Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast represent the paradise that I never thought I would be able afford to go to. But you really can see this beautiful coastline on a budget.

When my boyfriend, Iacopo, and I booked our flight, we initially thought I’d be coming from Vietnam to then head straight back afterwards. Consequently, we only booked a week. My Asian adventure came to an end sooner than expected and I was back home in Scotland in May for a week before jetting off to Italy. In the end, a week was plenty of time, however I would never say no to spending more days in Italy.

We went at the end of May / start of June for a wedding. It was for Iacopo’s Italian colleague, Francesco and his German fiancée, Laura. They both had been living in Glasgow together and we were so lucky to get an invite. It was a complete dream. It was the perfect time of year; not too hot and not too many tourists. The roads and beaches were practically empty!

Getting there

Our flight out was a late one from Glasgow to Rome. We stayed in a really nice Airbnb 20 minutes from Termini. We went out at around 11pm for a much needed dinner; the last thing we had was a shared bottle of Prosecco on the train to Prestwick airport.

We shared a pizza and a mix of typical fried dishes from Rome, all washed down with a beer. We both crashed when we got to the room which was great as we were up super early for our train to Napoli. After a 'caffé e cornetto al banco' we made it on the train with just one minute to spare.

It took around one hour to get to Napoli. We were to spend a day there at the end of our trip so with no time to waste, we got the train straight to Sorrento. Now that was an experience. The train does not guarantee seats for everyone nor does it even guarantee to arrive on time or at all! Lucky it turned up, however we did spend half the trip standing over our cases; until we eventually earned a seat once everyone got off at Pompeii.

Our Accomodation in Piano di Sorrento

Thankfully, Iacopo was incredibly organised and had booked our Airbnb a way back in January. It was perfect! We had our own room in a large apartment and the owner was the most friendly person! She was so chatty and full of tips and advice. She made us breakfast every morning and made us feel so at home; by the end of the week we felt like her children! She was often in bed by the time we got home and we were out for most of the day, so we didn’t feel like we were intruding. The apartment was situated in Piano di Sorrento, a bus-ride or a 30minute walk from Sorrento. I was the perfect place to stay as it wasn’t too touristy but had plenty of things to see and do without the tourist prices. I would definitely recommend staying in Piano rather than Sorrento.

As we were in Sorrento from Wednesday up until Tuesday, we had decided to hire a scooter for three days in order to freely explore the coast. It was amazing! We had booked from a company in Sorrento. It cost around 80 euros for the three days and was so worth it! There are buses that go along the coast that are very cheap and frequent. But there is something spectacular about driving a bike along the lengthy, winding coastal roads.

Day one with the scooter: baia di Leranto

We spent the first day with our bike exploring the area around Sorrento. Francesco had recommended going to a secluded beach called Baia di Leranto.

Little did I know that it was a miles away! Unreachable by bike. So we had to walk in the midday sun over a rickety, rocky path in flip-flops to the edge of the coast where we were then greeted by a million and one unstable steps down to this legendary cove. Of course it was all worth it but I was not happy at the time. Despite the fact that we were on a coastal cliff, it did not occur to me that the beaches were not at the same levels as the roads and that we would have to walk down and up many hills and stairs to get to sea level and the beautiful beaches.

I was dreading the walk back up as my legs were already like jelly with the unstable path and lack of handrail. My neck was agony for having to watch my every step. We eventually reached the beach. It was so isolated with only 8 other people enjoying its seclusion. I could not wait to get in the water to clean and cool myself down. Another thing that I was not prepared for was the rocky beaches. On this coast, soft sand is not to be expected. The short walk to and into the water was another painful excursion but again totally worth it.

We stayed for a good few hours and after finishing our only bottle of warm water, we decided to brave the hike back up. With Iacopo being from the Alps, this was a piece of cake. I, on the other hand, hate hiking. I really don’t enjoy being uncomfortably hot and sweaty for long periods of time. Iacopo practically sprinted up the hill while I heavily heaved and panted my way up slowly behind him, face like a bright Italian tomato. But we made it, despite my poor cardio. I was so hungry and dehydrated that we stopped in a shop for some Lemon Soda and a ripe peach. Nothing could have been more satisfying. Although, it would have been nice to have had them half an hour earlier when I was on the brink of passing out.

