Italy Archives - asthejoeflies

Mar 01 2018

Summer Suggestions: Amalfi Coast

Welcome to my new series, Summer Suggestions, where I recommend places for you to visit this summer because we can’t! While I’ll offer some ideas about how to get there, what to do, this series isn’t meant to be comprehensive. I just want to write about fun destinations and put some ideas out there for people to get in their heads. For the first of this series, I’ll discuss things to do in the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and why we loved it so much.

If you're planning a trip to Italy, you should definitely consider checking out the Amalfi Coast. How to get there, where to stay, things to do in the Amalfi Coast and more! — Amalfi Coast at night

Believe it or not, before I got married I had forgotten my love of travel. My wife and I planned a two week trip to Europe for our honeymoon that involved a week of culture (cities) and a week of relaxation (the coast). We settled on the Amalfi Coast in Italy because we both fell in love with Italy separately earlier in our lives. If you’re looking for a lovely summer vacation, family or otherwise, might I suggest the Amalfi Coast? My one caveat: you may want to consider somewhere else if your kids still use strollers. I remember shaking my head at this poor family carrying a child in a stroller up hundreds of steps in Positano. Jokes on me now, I guess!

Why visit Amalfi? It’s beautiful, with cities cut into cliffs over the ocean. Despite it being very popular with tourists, you can find quiet spaces if you’d like. If you’re active, there are lots of great hikes, if you love the water, you can find a beach or get out on the water yourself. The food and drink, of course, are great as in all of Italy,

Let’s take a quick look at how to get there, where to stay, and things to do in the Amalfi Coast!

How to get to the Amalfi Coast

Let’s be honest, odds are you choose to fly into Rome. While I don’t love Rome, it’s still pretty neat and we spent a day there before going to Amalfi. From Rome you can take a train to Naples or Salerno, Salerno already is part of the Amalfi Coast. However, most people like to go see Sorrento, which is what we did. From Naples we took a second train to Sorrento and then explored the city for a day before taking the SITA bus to Praiano where we stayed.

If you travel to the Amalfi Coast, you’ll likely become very acquainted with the SITA bus. You can buy a multi-day pass and if you’re anything like us, you’ll end up using the SITA bus to travel between the various towns dotting the Amalfi Coast. Watching these SITA bus drivers navigate tiny roads on cliff sides brings both fear and awe from new riders. It’s something you have to experience to believe, but rest assured they are professional and great at their jobs. Except maybe that one time the driver refused to yield to oncoming traffic and caused a huge traffic jam.

Miles and Points availability to Rome

Like I said, I don’t mean for this post to be comprehensive, but I did do a quick search for flights to Rome. Sorry for the East Coast bias. NYC-FCO has lots of space in economy on Delta for four:

Detroit and Boston look similar. Turns out, if you’re willing to fly economy, UA and even AA have space too. Not a bad deal for a family of four.

Where to stay in Amalfi Coast

Positano and Amalfi are the large towns and have hotels, but I would suggest renting an apartment. We rented one in the small town of Praiano, which sits in between Positano and Amalfi. You can take the aforementioned SITA bus or hike between towns. We rented from Summer in Italy, although obviously plenty of other options popped up since our honeymoon. The news that AirBnB plans to start a loyalty program might entice some people, plus there’s always VRBO and even random stuff like Trip Advisor.

We really enjoyed staying in an apartment. We cooked some of our own food, lived among the locals, and took lukewarm showers. OK, maybe it wasn’t all great. But definitely for a family (which we’ll be next time we visit), I think an apartment is the way to go.

Things to do in the Amalfi Coast

We loved our time in Amalfi, in large part because we took part in so many different activities. We stayed in our apartment for a week and had a nice mix of active and relaxing activities. While I don’t remember exact details, I’d like to give you a little taste of what you can do in Amalfi.

1. Hike

I detailed our sort of crazy hiking expedition a couple of years ago. Since the various cities of the Amalfi Coast sit in the mountains, you can hike from one to another. With the ocean below you, the experience of hiking from town to town really struck a chord with me. Like all hikes, it’s super peaceful, though these particular hikes are punctuated by the random honks of SITA buses. That added to the charm for me. Grab a map at the local TI, although the hiking is pretty straightforward: just climb in the direction of the next town and you’ll likely find it. Bring comfortable shoes!

2. Eat

OK, it’s Italy, so this is sort of cheating. But we had some amazing meals on the Amalfi Coast. Some of the best were, of course, after long hikes. I’m 90% sure we ate here in Positano. I might as well have written the Trip Advisor review that states, “We climbed up one million steps and wandered around and stumbled here for a drink. They couldn’t have been more accommodating and nice.”

But what I’d suggest above all, as I would in all of Italy, is eat like the Italians do. Take your time, drink your wine, and enjoy to the fullest. And leave room for dessert, either at the restaurant or at a gelateria.

3. Stroll

One thing we loved about staying in Praiano was taking quiet strolls in the evening after dinner. Since it’s a smaller town, it sometimes felt like we were the only tourists out at night. One night we happened on what I assume is the town square. Families of multiple generations just hung out at night. Kids playing soccer, grandparents having a chat. It was simultaneously a cacophony and very familial and intimate. I hope to bring my kids to hang out there one day.

