Exploring Rome and the Amalfi Coast
A quick guide on exploring Rome and the Amalfi Coast.
I think of Italy as my second home, after all it’s in my blood. Every time I travel there I feel it more deeply than any other place I’ve ever been to. My parents are from there, my dad from Ischia, a beautiful island that gets shadowed by its famous neighbor Capri. However, my mother is from Sicily, another island on a much grander scale and just as beautiful.
While I’ve been to many different parts of Italy, this last trip has been extra special because I was able to share it with my kids. Our family decided to explore Rome and the Amalfi coast, one week in Rome and one week in Amalfi. I also wanted everyone to see my dad’s island of Ischia. We added a one night sleep over to see family and show the kids where their grandfather came from. Because Ischia is a bit of a distance off the coast we decided we would stay in Amalfi so we could explore the other towns along the coastline. My dream is to go back to Ischia one day and spend more time there and use it as a home base.
What to Pack For Rome
One thing to keep in mind if you have never experienced an Italian summer is that it’s going to be very hot. Italians dress nicely so leave the athletic attire at home, unless you are working out at a gym.
For the Ladies
* Consider summer dresses that could go from day to night as part of your wardrobe.
* A lightweight sweater to cover shoulders when entering certain religious areas.
* Shorts and pretty sleeveless tops, skirts.
* A few inexpensive necklaces and earrings.
* An anti-theft bag such as this Anti-theft Bag from Travelon, they have all different styles and colors.
* Sandals and sneakers (whatever is your most comfortable stylish sneaker that you can wear with dresses) many streets are cobblestone so be prepared, I would leave heels at home, make sure sandals have good grip.
* Small travel size umbrella
KEY TIP – Bring a couple of lightweight scarves to help dress up your outfit. More importantly to cover your shoulders when entering churches. Some churches, such as the Vatican have strict dress codes for entering. My daughter and I keep a scarf in our daily bag at all times just in case. Generally they look for shoulders covered, not to short skirts or shorts.
For the Guys
* Polo Shirts
* Plain t-shirts
* Lightweight Shorts
* Khaki pants – Eddie Bauer and Banana Republic have nice travel lines for men. They can be pricey so try to grab them on a sale. Both my husband and teenage son love them, they are fashionable, lightweight and make you stand out less in a crowd.
Key Tip – Stay away from graphic t-shirts and any logo style shirts ie. college shirts, favorite sports teams, etc.
The goal is to try to not stand out as a tourist and be targeted.
Rome
Where to Stay
Having been to Rome before, we knew we wanted to stay in the Centro Storico neighborhood near Piazza Navona. Through VRBO we found an apartment and were connected to From Home to Rome to handle it all. Our apartment was walking distance to many of the big sites but tucked away from all the walking traffic and noise. Right around the corner was a main street filled with so many restaurants and shops so we didn’t have to go far for food. It was perfect spot with a supermarket literally a stone’s throw away and a few restaurants to make the area a bit lively but not overly so.
What to See and Do
Rome is very walkable, however it is a large city. You can walk most of the time but to get to a few spots you may need to grab a taxi. There are stands in certain areas you just walk up and grab one that is available. Taxi’s can also be used to get to the train station for your departures to your next destination, in our case Amalfi.
I could go on and on about what to see and do because there truly is so much, and we by no means covered it all in one visit. The most important advice would be to figure out the sites you want to see ahead of time. If those sites are really popular sites book them online months in advance.
Viator, which books through to the company City Wonders is great in getting tickets for events and sites. They are really great about updates and ticketing all done via your phone. Their communication was great, ticketing was mobile, and they sent updates and reminders. We used them for the Colosseum and Vatican tours. Booking ahead is a smart move, for us, the day time Colosseum tours were completely booked our entire stay so we did a sunset tour. It ended up being perfect and I would recommend it. There were less tourists in the area and it was much cooler at night so we weren’t sweating through it all. We also got great pics of it lit up at night.
The beauty of travel is exploring, so we did just that.
The Pantheon is free, go early there is no line to get in and it’s much cooler.
Trevi Fountain was beautiful but overly crowded so we went early one morning (7am) to grab pics with less tourists in them. People are catching to doing this so I recommend going even earlier.
Campo Del Fiori has a beautiful market to buy produce and other items and there is a great bakery located right in the square.
Here are some of the other things to consider:
Piazza Navona
Spanish Steps (and all the shops surrounding it)
Victorio Emanuele II
Walked the Monti neighborhood
Stroll into Churches you happen along the way, many are beautiful inside
Museo Nazionale Di Roma
St. Peter in Chains Church
Explore the Trastevere neighborhood
Our Coloseum tour included Capitoline Hill and the Forum
Foods to Try
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you to eat pizza, pasta or gelato, you know you will find plenty here.
The pasta in this region is Cacio e Pepe so give that a try.
Gelato is pretty good everywhere, more pricey in some places.
