Rome + Amalfi Coast
Day 1: Rome
I flew into Rome International Airport (FCO) and took a train to the city center to meet my friend and start our trip together. After a long travel day, there was nothing better than seeing her waiting for me with a cappuccino in hand.
The best cure for jet lag is to just get moving and stay awake despite how tired you are. We checked into the First Roma Dolce and immediately started our walking tour. First stop, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.
One of our favorite meals we had during our entire trip was at Hotel Eden’s Il Giardino Ristorante. The cacio e pepe and squash blossoms were otherworldly.
With such a short amount of time in Rome, we tried to squeeze in as many sights as possible. Luckily, Chelsea is an Italy expert and knew how to get around Rome quickly so was able to see a lot! After visiting the Pantheon and several piazzas, I experienced my first aperitivo (Italian happy hour) at Piazza Campo de’ Fiori. I’m still confused as to why we don’t have aperitivo in the U.S. — who doesn’t want snacks AND alcohol?!
For dinner we scored a last-minute table at the popular Restaurant Roscioli. Even though I was falling asleep at the table by this point, the pasta and artichokes were worth staying awake for.
The next morning we had a 10-course breakfast (mainly desserts) at the First Roma before a photoshoot with Pix Around You. I’ve never been happier than I was eating breakfast that morning. Our hotel literally has the word “dessert” in it, but even this breakfast blew my expectations out of the water.
Day 2-3 | Ravello
We took a 2-hour train from Rome to Salerno where a driver met us to take us to the stunning Palazzo Avino. I am so happy we had a driver because at one point we considered driving ourselves along the Amalfi Coast. Without a doubt, there’s no way we could’ve managed it by ourselves. The only thing I can compare that drive to is the scene in Harry Potter when they’re on the Knight Bus on the streets of London squeezing through traffic… yes it was that scary and dramatic.
It’s worth spending a little more and go with a driver just to avoid the stress and potential mental breakdowns.
Palazzo Avino sits on a hill overlooking the coast creating an amazing backdrop for photos by the pool. Between the ocean views and endless lemon groves, I felt like I was peeking behind the gates of heaven. God is quite the artist.
My favorite experience from the Amalfi Coast was our three-hour dinner at Cumpa Cosimo in Ravello. All the reviews you read are true about this restaurant. We came as strangers and left feeling like family after trying mama’s (as the locals call her) pasta sampler and delize al limone. We learned quickly that if you tell her how delicious her pasta is, she will bring you more and won’t be satisfied until your plate is clean. My new found love for delize al limone (a lemon cake that’s a staple on the coast) started here and no other restaurant tried makes it quite like mama does. I had such a craving for it, I even DMed mama’s son on Instagram to see if he could bring me a to-go slice before heading to our next destination!
We spent the next day exploring Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo then stopped for the world’s (in my book) best pizza at Mimí Pizzeria e Cucina. You can definitely get all your steps in spending the day walking around Ravello. For dinner, we headed next door to Belmond Hotel Caruso. I couldn’t visit without snapping a pic in front of their famous infinity pool! We had such a fun night singing karaoke and dancing with Carmello, their seasonal entertainer.
Day 4-5 | Capri
The ferry from Amalfi to Capri in rainy weather was not my favorite part of the trip. We stayed at the Capri Tiberio Palace for two nights, which was the perfect amount of time in Capri. One of the main attractions are the beach clubs, but sadly we arrived a week before the clubs opened. We spent time shopping, eating and just walking around the island.
We had our favorite lunch in Capri at Hotel Caesar Augustus and gorged on fresh fish, pasta and vegetables. The hotel has an impressive garden onsite and the chef picks everything every morning! Our first night in Capri, we had a rainy and “romantic” pasta dinner at Al Caprí.
Capri has the best shopping with tons of designer stores. This is place to buy something fancy unless you plan on going to the outlets! This sweet Italian man at Capri Handmade made us custom sandals on our day trip to Anacapri. Chelsea remembered him from studying abroad over five years ago so it was a cool moment when she realized he was still making sandals!
Day 6 | Amalfi
The ferry back to the mainland was a much smoother ride this day and my stomach was thankful for it. We had a multi-course dinner at and we tried everything from squid ink pasta, and so many Italian wines.
This hotel is a photographer’s dream (seriously most of my Instagram photo’s were from this hotel!). The beach club is supposedly a happening place throughout the summer and I can totally see why. Seeing the wisteria in bloom and enjoying the pool before high season made this experience more magical.
Day 7 | Praiano
After stuffing ourselves with sic croissants each, we hopped on the local bus for a quick 20-minute ride to Praiano. We spent our last night in Italy at Casa Angelina in Praiano, a small town between Amalfi and Positano. The hotel sits on a cliff overlooking Positano — the views are unbelievable even photos don’t entirely do it justice.
Our hotel driver dropped us off in Positano so we could explore for the day and have lunch at Le Sirenuse, a lemon lover’s dream. At this point, you’re probably starting to catch on that there are just no ugly places in Italy and no bad food.
Our last night on the Amalfi Coast ended in traditional Italian fashion, with aperitivo on the roof of Casa Angelina while learning how to make margherita pizza with the chef! In the morning, they made us to-go breakfast bags for our ride to the airport. We were sad to leave this little slice of heaven, but our driver was the cherry on top of the trip. He shared great information about Italian history and stories from life on the Amalfi Coast.