Last year around August, my sister and I planned a trip to Italy for the following May. That was 9 months out, so there was A LOT of anticipation.

My sister and I have both been to Italy before - both on our breaks from studying abroad in London in our college years. I have long dreamed of going to the coastal towns and villages of Italy in the spring, and when I saw the deal on the flight to Milan, I booked it for a 10 day trip in May. I haven’t done a train trip in a while, so I thought it would be fun to see Italy by train.

We arrived in Milan on a Tuesday afternoon and headed straight to the Milano train station to catch a train to Naples. We got some snacks at a nearby grocery store (and of course made the rookie mistake of buying a giant bottle of sparkling water instead of still water), and off we go on our first train ride in Italy.

Naples

Our first night in Italy was a bed and breakfast and our hosts came and picked us up from the Naples train station. They gave us directions to 50 Kalò, a famous pizzeria in town and we decided to have a late dinner there. You know the place is good if there is a wait on a Tuesday night at 10PM! We tried their Margherita con bufala (Buffalo Cheese) and it was delicious! On our way back to the B&B we stopped by to get our first gelato of the trip.

The next morning our host brought us breakfast and we had our meal out in the patio. I am not gonna lie it was a pretty nice breakfast! We got fresh berry juice(?) and espresso and of course European milk. I don’t know why but milk in Europe always taste better for me…

After breakfast we packed our bags and walked down to the metro station to head to Pompeii for the day. Did I mention there is a really nice view of Naples right outside our B&B?

We took the train to Garibaldi station and transferred to the local circumvesuviana train that will take us to the Pompeii Scavi stop. Pro tip - Garibaldi isn’t the first stop on the train (there is one more stop before it) and if you want to guarantee a seat for the long ride try to catch the train one stop earlier! Otherwise if you have luggages it will be pretty hard to get on with the crowd of tourists all heading the same direction.

Pompeii

Our ride took about 40 mins and we made it to the Pompeii Scavi station stop. We dropped off our bags at the station for storage, and joined a 2 hour walking tour. Our tour guide Roberto took us inside to the main site of the ruins, and explained the history behind the city of Pompeii. A city built back in 6th century BC, Pompeii was blown away by the Mount Vesuvius that erupted and was covered in ashes and lapilli in 79 AD. We entered the theatre, visited the streets of Pompeii which was used for sewage, and the shops and homes. You really do get a glimpse of the life in Pompeii as everything in the site is very well preserved because of the ashes and pumice stones - you can even see the ridges left on the stone streets from carriages! There is so much to see and we definitely recommend at least half a day there. My favorite is the floor and wall patterns inside the houses that you can still see - it really feels like you stepped back in time to 6th century BC.

Fufore

After our visit at Pompeii, we continued on the same train towards Via Nocera, where our host in Fufore said we can catch a local bus into town. The home base for us the next few days in Amalfi is in Fufore, a small town in between Amalfi and Praiano. With the help of some locals we were able to locate the bus stop at Via Nocera and managed to get on the bus towards Amalfi. Unfortunately the bus broke down about 20 mins into the ride and we were stranded in the middle of nowhere waiting for another bus to come rescue us.

While we were waiting on the roadside for the next bus to arrive, a nice gentleman named Paul knew someone in our group of stranded passengers and offered us a ride! And just like that my sister and I hopped on Paul’s car and hitchhiked to Bomerano. Paul runs an airbnb in Agerola called Antico Mulino B&B so we’ll be sure to check it out next time if we’re in town!

Our host Francesco picked us up right from the square in Bomerano, and we’re on off to our B&B for the next few days! Before making it back, Francesco took us to an overlook not known to tourists - it was a great view of the town of Furore as well as the nearing towns from the top of the hills.

Francesco drove us to the B&B and we were greeted with the cats at the B&B. There were lemon trees in the garden and the best part is our room has an “infinity window” that looks out to the sea!

We dropped off our bags in our room and headed out for dinner walking over to farm to table restaurant for a nice, homey meal. After dinner it was pitch dark so we took extra caution walking the 30 min walk back to our B&B. The winding roads are very narrow with minimal street lights so we had to take cover behind cars just in case the drivers can’t see us! Someone even stopped his car to offer us a ride back!

Amalfi + Atrani

Francesco had provided the bus schedule for the buses heading to Amalfi, so we planned our morning accordingly. We had our breakfast out in the garden but it started raining, and we finished breakfast in the kitchen. We walked down to the bus stop and purchased our tickets from the store, and made our way to Amalfi. Note that the buses are actually not very frequent (at least when we visited) so plan ahead and don’t miss your bus!

The weather in Amalfi was a little unpredictable, with the weather changing by the hour. We knew today was going to be a gloomy day so we saved the other sights like Positano for better weather days. Amalfi is a small but very popular town. We walked up the alley for the shops and the little fountain that is a miniature of the Amalfi coast, we got postcards along the way and of course stopped by all the lemon souvenir shops to get some lemoncello and lemon candy.

A wedding was taking place here when we visited!