If you are adventurous try Carciofi alla Romana (Roman style artichokes) or Carciofi alla Giudia (artichokes Jewish style).
Suppli (rice balls with mozzarella).
Visit bakeries and grab some pastries or Paninis to eat as you people watch or stroll along the beautiful cobblestone streets.
Find restaurants off the beaten path not so much catering to tourists, better quality food and sometimes not so overpriced. We did eat in Piazza Navona our first night just to give the kids the experience but that was the only time we ate at such a touristy attraction.
How To Get To The Amalfi Coast From Rome
Our family traveled to Amalfi by train. We took a train from Rome to Salerno, and had arranged for a driver to drive us to Amalfi. While this can be pricey it was a cool and comfortable ride. The driver was a mini tour guide pointing out different areas along the way. He answered all kinds of questions, and stopped at an overlook to take our family picture.
What To Pack For The Amalfi Coast
All the items mentioned above in addition to:
* Sunscreen, while you can buy some in Italy it’s much more expensive, so consider bringing some and purchasing if you need more.
* Bathing suits
* Microfiber towels – You can get them from Amazon
* Hats – the sun can be brutal
Key Tip – The Amalfi Coast is all hills, be prepared for lots of steps and long walks up hill. Flat shoes, sandals or sneakers are highly recommended.
Exploring the Amalfi Coast
There is basically one road that goes through all the towns along the coast. Choices for traveling in between the towns are by rental car, bus, ferry, or hired driver. You can also walk to some of the towns depending on where you are staying along the coast.
If you rent a car, be prepared to drive winding roads, hit lots of traffic, and find limited parking in the small towns.
There is bus service between towns, however during the summer they are very crowded and you’re waiting in very long lines.
The ferry is a good way to navigate and there will be lines but usually it’s right before boarding. It’s a good way to see the small towns from the water vantage point.
We did hire a driver to get us from Salerno to Amalfi. In addition, we took a day trip to Pompeii and hired a driver to get us to Pompeii. Also we hired a driver to get us to the airport in Naples. If you can afford it, it’s the best option, especially for longer trips.
Amalfi
Staying in Amalfi was the best fit for us, because we wanted a central location. After visiting some of the other towns, I’m glad we did. Atrani, was really quiet and Positano was beautiful, but so touristy and crowded. Amalfi had just the right mix of tourists and quiet beautiful little streets to stroll along, with hidden restaurants to discover, and a great beach. It pretty much had everything we needed for the week.
Be Prepared To Climb
The town of Amalfi sits on a mountain side so be prepared for inclines and many, many steps. It’s not for the faint of heart or those with walking difficulties. To get to our apartment we had to climb 190 steps. That means 190 up 190 down multiple times a day. So consider that when packing as you’re hauling your luggage up lots of steps. Most of Amalfi’s streets are really walking paths or tunnels with one big square and main street with the church being the centerpiece.
Amalfi has a ferry and bus system to get to the other towns. We utilized the ferry system to get to the island of Ischia and also to Positano. The same ferry system can take you out to Capri and the other islands in the area. We did not use the bus system because of overcrowding and unpredictable time schedules.
What to See and Do In Amalfi
Rent beach chairs and umbrellas and relax.
Watch the coconut vendors selling ice cold fresh coconuts.
Visit the Paper Museum (it’s a small museum, inexpensive with a guided tour and really interesting)
Stroll through the streets and have a snack in Piazza del Duomo
Visit the main church Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea
Find hidden restaurants off the main street to enjoy a meal
Find the path to Atrani and wander over to explore the town (our best meal was at Ristorante Savo, the first restaurant on the left as you enter town)
Take the ferry to the other towns along the coast or to one of the islands in the Bay of Naples
We arranged for a driver to take us to Pompeii (it was about an hour drive) and then we took the train to Sorrento and explored the city before hopping back on the ferry to Amalfi.
Foods to Try
This area is big on fish and lemons so any type of fish, octopus is delicious and prepared very well.
Lemon granita, basically shaved lemon water ice but so much better.
Pastries- rum babba, sfogliatelle and anything that appeals to you. There is a beautiful pastry shop right in the main square. Here you can do take away or lounge inside or outside and have an espresso and pastry.
Positano
A quick note about Positano. My daughter and I decided to take the ferry early one morning to visit the town before it got too hot and very crowded. While Positano is very pretty it is also very crowded. As the morning went on there were more and more tourists making it harder to navigate. A recommendation would be to go early, walk around, explore some shops, stop for a pastry and coffee and head back to your own town, or move on to another location.
Ischia
I would be remiss not to talk about my dad’s island of Ischia. While its neighboring island of Capri gets all the attention, Ischia has been voted the most beautiful island in the world. It’s less touristy, the people are friendly and the food is just as fantastic. You can explore the thermal spas in a number of places the most well known being The Poseidon Gardens and relax on the beach. The Castello Aragonese d’Ischia is an another great place to explore and the views are fantastic. If you are feeling adventurous you can climb to the top of the island for more amazing views.
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