Pompeii. Sorrento. Capri. Amalfi. To say I was excited to tour the Amalfi Coast is an understatement. Made of bucket list dreams, we opted for a three day Italian Adventure tour through Busabout. Having already done tours through their sister companies Shamrocker Adventures and Haggis Adventures in Ireland and Scotland, we knew we were in for a good time.
Leaving from Rome, our first stop was the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Having studied the site in high school, it was such an odd feeling to be amongst the streets and homes I had once seen on the pages of history books. The only downfall was doing a 2 hour guided tour in the middle of a hot summer’s day. There were also bushfires happening during our time at the site, giving Mt Vesuvius an eerie glow.
After the historical part of our tour it was on to Sorrento, our base for the next two nights. Staying at a camping site, we were sleeping in what were called ‘tent cabins’. Canvas type walls, lino floors, two single beds and one small window which gave slight relief to the heat (first class travel whinge). We had a limoncello tasting in town with the loveable Tony and then did what any bunch made up of mostly Aussies, Kiwis and Brits would do on a tour – we had a four course Italian meal and got a little bit ‘happy’. A few too many cocktails later made for an interesting night we will never forget.
We certainly were remembering the night before the morning after via a very rocky boat ride to the Isle of Capri. However the torture was worth it when we arrived and spent the day exploring the island, travelling in very cool open top taxis and catching the chair lift in Anacapri up to the summit of the island for a most spectacular view. A 13 minute ride up and the same time down also was the best and most relaxing way to travel to the peak. The infamous Blue Grotto cave was unfortunately closed while we were there due to rough seas (again, boat ride torture) but had a relaxing afternoon at the beach before heading back for dinner at our campsite.
An early start the next morning gave us a great view of Positano with the sun peering over the mountains while also seeing the beginnings of more bushfires. We then made our way slowly to the town of Amalfi as we had a mexican standoff with a local bus. If you have ever been along the Amalfi Coast, you know the road is not wide enough for buses to go both ways (although local buses are allowed to). As the coast was being shut down behind us, the poor local bus driver had to reverse his bus along the winding road for a solid 10 minutes before he could do a U-turn and head back to Amalfi.
Once we reached Amalfi, we had the chance to explore before a boat ride out on the water for a refreshing swim. It was such a treat to see the area from the sea and would recommend it to anyone. Once we dried off, we headed to the higher altitude town of Ravello. Small in size but oozing with character (and kittens!) we ate some delicious Arancini balls and gelato (naturally) while taking some photos of the view. It was a great way to end our tour before heading back to Rome, learning a bit more about its extensive history from our informative Dutch guide Mick.
We finally got to enjoy hotel life after too long on our trip and took a break from Italian food by eating dumplings at a nearby restaurant that were so good we may have visited again the following night.
Below you will find plenty of envy-inducing photos.
See you on the flip side!
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The Webb Files 