By Marlo Klein
Recently my husband and I took a trip to Italy. We chose to travel to Rome, Amalfi and Capri in a span of 10 days. We had never been to that part of the country before, so the tricky part was trying to figure out where to stay, what to pack and always the big decision…where to eat! I’m sure you’ll read other blogs with lots of suggestions, and I don’t think you can really go wrong. So, in the shortest time I can relay to you, here are my tips of how to do this kind of trip and some things I wish someone had told me before I went….
1. Rome – the sites are endless, if you’re like me and HATE long lines, spend the money and hire a guide for the main attractions, such as the Vatican Tour and seeing the Coliseum. It will be the best money spent. Any travel agent can book these for you. You will skip all the lines and save hours of your day to do other things.
Favorite restaurants – Al Moro or Roscioli
2. Amalfi Coast – There are 3 main towns that make up this area, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. They are ALL beautiful, and all easily walkable in about 1-2 hours, so a great thing to do is walk the towns early in the day to beat the crowds and hang by the pool in the afternoons. We also did an amazing hike called The Path of the Gods, google it, you won’t be disappointed!
Favorite Restaurants – Chez Black in Positano, and Hotel Palumbo in Ravello
3. Lunch by Boat on the Amalfi Coast- Use your concierge! We wouldn’t have known about these little secret restaurants accessible by boat ONLY! They pick you up at your hotel dock for free, take to you the restaurant and return you for free when you finish. The bonus is seeing the beautiful coastline from the water.
4. FOOTWEAR – I’m short, and I LOVE wearing heels, but it’s a huge NO-NO in basically all of Italy. The cobblestone streets of Rome, and the very steep hills of the Amalfi Coastal towns make it almost impossible to wear a heel. If you need to, I suggest a low wedge. Good news is, there are plenty of sandal shops everywhere!
5. Capri vs. Anacapri – Here’s the low down…Capri gets over 10,000 day trippers from the coastal towns arriving by ferry. They swarm into Capri from 10am-8pm when the last ferry leaves. So you can imagine the town of Capri is packed! We chose to stay up in Anacapri which was a wise choice. You can beat the big crowds and do some shopping from 9:30-11:30 in town, hang in Anacpari all day in town or at your hotel, and then return to Capri for dinner when they leave. It’s only a 10 minute taxi ride each way.
Favorite Restaurant – Paulino Capri aka The Lemon Tree
6. WHEN TO EAT – Americans like to eat on the earlier side. If you don’t want to be the only ones dining at any of these places for dinner, do not book anything before 8:30 or 9:00pm. Europeans eat late…so if you want to see the action, eat late!
7. Finally…A MUST…POMPEII…OK, so I’m not a history buff and would be the first person to skip a museum, but this was something everyone should see. It’s an entire city that was buried under ash from a volcano, then discovered. It’s streets upon streets of uncovered houses, building and ruins. It’s incredible. For this, I would also hire a guide. It’s too massive, too crowded and there are too many stories you’ll miss without someone pointing out the small details. Takes about 2 hours. WORTH IT!
If you have the opportunity to visit this part of the world one day, consider yourself lucky! It’s one of the prettiest places I’ve been and I can’t wait to go back. (with my flats!)
Ciao!
Other blogs by Marlo
Related posts:
JetBlue Skies Ahead: How to Score Free Checked Bags, Hint-Check Them Early!
How I Scored Two Round-Trip Flights to Chicago with Just 28,000 American Airline Miles And A $1000 Hotel For 41,000 World Of Hyatt Points
Flying to Italy on Points: A Smart Redemption for a Special Trip
6 Smart Shopping Tips to Maximize Rewards and Save Big This Holiday Season