We drove back to Piano where we had a quick shower and got ready to meet Francesco, Laura and their friends for a Spritz on a terrace overlooking the sunset. At 8 euro a Spritz the view and company made up for it. Iacopo and I then went for dinner with the Bridesmaid and her husband. A restaurant called Le Tre Arcate in Piano had been recommended. When we arrived, it was full so we settled on a prosecco at the bar until a table cleared up. We were in luck as it was treated as Happy Hour. With our Proseccos we got an array of delicious Italian spuntini ranging from focaccia, sardines, mini pizza and handmade potato chips. There was so much food that there wasn’t much room for dinner. We ordered more regardless. That’s a great tip when travelling in Italy - always ask for a cocktail at the bar and you’ll normally get given some nibbles before your main meal. It was ideal. Iacopo and I decided to share a Bufala Mozzarella Pizza and Pepe e Cacio Spaghetti. It was delicious but a bit too much food in the end.

Day two with the scooter: Positano and Il Sentiero degli dei

It was an amazing first day! The next day was spent exploring the famous Positano and "Il Sentiero degli dei". Again I was extremely unprepared for the activities that we were about to undertake. In my head the "Path of the Gods" was a nice short panoramic walk in the hillside overlooking the Amalfi coast. In reality, it is a 7 km hike from Nocelle to Bomerano, or vice versa. There was even a warning sign stating to be careful of the rocks and to wear hiking boots; not trainers or flip-flops. Guess what I was wearing?

As the path is high up in the mountain, most people start at one end and then stop for lunch before trekking down the many many stairs to Positano. As we had the bike, we knew that we weren’t going to go the full way and we would have had to double back. We had envisioned to do only a part of the walk to see the sights. I think in the end we did a firth of the walk. Parts were so rocky, out in the bright sunshine and other parts under the shade of the forest. I enjoyed the walk and would like to do it again properly but maybe next time in better shoes.

We stopped for some delicious homemade lemon juice at a cute family café in the mountains before getting back on the bike and driving down to the coast.

The town of Positano was our next stop and wow was it impressive. The hilltop town is full of charming multi-coloured houses and adorable flower-lined streets. I loved every inch of the incredible town. Endless streets of leather shops, bright beachwear and cafes all accompanies by the sweet smell of lemon in the air. It truly is something out of a storybook.

We found a small take-away pizza place that offered seats on a sunny balcony. We ordered a traditional Pizza Fritta; a fried pizza typical from the South of Italy. It was filled with cheese, ham and pistachio pesto – it was the most amazing pizza that I had ever tasted! We also shared a 'coppa' full of delicious fried seafood. You wouldn’t have to convince me to live there, I’d move in a heartbeat.

We then ordered a coffee. The waitress, knowing that I wasn’t Italian, asked if I would be able to handle Neapolitan coffee. I assured her I’d be fine. That was until I took a sip of the teaspoon measure and spat it back out all over the sugar sachets. It was boiling! Thank God the waitress didn’t see, otherwise she would have been right and I would have looked like a right idiot.

After my coffee incident, we headed towards the shore, peering into the beautiful shops on the way down. We walked along the pier and decided to spend the last few hours of sunlight on the beach. As Positano is quite a prestigious area, most of the beach is owned by companies that sell sun loungers or boat trips. There is a small closed off area free for the public to use. With so many boats in the water, the dedicated free swimming area was a small triangle marked off with buoys and some rope. It wasn’t much but it was perfect as we only needed to cool down every so often.

Once the sun hid behind the hilltop and its houses, we made our way back to our bike and drove home. For dinner, we went to Sorrento town centre. We had a beer in the main Piazza then headed down to Marina Grande to Trattoria di Emilia for a full seafood dinner.

