After spending a great time in Naples and Ischia, we rented a car (more on that later) from Naples airport, and headed to Amalfi Coast. On our way, we visited Villa Poppea, which is one of the most well-preserved luxurious Roman villas of that time, probably belonging to the second wife of Emperor Nero. Since this is separate from Pompeii, it is often overlooked by visitors.

After the visit, we headed to our accommodation in Amalfi Coast. To minimize our packing and unpacking and getting to know a new place, we try to stay in one place for a longer period of time. For this reason, we stayed in an agriturismo called Tenuta La Picola, which is basically a farm stay, for seven days. We are very happy with this choice, as 1) it was an amazing place, with endless views over the Tyrrhenian Sea, and 2) it was strategically located in the middle of Amalfi Coast, so we could visit both sides easier. The owner and the employees were super hospitable, and went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. They also served delicious pastries in the morning, along with our choice of coffee. I am yet to find bad pastry in Italy, especially in Naples area.

Amalfi Coast is a popular tourist destination, with sheer cliffs where mountains plunge into the sea, and a rugged shoreline dotted with small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages turned world-famous tourist destinations. During our stay, we visited most of the Amalfi Coast villagess, including Ravello, Amalfi, Atrani, Minori, Maiori, Vietri Sul Mare, Cetara, Praiano, Furore, and of course Positano.

Amalfi and Atrani are two adjacent villages right in the middle of Amalfi Coast. Amalfi has a rather unique-looking cathedral, with hints of Islamic-inspired architecture, and it has lended its name to the coast due to its historical prominence as a political center. Amalfi is probably the second or third most popular destination in Amalfi Coast, after Positano, and Sorrento. You can actually walk between Amalfi and Atrani either on the road, or by walking through a pedestrian tunnel. Atrani is a more laid-back village, with narrow alleyways winding up the steep cliffs. You also find cheaper parking in Atrani, but you need to know where to park.

Ravello is different from other villages, as it is located on a hill above the water, and for that reason, it has gorgeous views over the coast. We visited Villa Rufolo with its panoramic garden. Well worth a visit.

Positano is the most popular village in Amalfi, and for a good reason. Its pastel-colored houses built on top of each other is the iconic image of Amalfi Coast. The beach though pebbly, is a good place to spend some time, and soak in the views. Note that Positano is a steep cliff-side village, and if you park up, there are many stairs to climb down and up again. More on the parking situation later.

Minori didn’t seem to have anything special, other than an amazing pastry shop called Pasticceria Sal De Riso. We went to Minori twice just to have dessert there, and I have to say we had the best pastries ever both times.

Praiano doesn’t seem to have much to offer, but there I got the best haircut ever. The guy was working on my hair like he is Michelangelo! On top of that, it was half the price I pay in Seattle. :)

Vietri Sul Mare and Cetara are the on the farthest side of Amalfi Coast, close to the city of Salerno, in fact. They don’t get much tourist traffic for that reason, but we enjoyed visiting both. Vietri Sul Mare is famous for its ceramic industry, and in fact, you see ceramic all over the place in the village itself. Cetara, on the other hand, is famous for its fish, and we had great seafood there for lunch. We ordered octopus by mistake, and even though we had never tried it before and it looked alien, it actually tasted pretty good! That was quite an experience on itself.

Overall, I think seven days was just the right amount of time, as it allowed us to slow down, and visit not only the main attractions, but also off-the-beaten path locations too. But if you don’t have a full week, I highly suggest at least a full day in Positano, and another for Amalfi and Atrani. Amalfi Coast was a memorable stay, and we will be surely returning back!

I want to end the post with a story. The last day in Amalfi Coast, we visited two places without any prior arrangement: A farm called Agriturismo Serafina in the morning, and a 5-star hotel called Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi in the evening. The first one was to see the farm life in Amalfi coast, and the owner kindly welcomed us in, despite the fact that she was in the middle of her morning routine (feeding animals, etc). She showed us the farm, the animals, and their farm products, without expecting anything from us. We loved their products, and bought some olive oil and cheese from her (highly recommend staying with them, if you want to live in a real farm for a few days). The second place, was a different story though, and it has its own backstory. Back in January, when were visiting family in Mashhad, I saw a large size photo from Amalfi coast in a cafe, and that was the moment I wanted to visit Amalfi Coast, and capture the same photo. I did not know from where the photo was taken tough, and through a lot of searches on Google Maps, I managed to find the exact location, which was within the abovementioned hotel. So I decided to go there, and try and see whether I can capture the same shot. However, after driving all the way there, and walking up 100+ stairs to get there, I ended up behind a closed gate, and they didn’t even open the door for me to have a face to face discussion! I told them that I came all the way from Seattle to take this photo, but they said because of the “privacy of their guests”, they can’t allow non-guests to enter the hotel area. This was of course all very disappointing for me (to say the least), but the contrast between the two encounters was what struck me. The farmer went out of her way to welcome us in, and the rich people hotel didn’t even open the door, because their rich guests “won’t feel special” if an ordinary person walks in. I guess the exclusivity is all the rich people have. At the end of the day, I managed to get some good shots on the way to the hotel anyways.

