Trip Report: Italy - Amalfi Coast June 15-22 2016 with pre-days in Rome

[TXTransplant]

I didn't post yesterday because we had an absolutely full, amazing, and exhausting day in Capri. I will post more details and pics later, but trust me when I say that day alone is worth the trip!

We are in Florence now, after a stop in Pompeii. Pompeii was also incredible! Our local guide (we had the same one for three days - his name was Michael) was fantastic, and there are so many great/interesting photo opportunities at Pompeii.

I intended to post while we were on the train from Florence to Naples, but the wifi went out completely about 20 min in. I'll try to catch up later tonight.

 

[DollyM]

I didn't post yesterday because we had an absolutely full, amazing, and exhausting day in Capri. I will post more details and pics later, but trust me when I say that day alone is worth the trip!

I was afraid you'd say that.

 

[TXTransplant]

Capri was absolutely amazing and we had perfect weather. To get there, we took a public ferry. It's about a 30 or 40 min ride. Once we arrived, we took the funicular to the top, and our local guide took us on a short tour. We went to some gardens with a beautiful view of the coastline and stopped for group and individual photos. After that, we had on our own time for a couple of hours.

We wandered around, stopping in a lovely perfumerie (where I bought a scent that smells just like the Amalfi Coast!) and a souvenir shop for some cute t-shirts. Then we wandered back to the "exclusive" street with all of the designer shops...Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Hermes, etc. We looked for famous people but didn't see any, although another couple with us sat down right next to Kris Jenner.

We were almost ready to get lunch when another family on our tour told us about a trail with some spectacular views. Since I didn't get to go to Ravello, I really wanted to check this out. After 3 false starts (lots of dead-end paths on Capri!), we finally found the right path. Unfortunately, by this point, we were approaching our meeting time, so we practically ran down the path and back up the VERY steep hill. My poor junior adventurer was huffing and puffing and very red-faced! But we got some good pics!

After that, we grabbed a quick snack and went back down the funicular to catch our boat. We took a boat ride all along the coast while our guide pointed out points of interest. After tooling around, we stopped and anchored and went for a swim.

I do NOT like cold water, but in the interest of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, I just jumped in. The water was amazingly refreshing and super salty! We swam for probably 30 min, and it was just wonderful. Nothing but the pics can really do this experience justice.

After the swim, we got back on the boat and the captain took us back to the island. After a short walking tour and some limoncello tasting, we had maybe 1.5 or almost 2 hours to wander around the lower part of the island. The area at the base, where the boats dock, is small and only has a few shops. But there are plenty of places to stop and have a drink or a snack, and a lot of the stores will do tastings. We had the extra time at the end because we were at the mercy of the public ferry schedule. So, really, that's what we were waiting for.

We then took another public ferry back to Sorrento and then had dinner on our own. We ate at a fantastic place owned by the same family who owns the hotel. It was the most beautiful restaurant I've ever eaten at.

We were on Capri from about 9 am and didn't return to Sorrento until about 6. So, this was an absolutely packed day. It's one of the reasons I say the trip is worth this day alone.

 

[TXTransplant]

At the top of the funicular



Gardens at the top of the island



View from the gardens



More views





The perfumerie



Beautiful flowers





View from the trail



The beach

 

[TXTransplant]

The boat ride. The water color ranges from dark sapphire blue to deep turquoise (almost emerald). Most of the pics are on my actual camera (vs cell phone), but these are a couple of highlights.





Dinner



Gelato - pineapple basil, cinnamon, and vanilla ginger



Hotel room

 

[DollyM]

I think I need to go back to Capri some day.

We also ate at that restaurant. Based on my pictures it looks like we sat in the same general area. It was beautiful. And we had gelato at Raki twice, the first time was during our pre-stay and the second was after Robyn and Marcello recommended it.

 

[tgeorge]

Capri and Pompeii are the two places I've been very excited about seeing in Italy. Of course, Rome and Florence are places I want to visit, but this itinerary, to me, would be absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing pictures with us.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Loved Capri. We went on our DCL cruise in 2011. Didn't get a chance to go to the Blue Grotto--we didn't have time--so I need to go back

 

[TXTransplant]

Loved Capri. We went on our DCL cruise in 2011. Didn't get a chance to go to the Blue Grotto--we didn't have time--so I need to go back

Just to clarify...ABD won't take you to the Blue Grotto, either. It's difficult to enter and access is limited. It would be extremely difficult to do with a large tour group. It is also even more weather dependent than the boat ride we went on (I heard the grotto was actually closed the day we were there).

There would not be any time to do it on your own during this ABD trip to Capri, either. You would need to book pre- or post-days in Sorrento.

I just wanted to make sure that was clear, in case anyone was interested.

 

[TXTransplant]

Pompeii was amazing. We were led by our local guide, Michael, who did a fantastic job. The site is very expansive, and there is a lot to see. I can't imagine visiting without a guide. We walked around for a good 2 or 2.5 hours, which was plenty of time. I'm sure you could spend more, but there is absolutely no shade. The weather was comfortable during our visit, but I can imagine it gets VERY hot. It's also very dusty.