While there are plenty of killer steps in Amalfi Coast they make a great photo op! The key is to find the hidden stair cases with minimal foot traffic.

We stopped at De Gemma, one of the top rated restaurants in Amalfi, for lunch. Francesco had warned us about the food in the main touristy areas but this one seemed to have good reviews. It did not disappoint! Nettie and I probably order too much food for 2… After lunch we headed to the museum of paper for a 30 min guided tour. The machines at the museum are originals and they are still in working order! Our guide walked us through how paper was made from cotton in old clothes and how all the machines are powered by water wheel with water from the mountains before all was transitioned to electric powered. I even got to try making paper with a watermark!

We also walked over to the neighboring town Atrani with some gelato in our hands. Atrani is a much smaller town than Amalfi, but it’s much quieter without all the tourists.

On our way back Nettie spotted a lady carrying a tray of food and we followed her into a pastry shop named Pansa. It turns out that lady was carrying a tray of lemon cakes Pansa is known for and we got 2 of them to go. (They were delicious so don’t miss this if you’re in town!)

Getting back to our B&B was a challenge as it was difficult to locate the correct bus and we had trouble with the name of the final destination - Agerola. Nonetheless we made it back and had dinner at the nearby Lucas restaurant.

Ravello

Our second day in the Amalfi Coast was a beautiful one! We sat outside in the garden of our B&B and had breakfast as the fog clears up. It’s supposed to be a nice day out so we took Francesco’s recommendation to visit Ravello, another town in Amalfi. We finished breakfast, took the bus into Amalfi and took another bus for Ravello. Near the entrance of town is the first villa - Villa Rufolo. There are a number of buildings at the site, but the most interesting is the gardens. One overlooks the sea and actually looks like an infinity garden. We had great views of the mountains as the fog clears, the towns nearby becoming clearer in sight.

For lunch we headed to a spot in the town square, and after days of pasta and pizza, we both were craving a nice lemon and orange salad. A little cat even kept us company right outside the restaurant. After lunch we walked up the alleyway, passed by a gallery, and headed towards the other villa. Villa Cimbrone is another gorgeous villa, this one looking like the perfect wedding venue (if you Google Villa Cimbrone the first thing that comes up is Villa Cimbrone wedding cost). Its gardens are even bigger with a terrace of infinity, and the views are out of this world!

We walked back to town and got some gelato, and sat on the steps of the church before catching the bus back to Amalfi. Once we got back to the B&B we sat outside in the terrace to recap our day as the sun sets.

Path of the Gods + Positano

Today is our Path of the Gods (Il Sentiero degli Dei) hike to Positano! We had a nice breakfast at the B&B, and started our walk to Bomerano which is the start of the trail. Francesco had told us the walk to Bomerano is 20 mins but it’s more like 30 mins with a ton of steep stairs if you don’t want to loop around the roads. While we were walking (which was going up the mountain) we can see the fog drifting right by us since we were so high up! We made it to the town square and were joined by other tourists, some well dressed for a 3 hour hike and others not so much… Someone had left behind a nice wooden stick by the entrance and we took it with us as a walking stick, and started the hike!

The hike itself was definitely not easy, with a lot of huge steps and stones. We hiked through the mountains with cliffs and forrest, winding our way through all the neighboring towns. At times you pass through what looks like fog or clouds since you’re so high up. It’s just a breathtaking view!

It took us about 1.5 hours into the hike before seeing Positano in our view, and then once we reached Nocello we got some fresh lemon juice to rehydrate. Nocello is actually technically the end of the hike and you could catch a bus to Positano, but after reading a very funny but informative post on TripAdvisor (read it here), we decided to do the walking and hike all the way to Positano. We’re actually glad we did the 1000+ steps because you get to see the town of Positano at different angles!

The sun came out just as we arrived in Positano and we decided to have lunch outside with a view. We were beyond hungry after our long hike and our pastas were delicious with an ice cold beer. We headed down towards the main part of town and to the beach after lunch, and of course as we got closer to the water on the beach I got my shoes wet while trying to touch the water…

We caught the 5pm ferry heading to Amalfi for our way back and got seats on the upper deck. As we sped towards Amalfi Nettie and I looked for the hiking path we took this morning and even our B&B and the church in Fufore.

In Amalfi we got a light dinner and caught the bus back to Fufore - and guess what! We bumped into the nice lady and her daughter who we hitchhiked with the first day! We were greeted by a nice sunset at the B&B as we round out our last night in Amalfi.

It was a very rainy morning on our day of departure and the cats of the B&B were all in hiding. We had our breakfast in the kitchen and Francesco offered us some fava beans (broad beans) from the garden to take with us as snacks. We got a ride with him to Castellammare, the town where we took the bus so we can catch the train back to Napoli and then to Florence. The sky cleared up as we got to Castellammare and we bid farewell to Francesco at the train station. We took the train back to Napoli and had a quick meal before boarding the train for Florence.