We got a carafe of white wine and mussels as a starter followed by a mixed seafood grill and gnocchi alle vongole to share. We were stuffed but it was one of the best seafood dinners that I have ever had.

Day three with the scooter: Amalfi and Ravello

Friday was dedicated to the towns of Amalfi and Ravello. We had chosen months in advance the towns that we wanted to visit. We had planned which ones to visit as we knew that we didn’t have enough time to see everything. The drive to Amalfi took a good hour and a half from Piano, and that was without traffic. Just think what it would have been like if it had been July or August.

Amalfi was beautiful. We walked around for while visiting the famous cathedral and beachfront. All of the cafes, shops and restaurants looked amazing and the smell of seafood filled the air. We couldn’t help ourselves when we stumbled across a takeaway 'coppa' place. We order one full of fried sardines and the other had calamari, squid and other various seafood. It was to die for!

We hopped back on the bike and headed for the town of Ravello up in the mountains. Ravello is a small quaint town known as 'La Città della Musica' full of colourful ceramic shops and stone archways.

We decided to walk around the renowned Villa Ravello. It is a beautiful old villa surrounded with stunning flower gardens, ideal for postcard-perfect pictures.

We had to drop off our bike on Friday evening so we took one last drive along the coast, soaking up the sea air and colourful towns dotted along the cliff-side roads. As the bike hire shop was in Sorrento we dropped off our faithful scooter and had dinner at the recommended pizzeria “Da Nello”. We were not disappointed. As it was the eve of Francesco’s and Laura’s wedding, we didn’t want to stay out too late. However, it was also the eve of Iacopo’s 29th Birthday so we stayed out for a few drinks in order to celebrate.

Wedding Day

Saturday was the big day. I had never been to a traditional wedding in a church, never mind in Italy with a mixed Italian and German ceremony.

Everything was gorgeous. The ceremony took place in a church in Piano. It was amazing as Iacopo had brought his bagpipes and played a song for the arrival of the bride. It was so nice as it brought a wee bit of Scotland to the wedding.

From there we jumped in a car to Grand Hotel Europa Palacefor the reception. We gathered on the large terrace and we were spoiled with the amount of food and drink provided, on top of a fantastic view of the sea and

We were greeted with Prosecco and Coppi of seafood, various Italian cheeses and other typical Apperitivo nibbles. We had to be careful not to fill ourselves up before the main table service. The meal had six courses each accompanied with never ending top ups of white wine to compliment the seafood. There was an entertainer who played chilled music while we ate and put on the party tunes to get everyone up dancing between courses. At around 7, we cleared the dining room and headed back out to the terrace for desert and Digestivi while we watched the sun set. It was the perfect ending.

People eventually started to leave and Iacopo and I were some of the few people that stayed until midnight. Luckily, we got a lift home from another couple at the wedding, otherwise that would have been a tiring walk back home to Piano.

Hangover day in Piano and Sorrento

We had kept Sunday free as a ‘hangover day’. In the end, we had stopped drinking at around 9pm the night before so we weren’t that rough. We had a much needed lie in and decided to explore Piano di Sorrento. We walked down to the Pier and in and around the town.

Everything was quiet as it was Sunday, so we decided to walk in to Sorrento.

We had a chilled evening of wandering through the beautiful, colourful streets and settled for dinner back at the Marina Grande for dinner. We were so full, as we had ordered 3 mains to share and a carafe of white wine. We got Spaghetti alle vongole, my favourite, a mixed seafood pasta and mixed fried seafood. We needed to walk back home to work off that meal.

A 'Gomone' around Capri:

Monday was boat day!

We had hired a small motor boat (Gommone) from the pier in Piano. It cost around 100 euro for the full day which would have also been great to split between a group of friends. It was only Iacopo and I but we were happy to spend the money as it was something that we had never done before. We had bought four beers, a bottle of wine and we had prepared some salad and pasta the day before.