4. Beach

While we didn’t end up sitting on the beach ourselves, there are lots of beaches available if you want to just relax in the sun. Some connect right to town, while others require walking down more flights of stairs. With the cliffs above and the sea in front of you, it’s tough to think of many more picturesque places to relax than the beaches of the Amalfi Coast.

5. Boat

Or, if you’re feeling more adventurous, find your own private beach. We rented a small motorboat for $100 USD (though this was 10 years ago) from Amalfi. After hiking, this marked my favorite part of our time in Amalfi. When you hike, you get to see the view from the top of the cliffs. In a boat, you see the view from the bottom. We boated from town to town until we found a small beach cut into the rocks. My wife swam over and had her own personal beach for half an hour. If you’re comfortable driving a boat (it’s basically like driving a car, don’t take sharp turns, stay away from the shore), I’d highly recommend this.

Final Thoughts

Like I said, this series isn’t meant to be comprehensive, but I hope you at least have an inkling of what Amalfi Coast has to offer. If you’re still deciding where to visit, I’d highly recommend putting it on the list. We had a blast and plan to go back with our (now much larger) family one day.

Have you been to the Amalfi Coast? What would you recommend? Let us know in the comments!

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Mar 03 2016

TBT: My travel obsession began in 90 degree heat (Amalfi Coast)

Hiking above Praiano — High above Praiano

Throwback Thursdays are a new feature here at asthejoeflies. They are stories from my travel experiences with zero regard to miles and points. Hopefully they inspire you, either to these destinations or beyond!

“I really don’t want to travel to multiple destinations for our honeymoon.”

In fact, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go overseas. But my wife prevailed and we made our first of many life compromises. Three cities in Spain spread out over a week combined with one week on the Amalfi Coast, our “relaxation” week.

We rented an apartment in Praiano (no hot water, bed like sheet rock), a quiet little town tucked into the mountainside between Positano and Amalfi. We’d eat dinner until 10 PM, then walk to the plaza in front of one of Praiano’s churches, where it seemed the whole town would gather until bedtime.

We had read that there were hiking trails between the coastal towns and fancied a little stroll. So we went to the local TI and asked for a map.

“It’s about a 4 hour hike to Positano, but you’ll have to go tomorrow. Make sure you leave early in the morning to avoid the heat. It’s about 1000 steps or so.”

It was midday. We went back to the apartment. We sat. And sat. Then we looked at each other.

“What else are we going to do?”

Let's just do the thing — Let’s just do the thing

So we strapped on our backpacks and set off. About five minutes in, I realized that “1000 steps or so” did not mean 1000 or so paces as my brain had interpreted. There were stairs involved. Lots of them. So much for relaxation.

These are certainly steps and not paces.

So we climbed, and climbed. We climbed so high that the sounds of an already quiet town completely faded away and all we could hear were the SITA buses honking at one another.

We sat by a church bell. We picked rosemary to use for dinner the next night. We sat in what little shade we could find while Jess drew the view in her journal.

Church above Praiano

We only passed one other group stupid enough to make the hike at that time of day. We were pretty dehydrated as we made the descent down to Positano. I wasn’t really into hiking at the time (still am not, though I have an appreciation for it) – so I didn’t realize that coming down is the hardest part. I was exhausted and my legs were shaking every step they hit.

When we made it to Positano, it turned out that the entire town was steps. Of course we walked to sea level – might as well at that point.

View of Positano halfway through the hike

We settled in for dinner at Il Grottino Azzurro, the Blue Grotto. I ate fried cheese while we chatted with a solo American traveler who missed the sound of English. It was one of the best meals I have ever had.

We took the SITA bus back to Praiano – a cold shower and sheet rock never felt so good.

Two days later we made the hike in the other direction to Amalfi. Then on to Barcelona and back home. We haven’t stopped moving since.

Seven years and two kids later, I wonder if my wife realizes that she helped create this. Does she ever wonder whether she should have just let us go to Hawaii? Because now whenever I’m at home, I’m wondering where we will be visiting next.

What else are we going to do?

Jul 05 2014

How Being Parents Changed the Way We Travel

In the Season 6 finale of How I Met Your Mother (riiiiight around the time the show started dropping off in quality), there is a running gag where Marshall thinks, incorrectly, that he will soon succumb to food poisoning and lose his lunch. The clock ticks down until it hits all naughts, but miraculously he doesn’t get sick. Right now, a few days before our upcoming trip to Germany, I feel like Marshall – Baby M came down with something yesterday and I feel like it’s only a matter of time – I will be getting sick, it’s only a matter of when. Here’s hoping it’s the day AFTER we get to Germany (because I doubt I can cycle through fast enough before).

Marshall beat the clock...but will I? — Marshall beat the clock…but will I?

Anyway, my paranoia about getting sick has had me reflecting on the ways becoming parents have changed the way we travel. It’s changed in the obvious ways – we pack differently, think about our destinations “kid-friendliness” more, and we spend more time in each city instead of running from place to place. But to me, that’s not the biggest thing that’s changed for us since having M.