Next stop is Matera!

As usual, here is a link to my instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/photopensieve/

Follow me to see the latest photos of the trip. I’ll end the post with an FAQ.

FAQ

How was the rental car experience?

Well, not so well. I had paid for an automatic Audi A1 “like” car, and (apparently) the only thing I had to pay extra was for the child seat. When I got to Avis at Naples Airport, the guy said the only car available in that class (!!!) is a tiny Toyota Yaris, and I can upgrade to a larger car with only 5 euros more per day, and he will instead waive the child seat fee (which would basically cancel it out). There was an Audi A1 parked outside, and when I asked him about it, he said that is for their manager’s use! He also said I could pay 100 euros more to have zero deductible insurance, which sounded like a good deal. I accepted both, but somehow I ended up 1) paying a bunch of taxes for the location, etc, which the guy explained in a hand-wavy manner, 2) 7 euros per day, instead of 5 for the larger car, and 3) 120 euros for the full insurance! Anyhow, I opted for a Toyotas C-HR Hybrid instead, to save some gas, and be kinder to the environment. We also had a hard time installing and securing the child seat, as the Avis employees declined to help out due to being afraid of being sued!

How is the driving experience in Naples, and Amalfi Coast?

Given what I had read online, and later saw in Naples, I would not have wanted to drive in Naples city center (anyways it is a restricted zone, or ZTL), that’s why we rented the car when we wanted to leave Naples. Driving experience in Amalfi Coast is maybe equally infamous, as the roads are twisty and barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and you have many local drivers who love tailgating the poor tourists (and you know a tourist driver when you see one). Add on top of that, there are huge tourist and local buses on the road, and seeing one coming right at you full speed is quite nerve-racking! I always gave the right of way to the buses, as I did not want to try passing them with full speed. Specially if you see a bus coming at you in a turn, make sure you stop well before the turn so that the bus can properly pass you. I also tried to keep my speed as low as possible, not only for safety, but also to minimize the carsickness for our family (though at times there were so many twists and turns that you feel a bit nauseous), and enjoy the views. Talking about the views, the Amalfi roads are nothing short of breathtaking. Some people opt for using buses and ferries, but for a driving enthusiast, driving the Amalfi Coast is on itself a highlight. Note that we were in Amalfi Coast during the shoulder season. From what I see online, the experience can be less enjoyable during the high season due to traffic jams though (which we did not experience for the most part). Oh, and one tip is to rent the  smallest car you can. It’s not going to be fun driving and parking a full size car in Amalfi Coast (or in Italy in general).

How was the parking situation in Amalfi Coast?

Given how tight the roads and spaces are in Amalfi Coast, parking situation is dire. You have to pay quite a bit for parking, say anything between 2 and 10 euros per hour (we occasionally paid 1 euro per hour too), depending on where and when you park. Weekend are typically more expensive, as well as the high season. I strongly recommend reading up online where to park when you visit a village. For Positano, which is the most expensive and with the least amount of parking available, the closer you get to the center, the more you have to pay, of course. We arrived in Positano relatively early (around 9:30 AM), and there were some available paid parking on the road (marked with blue line) as you enter Positano from top at the rate of 3 euros per hour (for a weekday). That meant, of course, that I had to walk all the way back up to get the car, and pick up my wife and my son on the way out. Other towns have larger parking areas, and we didn’t have as much difficulty parking. But budget around 20 euros plus per day for parking, when visiting Amalfi Coast.

How is photography going?

Surprisingly good! One perk of slowing down and spending more time in a place is that you can visit a place you like a few times, and even scout for other photos and angles. Another thing I’ve been doing is to do some research before the visit to know what kind of photos I will be taking. This has paid off handsomely so far.

We know traveling with a baby is hard; is there a silver-lining?

When you travel with a baby, you get noticed by the locals, and strike up conversations with them! Most people give the baby a smile, and at least in Italy, they sometimes even try to play with your baby a little bit. This has been a great experience so far. On top of that, sometimes you get preferential treatment, like skipping the line in Vatican Museum, or or priority boarding on flights, or room upgrades in case of our stay in Amalfi Coast. Not that many, but still nice to have them occasionally.