Katie & Justin

The Amalfi Coast is known for its amazing views — and for its harrowing roads.

Luckily, at this point in our trip, Justin was a pro at driving. We cruised through the tolls with ease. We figured out how to put gas in the car. (Yes, this was initially a struggle.) And, thanks to a warning from Jessica, we knew there were cameras on the highways to catch speeders. (Although no one else seemed to care.) So we were feeling pretty confident, cruising around with the top down and our Italian playlist on the radio.

With all the traffic in Sorrento, however, I’ve never seen such a madhouse before. Scooters zip by you, cars go wherever and whenever they feel like it, and you will most definitely get honked at if, God forbid, you ever put your foot on the brake. As we made our way up along the cliff’s edge, then there are the big tour buses, cars pulling over and people walking to take pictures. With every turn you’d make around the curve, you’d see more craziness along the road. We even saw someone riding a horse!

The views really were spectacular, but as we got higher and higher up, I had had enough. I started feeling it in my stomach. And I couldn’t help but stare at the little rail between us and the water far, far below. It was nice for the first five minutes, but then I just wanted to get to our destination already!

But first, Capri.

CAPRI

We parked our car in Sorrento and walked around a bit (with gelato) before catching the ferry to Capri. It’s a gorgeous island off of the Amalfi Coast — and, if I recall correctly, once the private paradise of the Roman emperor Augustus. This was Justin’s favorite leg of the trip.

Upon our arrival, we got a free “welcome drink” from our fancy hotel and enjoyed it on the rooftop deck with amazing views of the Gulf of Naples and Mount Vesuvius in the background. The workers then showed us around our honeymoon suite, which had a huge patio, complete with our own hot tub, and then treated us to a free bottle of prosecco. We felt like royalty!

That evening we went to the main center of town for dinner and had yet another delicious meal. I ordered eggplant parmesan and Justin had shrimp risotto, served in a bowl made out of fried cheese. (Now do you see why this was his favorite place?!) The area is known for its lemons, so we finished it off with limoncello and lemon cake. Capri is also known for its fashion boutiques and while we were dining, we kept noticing models strutting down the street by themselves in funky attire — presumably as walking advertisements. It was so bizarre! At the end of the night we grabbed a taxi, even though it was short ride back, because in Capri all of the cabs are convertibles. Ours was bright red!

The next morning the hotel served up a great spread for breakfast in the courtyard and then we went on a 3-hour private boat ride around the island. We made a stop at the Blue Grotto — where you have to scrunch down in a tiny boat to fit through the small opening and then get a brief ride around the pitch black cave to see the super bright blue water. We also made a stop at the Green Grotto, a less popular spot that’s not as saturated in color but still pretty cool. And then lastly rode right by the famous Faraglioni, three massive rocks that jet out of the sea right off of Capri. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and I could have stayed on that boat all day long. It was so nice!

POSITANO

After our lovely boat ride, we made our way to picturesque Positano. We stayed at a very unique property, a family-run bed and breakfast that was basically carved right into the cliff. The family owned the whole (vertical) lot, all the way the down to a private beach sliced in between the rocks. There were lots of stairs to go up and down, and each level had a cool area for lounging with great views of the water. One floor even had a salt water pool and a hot tub built along the rocks.

We went for a swim in the sea, kayaked along the coast and explored the center of town (with gelato). We also took a cooking class where we learned how to make spinach pie, gnocchi with pesto sauce, eggplant parmesan with tomato sauce and a chocolate cake. I had some trouble rolling the pasta for the gnocchi but Justin caught on in no time and won praise for his technique. The Italian chef couldn’t speak much English, but he did know enough to tell me that Justin “should cook” and I “should clean.” Ha!

Overall it was a big meal packed with lots of good tips — and we got to eat it all in the end!

That night we went to a discoteca that, like many things there, was literally carved into the cliff. Inside it looked like you were in a cave filled with colorful lights. Knowing that Italians don’t go out until much later than we normally would, we intentionally showed up late — a little after 11 p.m.

“You can come in,” the lady at the entrance told us. “But you are very early.”

Huh? Still?!

We walked in and the entire place was empty, aside from a few bartenders. Oops! haha

NEXT AND FINAL STOP: Rome

To be continued…

Click here for Honeymoon Part 5: Abruzzo

Click here for Honeymoon Part 4: Treia

Click here for Honeymoon Part 3: Venice

Click here for Honeymoon Part 2: Verona

Click here for Honeymoon Part 1: Lake Como

To see all of our pictures from Italy, click here for our photo albums and then click on “honeymoon.” The location will show up when you click on each picture.