After Pompeii, we took a bus to the train station where we had about a 20 or 30 min wait for our train. During that time, we were given a box lunch.

I have to say that waiting in the two train stations (Roma Termini and Napoli Centrali) were the only times I felt nervous. It seems odd to pass through metal detectors at every museum/attraction (the Vatican, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Accademia, and Uffizi) and not the train station. I'm sure there is no practical way to screen people, as the stations are very open and chaotic, but the vulnerability is obvious.

We arrived in Florence sometime between 3 and 4. The hotel is Hotel Bernini. The room is fine but it is noticeably smaller. Breakfast is ok...the selection is very limited. The location of the hotel is fantastic, though!

After arriving, we had some time to walk around (we went to get gelato) and then came back to the hotel for dinner.

 

[sayhello]

Gorgeous pics! I agree that Capri was one of the best days of my Med cruise ABD add-on. We didn't get as much time there as you did, but I know I need to go back there some day!

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

Pompeii

 

[TXTransplant]

There was one negative to Pompeii. Sometime last winter a "temporary" exhibit of giant bronze statues was installed. The statues are nice, but they do not belong AT ALL. I spent most of my time trying to photograph around them.

 

[TXTransplant]

View from our hotel in Florence.



Gelato - dark chocolate and pineapple ginger with lime sage. I think the like sage has been my favorite so far...so delicious!

 

[TXTransplant]

Today we had a late start...didn't have to meet until 945 am. We were joined by our local guide, Sam. We pretty much went straight to the Accademia to see David. There was a line, even for groups with reservations, but after a short wait and a little intervention buy our guide, we were in after about 15 min.

The statue of David is absolutely beautiful, and despite the long line outside, the inside wasn't crowded. We were able to get up close and take some great pics. There isn't much else to see here, so we left and did a short walking tour that focused on the Duomo. We had several good picture opportunities along the way. You do not go in the church on this tour, though.

After the walking tour, we had an excellent lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the Uffizi. The line there was crazy long, and we had a longer wait. It was probably more like 30 minutes. We barely lined up under the portico before it started to rain.

After the wait, we had maybe an hour and a half in the museum. Our local guide was extremely knowledgeable and took us to see the highlights. The junior adventurers went on a scavenger hunt with Robyn and Marco.

This kind of art really isn't my thing, but we saw the major works by Boticelli, Raphael, Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and a few others. I don't think we were in there more than about 2 hours, but that was the perfect length of time for me.

We finished a little after four and had on our own time. We got gelato (shocking, I know!) and went shopping at a leather shop that our guide Sam had pointed out as the best. I got a gorgeous leather jacket. Everything in the store was stunning, though, and it was difficult to choose. The prices on the tags are way marked up. I got an "ABD discount" and paid 420 euros for mine. Not cheap, but on par with leather jacket prices in the US - except mine is unbelievably soft and very high quality (not that bonded leather crap they have started selling in the US).

 

[TXTransplant]

I love how you get peek-a-boo views of the cathedral and dome from all over the city!











From the Uffizi



Gelato - dark chocolate with cherry and cherry with cinnamon

 

[DollyM]

Pompeii was amazing. We were led by our local guide, Michael, who did a fantastic job. The site is very expansive, and there is a lot to see. I can't imagine visiting without a guide. We walked around for a good 2 or 2.5 hours, which was plenty of time. I'm sure you could spend more, but there is absolutely no shade. The weather was comfortable during our visit, but I can imagine it gets VERY hot. It's also very dusty.

Agreed. I went to Pompeii on July 1, 2014 while on a cruise. It was a beautiful day in Naples but it was so hot at Pompeii. We did it on our own and I used Rick Steves' audio guide app and pages from his guide book. We were there for about two hours and everything we saw was amazing. We used the entrance by the train station and except for the forum, everything we saw this year with Michael/ABD was different. The theater would have been an overlap since it's on Rick's walking tour but we were too hot to go any further.

 

[TXTransplant]

Capri and Pompeii are the two places I've been very excited about seeing in Italy. Of course, Rome and Florence are places I want to visit, but this itinerary, to me, would be absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing pictures with us.

It would be super easy to add pre- or post-days in Rome!

 

[sayhello]

*SO* jealous you got to take photos of the David! They weren't allowed when I was there.

It does look like the Hotel is in an amazing location.

Wish I'd had time to shop for leather in Florence, but I got lost during our OYO time there, and made it back to the meeting spot just in time to return to the ship...

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

*SO* jealous you got to take photos of the David! They weren't allowed when I was there.

It does look like the Hotel is in an amazing location.

Wish I'd had time to shop for leather in Florence, but I got lost during our OYO time there, and made it back to the meeting spot just in time to return to the ship...

Sayhello

I actually have a great photo of the statue from my visit in 2000. It's in a big frame/collage (along with a bunch of other photos) on my mantle. I guess a few years ago, photos were banned, but now they are allowed again.