Mount Fuji Japan Station 9 — This was the culmination of a heck of a lot of planning

What’s different now is our planning process. Or, to put it bluntly, our lack of planning process. We aren’t huge planners in general, but pre-parenthood, I’d always have the particulars of an itinerary locked down. I know that’s not for everyone, but that’s what we used to do. An example – in summer of 2010 Jess and I hiked Mount Fuji with a friend. It was a bit of an endeavor because we landed in Tokyo from Taipei and went straight up the mountain, quite literally. Two months before we even left the States, I started absorbing everything I could about the trip to Fuji – which train to take to which subway line to which bus station to which bus to which town to which bus to which shop to buy what supplies to take which trek up in what timeframe. By the time we got on the plane in Taipei for Tokyo, I knew the plan by heart – I had even looked up screenshots online of the bus and train stations to know what things looked like. This is the way I used to plan vacations.

Rick Steve's Germany 2014 — Rick – it’s not you it’s me.

Now? We barely have time to figure out where we are staying. I struggle using Tripit to keep track. For next week’s trip, all I’ve locked in are our transatlantic flights, hotels, and car rental. But I know next to nothing about each of the towns. Let me list for you what I know about where we are going:

– Garmisch-Pantenkirchen is supposed to be very picturesque and I think we can take a cable car up into the mountains

– Salzburg is a city where I can buy chocolate with Mozart’s face on it and do Sound of Music tours (coincidentally, the reason we are going to Salzburg)

– Berchtesgaden is where Hitler killed himself or something? Band of Brothers? Also, lots more picturesque scenery

– Vienna…sells sausages? I don’t even know. I think there is a park somewhere. More Mozart? Hot weather? Wow…definitely need to do more research on this one

– Munich…beer? I know I can buy a BMW there but I think that might eliminate some of my travel savings

Mozart chocolate Salzburg — This is a thing?

Writing that out, I kind of wish I was joking but really that is almost fully the extent of my knowledge heading into this trip. Why? Parenthood.

It’s not like we haven’t taken all of the guidebooks out from the libraries like we did in the past – we’ve had the guidebooks for months. I just don’t have any time to read them and neither does Jess (in fact since we had M she’s outsourced a lot of the decision making to me which is nice in that we don’t need to debate anything but also stressful because I don’t like the full responsibility!). We try to alleviate this issue by spending more time at our destinations. The idea is that it gives us more time to get a feel for a location and we can kind of explore it at our own pace. In the past, when we had say, two days in Paris, we needed a plan to maximize our time. Nowadays, if we get to see one “sight” per day, it’s basically a win.

Delta Business Elite — Transatlantic with a six month old was no problem…eighteen months? We’re about to find out.

I haven’t been traveling this way long enough to really consider which way I like more, though I know plenty of people without kids travel with even less plans that this. It’s just new to me. It’s kind of cool in the sense that you get to explore new locations on your own terms; at the same time, I feel like I might “miss out” on more of the local flavor if I’m stuck with only guidebooks that I read an hour before I land (instead of using the goldmine of the internet in conjunction with the books).

So, life is different with a kid, what else is new? I’m just happy we get the chance to take M to experience different cultures for a fraction of the price we’d be willing to pay (and in greater comfort). Just like I enjoy traveling because it changes my perspective on things, I know that the changes to the way we travel now that we have M will open my eyes up as well. And that’s pretty cool. I’m sure she will hate traveling by the time she is eight just like she will hate playing the piano once I start forcing her to do it, but hopefully by the time she’s eighteen she’ll appreciate it! I’d better start loading up some posts for when I’m gone though so I can hit the (guide)books…

Mar 17 2014

Some Lessons Learned from Travel in Europe

There's much more to Europe than the big cities (Mont Sainte-Odile) — There’s much more to Europe than the big cities (Mont Sainte-Odile, Alsace)

I was talking to some friends about an upcoming trip they have to Europe and got super excited for them. In talking to them, I was kinda flooded with a bunch of memories and experiences that Jess and I have had that I’ve never really written about on the blog. The reality is, I’d say at least 50% of our travel has been to Europe, but I’ve blogged very little about it because most of it was pre-blog and pre-miles obsession. But in honor of my friends’ pending trip, here are some things we learned on each of our Europe trips. And of course, I know people have different views on travel, so if you disagree or have thoughts contrary to my own, I’d love to hear them! These are just my own silly thoughts.

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Aug 06 2013

Delta Airbus 330 Business Elite Review – with a baby!

I’m not going to do an in depth trip report of our flight, but I just wanted to give my impressions of Delta’s Business Elite product – the non lie-flat kind. Delta’s fleet of Airbus A330s are leftovers from the Northwest merger, and feature angled recline seating as opposed to the 777s and 767s which have fully lie-flat seating (they’re very nice, btw, flew one from HKG-DTW once). Not the most comfortable seats, but of course it beat flying overseas in coach. We flew the same type of plane both ways so I’ll just hit both flights in the same post and touch a little bit on the infant experience at the end. If you’re interested on how we got on these flights for under $100 each, you can look here and here.

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