amalfi” is what they call it.
Casa Colombo
Praiano was our chosen home for the weekend. We stayed at Casa Colombo, a hidden gem bed and breakfast 300 steps up the main road. The walk up was an experience of its’ own; we passed through ripe lemon trees, tangled flowered vines and a mini goat farm. Cats and locals and breath-taking views greeted us as we wandered up, up, up.
After our last step out of the shaded, vine-covered steps we entered the grand terrace of Casa Colombo. This is where they served us breakfast every morning. The view from here was outstanding. I could not. stop. gawking.
Our room, about 50 more steps up an alleyway, presented us with a private terrace and I swear, an even better view than the first. I wanted to eat the sky.
Casa Colombo felt like home. Guglielmo, our host, and the other employees, welcomed us like old friends. The room was spotless, the price was very reasonable and the views were invaluable. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Marina di Praia
Marina di Praia is a small beach in Praiano that was a twenty minute walk from home. We spent our first afternoon exploring, drinking and eating this piece of Praiano.
Sitting pretty on the rocks of Marina di Praia is Il Pirata, a bar, lounge and restaurant where we indulged in our first pasta and wine of the trip. They also have lounge chairs surrounding the restaurant right on the water that are available to customers.
source: www.ristoranteilpirata.net
Positano
Positano, the golden child of Amalfi, is arguably the most famous town on this coast. Aside from the absurd crowds of tourists in the summer, it’s heavenly. Rainbows of buildings stack endlessly on top of the cliff that hugs the main beach. As I floated in the sea facing the beach and the town, I got a panoramic view of this rainbow and it is a moment I will never forget.
There is a quote by Giuseppe Verdi: “You may have the universe if I may have Italy.” I imagine he was in Positano when he said that.
Hike to Positano
From Praiano to Positano is a 3.5 mile path called ‘The Path of the Gods’ that swerves up and down and through the cliffs. This hike is no joke; we hit 2,600 feet of elevation. It was incredible.
We walked out our door in Praiano and started following the murals of gods lining the wall outside. This began the Path of the Gods. We were led to stairs that curled into the mountains and started going up, up, up.
I cannot recommend this hike enough. It was our favorite experience of the trip and it didn’t even include food or booze or beach. Throughout the hike we wandered through grape vines, god-like sculptures and murals hidden in the rocks, monasteries, large caves and the most incredible views.
The hike ended in a tiny village right above Positano. It took us 30 minutes alone just to walk down, down, down to the main road.
Entering Positano felt like victory. We navigated the tiny, rainbow roads, found a bathroom and changed out of work-out clothes and into bathing suits. Then we searched for the first brick oven we could find, bought a pizza and a bottle of frosty white Falanghia wine, sat in the shade and ate, drank, ate.
Our final destination was the main beach of Positano, about 20 steps from our spot in the shade next to the brick oven. We laid under the golden sun until we were paralyzed with wine, with satisfied exhaustion, with warmth and with pure bliss. Victory.
Capri
Across the Tyrrhenian Sea sitting on the horizon are big shards of shapely rocks. This is Capri. Lucky for us, it was only a 30 minute boat ride away.
Boat Trip to Capri
On Sunday morning, we hopped on a boat with about 10 others from Marina di Praia in Praiano. Ten minutes later we were docking in Positano to pick up about 10 more passengers, and then we were off to Capri.
The boat took us 30 minutes up the coast where we saw celebrity mansions wedged into the cliffs, went in caves with red coral lining the bottom and passed giant white yachts and local Italian speed boats.
As we got closer to Capri they took us to the famous Faraglioni rocks, the three shards of shapely rocks that we could see on the horizon from Praiano. We went through the giant hole in the middle one.
We turned the corner on the coast and came to the town of Capri. Just like Positano and Praiano, it was nesting in the cliffs with stacked rainbow buildings on top of one another. We docked there and had 4 hours to wander the town.
We took a taxi into the town center, came across a hidden wine bar above the old town square, and had lunch – caprese salad, wine, pasta.
With a stracciatella gelato in hand, we went back down to the water, found a spot on the beach, and waded in the light blue water before heading back home to Praiano. Summer in Capri, what a dream.
If I could have bottled our weekend in the Amalfi Coast and let every person we know take a gulp of the magic we experienced, I would have. These words and these photos will have to suffice.
I hope she calls us again someday.