We managed to drive out to the Island of Capri and explore the various Grotte for free! It was amazing to drive around the island. We got to see the majority of the attractions without having to pay the ridiculous tourist and ferry fees. We let loose the anchor and stopped in a bay where we swam and sunbathed. Unfortunately, the waves were choppy that day which made me feel seasick, so I spent the majority of the time in the shade in the fetal position. We drove back to the coast of the mainland and again found a few spots to take a dip and have some food.

I must admit, I had felt a lot better after having whitied off the side of the boat. I was then ready to go, so I took the wheel and drove us back to the dock.

There were still a few hours left of sunlight so we stopped off at the small beach beside the pier and I passed out asleep. (Tip: take some anti-sickness tablets before getting a boat on the Sorrento coast. )

We headed back to our Airbnb and started to pack and organise ourselves for the flight back home from Napoli on Tuesday.

A day in Napoli

We left early in the morning, after a filling breakfast provided by our wonderful host, to get the train back to Napoli. We left our luggage at the train station and set off the explore the city. We wandered around the labrynth of streets just off of the stunning yet precarious Spanish Quarter.

We passed the Galleria Umberto I and the Castel Nuovo then set off for the Piazza del Plebiscito. By chance, we met one of our friends from the wedding who was going to be on our flight back to Edinburgh. We played a famous game in the Piazza where you cover your eyes and attempt to walk in a straight line to end up in between the two main statues. Bearing in mind that the statues are massive and are quite a long way apart, it is incredibly difficult to find your way in between them blindfolded. The ground in very uneven and slopes downwards which I believe tricks your mind into thinking that you are walking straight when in fact you’ve done a completed 90 degree turn just before the statue. It’s incredible, if you’re ever in Napoli at the Piazza del Plebiscito, try the game with a few friends. You’ll be amazing and shocked by the results!

The three of us couldn’t leave without trying a real Neapolitan pizza so we headed to the renowned Sorbillo’s just by the coast. With a half an hour wait, we found a bar where we stopped for a Spritz and some nibbles. After having seen the size of the Sorbillo’s pizzas, we soon realised that it was a mistake to have a pre-dinner snack.

Armed with a doggy bag in hand, we then set off for the famous Spacanapoli; an incredibly long street that splits the city in two. We gave ourselves around two hours to explore the hidden streets that wandered off of the main one. Each street sold various traditional goods such as Limoncello, puppets figures, ceramics and of course, food.

It was soon time to head back to the station to get our luggage and hop on a bus to the airport.

As always, I wanted to be early so we got through security and customs then found a comfy seat to finish off the rest of our doggy bag pizza and chill before our flight back to Scotland. Obviously, it was freezing back in Scotland. Luckily we made the bus back to Glasgow by a couple of minutes. Otherwise we would have had to wait in Edinburgh airport until 1am for the next bus back. So be sure to get off the plane quickly if you need to make the bus.

Sorrento and the Amalfi coast were a complete dream. I never thought I’d be able to visit these places but we managed without spending a complete fortune and I would go back in a heartbeat.

Main tips for Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast:

• Hire a scooter: it’s easy and exciting to explore the coast at your own pace (around 80 euros for 3 days)

• Use the bus service: it’s really cheap and convenient but not nearly as fun or picturesque as having your own bike.

• Hire a boat for the day and go to Capri – a great experience without the tourist ticket nor the queues (100 euro for the day)

• Eat street food to save money on expensive restaurant meals- try fried pizza, coppi and the various desserts seen in all the bakeries.

• Avoid the fancy restaurants of Sorrento – Some reasonably priced places we would recommend:Trattoria di Emilia at the Marina Grande, Da Nello in town, Le Tre Arcate in Piano.

• Walk the God’s Pass – Il Sentiero degli dei – a 3hr hike one-way high up along the coast (we only did an hour before heading back to the carpark – is accessible by bus. The most common would be to start at Bomerano, walk around 3 hours to Nocelle and take the thousand steps down to Positano. Or like us, hire a bike and only do part of it.

• Explore the free beaches – The Best ones: Baia di Leranto and Baia di Arienzo - Beware that there are many steps going down to the beach so consider sensible shoes and bare in mind that the trek back up is tough in the sun but totally worth it.

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