Amalfi Coast, Italy
June 2022
“Il dolce far niente” – “the sweetness of doing nothing”. We’ve all heard that trending sound going around on TikTok attached to compilations of everyone’s Italian summer (yes, I am guilty of this too), but the truth is, there is truly no better way to describe the Amalfi Coast. Lounging on the beach, eating pasta and pizza for every meal, infinite Aperol Spritz’s, limoncello for dessert, swimming in crystal blue water – doing nothing really is so sweet!!
Our Airbnb
Our place, Il Profumo dei Fiori SUITE, was in the perfect location to enjoy all of the things Praiano had to offer. Although there are some stairs to be climbed (which is part of the price you pay to visit the coast - so ladies bring your man), it is just above the main road with access to the bus that can take you anywhere on the peninsula. The apartment itself had a balcony with the most breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea, was decorated with the most beautiful blue tiles, and was so spacious for two people with a bedroom, kitchen, and living room – I seriously felt like we were staying in the Honeymoon suite of a 5-star hotel. Our host, Adrianna, greeted us warmly with Aperol spritz in the fridge, arranged a boat ride to Capri for us, and was quick to answer any questions we had during our week's stay. It’s safe to say that we did not want to leave by the end of the week. I couldn’t recommend our stay more!
Things To Do
Marina di Praia Beach, Via Praia, 84010 Praiano Italy
Our favorite beach in Praiano was Marina di Praia Beach, which was about a fifteen-minute walk from our Airbnb. It was located in between two beautiful cliffs, had access to water taxis and boat rides, chairs available for rental (two beach chairs for $35 per day?! Sign me up!), and the bluest water I’d ever seen. There was also a little hotel on the beach with a restaurant (Alfonso a Mare Hotel e Restaurant) with great pizza that we ordered to-go and enjoyed on the beach for lunch. I remember laying there on our first day listening to Harry Styles’ new album, hearing the waves rolling in and distant Italian chatter, thinking “Is this real life?”. I was surrounded by so much natural beauty that I couldn’t even believe it.
One Fire Beach Club, Via Gavitella, 1, 84010 Praiano SA, Italy
One Fire Beach Club, also in Praiano, was another great place to enjoy drinks and have some more fun. Although pricier, you rent beach chairs and some waiters/waitresses bring you any drink or food that you order. At the end of the day, they also had this “watermelon party” where they danced, cut open a watermelon, and shared it with all of the guests – not exactly sure what the occasion was but it was still a 10/10 experience. I would recommend making reservations ahead of time because they were almost booked up and we were lucky to get a spot. Just be aware that this place is obviously more catered to tourists and has less of a local vibe to it, but regardless it was a great way to spend our day on the water!
Boat Ride to Capri
One thing I wouldn’t skip out on during your trip to the Amalfi Coast is taking a boat ride to Capri. There are ways to do a private tour (if you’ve got lots of money to spend) but we took a tour with 10 other people and it was such a great way to meet people from all over the world. By the end of the day, we were best friends with these two Italian couples in their 60s, sharing life stories and laughing about the differences between our cultures (one of them even asked me why all Americans sound like the Kardashians). The tour offered amazing views of the coast, a few hours to explore Capri, swimming right off of the boat, and the opportunity to go see Blue Grotto (one of the famous caves on the island). Getting a boat ride on the Mediterranean Sea was worth every penny. We booked this through our Airbnb host, and I would suggest doing the same wherever you stay - but if not there are stands at the beach or little shops around the town that offer these services, or Airbnb experiences!
Path of the Gods Hike
If you love to hike, or just simply stay active while you’re on vacation, the Path of the Gods hike is for you. Now, I’m not a hiker (mostly because I’m afraid of heights) but I took one for the team because Donavan really wanted to go on this trail. It takes you all the way to the top of the mountains and overlooks the entire Sea and towns – the view was breathtaking. We did turn around after an hour because I started to panic from the height, but I’m still glad I did part of it just to see the views. The full hike takes about 4 hours, so I recommend waking up early and knocking it out before it gets hot, and the trail gets crowded. This way you can be done with the hike by late morning, and you can enjoy some R&R on the beach afterward.
Day Trip to Amalfi/Positano
Although I’ve made such a point to stay outside of Amalfi and Positano, we took day trips to each location because we obviously wanted to explore different areas of the peninsula and see what these other coastal towns offered. It is definitely worth exploring but the beaches were much more crowded and expensive. Of course, the view of the whole town in the background was incredible to see (ladies, this is where you want to get your insta pics and live out your Indy Blue dreams). The food was mediocre at best because the restaurants are all catered to tourists – you have to really try hard to get out of the main street to find good food. Don’t get me wrong, we had a great day in both places, and they are of course stunning, but had we stayed in either of these more touristy areas, our trip wouldn’t have felt as special. We truly loved Praiano and how much more it offered in terms of people, food, and experiences!
Dining
Let me just be honest here; I am a food snob. There is absolutely nothing worse than spending money on a meal that makes you regret eating - especially when you're traveling and wanting to try the cuisine of different cultures. I will say, it was hard to find bad food in Praiano (mostly because it wasn’t as touristy) but let me share my favorite places.
Bar del Sole
This place was basically like a café that had some bakery items and sandwiches to grab as a quick snack and any drink you were craving (alcoholic or non). I highly recommend going in the morning for a cappuccino and a Nutella-filled croissant, or in the evening for pre-dinner drinks. Hell, I'd just go for this view!
Trattoria S. Gennaro Pizzeria
This was the restaurant I mentioned that we ate at on our first evening…and we ate here two more times during the week. I’m going to go ahead and say that this was the best restaurant I’d been to during any trip to Italy. It was a local, laid-back restaurant run by a brother and two sisters and had the freshest salads, pizzas, and pasta. If you are wanting classic Italian dishes, this is the place to go. Seriously, one of my meals was as simple as pasta with garlic, parsley, and olive oil (aglio e olio) and I’m still thinking about it. The family was so sweet to us and even gave us complimentary Limoncello at the end of our meals. When I return back to Praiano one day, this will be the first place I go to.
Kasai
This restaurant was recommended to us by two other Americans that we met during our boat ride to Capri. It was a little bit more of an “elevated dining” vibe and had more intricate meals, which was a nice switch from our usual mom-and-pop place. We got the truffle ravioli and the fish special, and the food was very high quality. The restaurant had a line out the door, so I highly recommend making reservations ahead of time!
