The Story Behind the Travel Photo: Journey to the Amalfi Coast
- Feb 25
- 6 min read
Warning: There is one thing I would like to tell people before they visit the Amalfi Coast. If you have a fear of heights or get uncomfortable looking down very steep coasts, not to mention riding along the edge of a mountain, then you might need to figure out how to try to wrestle with those very real issues.
For the rest of us, there is nothing more thrilling and daring than visiting the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It's quite the hotspot, so check with your travel consultant for the best times to visit. We traveled in April, normally a busy season in the USA, because of schools being on spring break vacation, which can be anytime from mid-March to mid-April. But, we were lucky: we didn't see any school groups and there weren't as many tourists there as there were in Rome. Let the exploring begin.
This trip was truly a journey. We left from New York and arrived in London to change planes to Milan. This can be a bit of a journey in itself. Our luggage was checked through, meaning they would change the luggage to the correct plane. We, on the other hand, had to take the in-airport train and change terminals, go through security all over again (which meant my bag was checked because it flagged the water I took off the plane). Apparently, going from one terminal to another within the same airport means leaving one secure area to go to another secure area. Lesson learned.
We landed in Milan and took a train to Rome to continue our journey to the Amalfi Coast, which was nowhere near where we were. Since it was about mid-morning, we did not arrive in Rome until mid-afternoon. Second lesson learned: spend the night in either Milan or Rome before journeying on to the Amalfi area. After that, we followed our host's instructions about how to travel to Praiano. Unfortunately, he sent us instructions like a local and so that's how we went: like locals. From Rome, we took their local train to Sorrento, which took another hour. Which made several local stops, including Naples. Tempting, but we decided not to get off. One, the time and two, the luggage. I did travel light: one checked bag and one backpack carryon.
Anyway, once we arrived in Sorrento, again, we did not have time to explore because we had to catch the bus to Praiano, where our host's apartment was. Now, the main towns people go to see are Positano and Amalfi. Praiano is the next time over from Positano: charming but not the main event. There was no bus at that time directly from Sorrento to Praiano, we would have to transfer in Positano.
Now, we were planning to tour Positano, but that would be the next day. So, once again, we got off one mode of transportation and waited for another. And once again, we had just missed the bus, so we hung out there for about 20 minutes, But that was ok, because we got to chat with a few locals and other tourists who clued us in on how to get around the Amalfi Coast without a car...or a Vespa.
We made it to Praiano and those lovely cliffside views that we had admired on the bus ride from Sorrento became a reality all of a sudden: our apartment was up one of those inclines. Later, we would find out that it was a good thing we did not stay in Positano: our lodging could have been down the cliff via a steep staircase.
By this time it was dinner time. We walked back down the hill and asked the guy at the tabacchi where we could eat locally in Praiano. And, since they are used to tourists not having ready access to instant transportation, naturally he suggested one of the most expensive restaurants that is probably there for suckers like us! We decided not to shop and cook while we were in Italy although we were renting apartments the whole time. And we did not get to know the town of Praiano because we did not get a chance to explore our neighborhood. Praiano has hotels, apartment rentals but people do live there and there were several stores. We always grabbed a snack at the tabachi before getting on a bus for our excursions for the day.
We ate a charming place literally down the mountain near the beach called Bar Mare, which is still there as of this posting. We were literally the only ones there and we got the full small town treatment: freshly cooked food, chatting with the owners, enjoying a leisurely meal with several courses. Nothing is rushed in some parts of Europe when it comes to dining: saying fast food is like cursing sometimes. It had been a long trip and now it was time to sit back and enjoy the fact that we had reached our destination safely and that we were ready to have fun.
It was here that I was introduced to limoncello. I admit, I go to real Italian style restaurants back in New York, hang out at the Feast of San Gennaro annually and I hadn't yet had limoncello. It was an acquired taste. But, the family makes their own. We were really impressed until we found out that everyone makes their own limoncello in that part of Italy. The trees grow in everyone's yard, like Californians or Floridians having orange trees.
When I had limoncello again later in Rome, it was slightly sweeter, probably because it was mass produced. But this one in Praiano I am going to call the real thing. We saw them making a batch. You can age it for as little as 10 days, which accounts for a stronger taste as opposed to aging it for longer periods to mellow it out. The owner was very proud in Praiano and now I am glad I had it there.
We also had fresh fish, whether it came off the boats earlier that day as the owner claimed it did or not, it was still tasty and much needed after our trip.
The next few days we explored some of the sights. Positano was really our goal but we also took the bus to Amalfi. I am not sure what was more exciting: the splendid views as we traveled literally along a mountain's edge or watching the traffic. I was lucky to be just behind the driver. I stopped looking the window and started paying attention to the view through the windshield. I wish I had had a GoPro back then because the footage would have been crazy: Vespas weaving in and out of traffic, cars trying to out weave the Vespas, tour buses stopping where they should not stop and the public buses maneuvering their way through all of this madness. It was like a movie.
The most impressive were the Vespas: small scooters, holding one or two people, that are extremely efficient in navigating the roads through good weather. They do have a winter in that area, so I imagine that people go back to the buses or taxis. Locals told us that maybe one car per family is more practical than several: lack of parking, less roads than other municipalities and expense. But Vespas? They're like bicycles there: everyone has one. And it made sense. The longer we were there, the more logical having a Vespa became. Of course, you have to train like you're driving the Daytona 500 to manipulate the terrain but hey, when in Amalfi...
We never rented any, we used the bus routes and got to know the people at the tabacchi very well. Now, you may have noticed that I mentioned the tabacchi a few times. They are licensed shops that not only may be a convenience store but also has the bus info, sell tickets and maybe maps. In smaller towns, they probably have the local gossip but that's another story. Even in smaller cities, the people working there may speak your language but if not, make sure you have a translation app on your phone.
And speaking of phone...Well, these were the days before better international plans or even phones that worked in other countries without changing the SIM card or getting an e-SIM card. We needed WiFi everywhere and we were communicating with loved ones via email. Not even text or WhatsApp. Technology changed so fast but that's how it then. It seems archaic now but Internet cafes were big back then and I would buy about 15 minutes to check in or to download tourism information. I did have an e-reader and I had some travel info digitally, but sometimes we needed more info.
We visited Positano, Amalfi and Capri on this trip. And those adventures are for another travel journal blog post!
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