Florence

We made it into Florence around 5PM and headed straight to our airbnb. The airbnb is near the center of town on a top floor of an apartment building. The best part of this airbnb is the access to the roof and our host’s lovely cat! He was so friendly and followed us into our room and found a spot on the bed :)

We headed out for food towards the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and was able to try Panini Toscani right before it closes. You get to sample all the cheeses and meats before building your own for just 6 euros. I also got a glass of delicious red to go with my meal. We were sitting outside when a flock of pigeons attacked and I felt a peck on my panini. It was also getting incredibly windy and we had to retreat back inside to finish our meal.

We walked around the cathedral and the main square before walking over the bridge for some gelato at Gelateria la Carraia and called it a day.

The next morning as soon as I open the door to our room our little furry friend came to greet us. We had a quick meal on the roof, enjoying the little bit of sunlight we got while in Florence.

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is the last stretch of the trip and definitely one of the most anticipated one. From Florence we caught the train to La Spezia, and from there we took the Cinque Terre express that connects the 5 villages. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997, Cinque Terre offers picturesque formation of houses along the hills and scenic hikes. We had already booked a “Stairway to Wine Heaven” experience that includes a guided hike and wine tasting.

After dropping off our bags at our B&B in Corniglia, we decided to do a 2.5 hour hike as we only have 2 days in Cinque Terre. We hiked to Volastra - 587, 586 and 506 and all the way to Manarola, the next Cinque Terre village. Along the way is great view of Corniglia from above, the sea, and plenty of grapes and vineyard. The way down from Volastra to Manarola was some very steep steps but totally worth it!

Once we got to Manarola we got food and drinks at Nessun Dorma, an outdoor eatery that offers a great view of Manarola. We were able to watch the sunset from the restaurant as we enjoy our dinner.

The next morning we went to get breakfast at a cafe in Corniglia, and got a 2 day Cinque Terre card to explore the area. Our first stop was Riomaggiore, the southern most village and the first of the train stops. From the train station it’s a short walk to the actual center of town. We made a left for the peddle beach, where you can see ferries arriving to drop off and pick up passengers at the dock. We also took a walk along the short foot path that is open that leads us to the train station. Unfortunately the hike between Riomaggiore to Manarola remained closed when we visited due to landslides, so we took the train to visit the other towns from here (We’ll later find out from our tour guide why so many trails remain closed).

After a short stay in Riamaggiore we took the train to Monterosso, the northern most village of the 5. Monterosso has a large stretch of actual beach, but they are probably known for their black and white marble striped church. Right across from the church there are buildings with painted facades. Since the area is known for their pesto we did some pesto shopping in the souvenir shops of Monterosso as well.

We started our hike of the day - The Azure Trail from Monterosso to Vernazza in the afternoon. This stretch of the hike is covered by the Cinque Terre card or you would have to pay for the fee at the check point.

The hike was similar to the one we did yesterday, with narrow stone paths and steep steps.

The views are well worth it though! You can see Vernazza peaking through the mountains as you get closer to the village, and the hikes offer you views from different angles.

As we were approaching the end of the hike, we asked a grandpa to take a photo for us with our phones and this was too cute to delete:

After a late lunch/ early dinner by the port, we explored the streets of Vernazza, had some more gelato, and of course befriended an Italian cat.

We took it easy in the evening as we have an early start the next day for our final adventure in Cinque Terre, and it started raining in the evening. We were able to capture the below photo in Manarola right before it started raining.

Our “Stairway to Wine Heaven” tour is at 9AM sharp in the morning and we got up early to pack our bags for check-out. After getting breakfast and storing our bags, we got on the train to Manarola to meet our guide Doug. It turns out someone else had cancelled so it was a private tour/ wine tasting experience! We started off in the alleyways of Manarola and navigated around the village as Doug explained the history of the farming villages (Cinque Terre is traditionally farming villages not fishing villages). We passed through the vineyards as we start our ascend to Volastra - this is actually the same hike we did on the first day from Corniglia but backwards - and oh boy it’s a workout! In May grapes are just starting to appear and Doug said in September/ October it will be harvesting season. Doug also taught us how farming grapes is a delicate job and requires lots of manual labor especially in this hilly terrain. Along the way Doug pointed out flowers and herbs that we’ve missed on our first day - my favorite is the Scotch Broom that has a subtle sweet scent.

We made it to Volastra at the end of the hike for our local wine tasting experience. The local winery was open and we got a chance to see the bottling in action! After a tour of the wine cellar, we took a bottle of Cinque Terre white with us to the vineyard for a tasting.

After our wine tasting experience we took the eco bus back to Manarola and to Corniglia for lunch at Osteria A Cantina De Mananan, a local restaurant recommended by Doug. Definitely one of my best meals in this trip!

Before leaving town, we mailed our postcards (which of course took 2 months to arrive).

Milan

We wrapped up our trip with a night in Milan, sneaking in our last dinner at Pizza am. No trip to Italy would be complete without a trip to Duomo and its museums so we made sure to get up early for one last sight seeing activity before heading to the airport.

Italy. May 2019