When I studied abroad in Rome, I was able to travel all over Italy but one place I did not explore was the Amalfi Coast. I knew how romantic and special it would be so when some of my friends planned a trip, I said, “Nope, I am going to save that for when I meet my person.” By the time I got engaged at 32, I was excited for the wedding but I was even more excited to plan the honeymoon. Luckily, my adoring fiancé (now husband) who pretty much would do anything to make me happy (yes, I married a keeper), said we can go anywhere I wanted to. He knew how much it meant to me. So with his blessing, he said “Make it happen, I trust you,” and I was able to plan a trip of a lifetime for us…with “tutto il miele,” all the honey.
After getting numerous questions on the itinerary, where we stayed and went…I am excited to share it with you. I have already written a number of posts on our trip and will continue to do so and link to them here. This is just the itinerary so if you have specific questions on how to travel from point A-to-B or recs for things to see/do, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Happy to help with your next trip. 😉
DAY 1 and 2: ROME
HOTEL: Navona Essence Hotel
WHERE TO EAT: Check out my post “48 Hours in Rome” and other posts under Rome.
We started in Rome because for us it is hard to travel to Italy without stopping in our favorite place, our home away from home. We decided it would be a great way to break the jetlag and relax since there would be no pressure to see or do anything. But if you have never been to Rome before, I would recommend more than two days, ideally at least four. You can also shorten your trip by flying or training straight to Naples instead.
DAY 3 and 4: SORRENTO
HOTEL: Hotel Belair
WHERE TO EAT:
- Trattoria Da Emilia
- Ristorante Verdemare (for pizza!)
- Raki (for gelato!)
DAY 5 and 6: POSITANO
HOTEL: Albergo Miramare
WHERE TO EAT:
DAY 7, 8, and 9: ANACAPRI
HOTEL: Hotel Caesar Augustus
WHERE TO EAT: Check out my post “Where to Eat – Capri.”
NOTE: You could easily extend any of your stays in the places detailed above and keep your trip solely in the south. Because we needed to make our way north to end our trip with a wedding in Monaco, we added on three nights in Milan with days trips to Lake Como as well as Modena. More below.
DAY 10: TRAVEL DAY
This was a full day of travel! We left Anacapri on an 11:35am ferry for Naples to catch a 2:00pm train to Milan. The train ride was 4.5 hours so we arrived in Milan around 6:30pm. Although this sounds like a long day, it was actually really nice to have some down time and catch up on sleep. We tend to “go, go, go” on our trips (As I have mentioned before…espresso, wine, pasta, repeat). ?
DAY 11, 12 and 13: MILAN
HOTEL: Excelsior Hotel Gallia
We used Milan as a home base for several day trips. The Excelsior was right across from Milano Centrale, the main train station, which allowed us to zip in and out of town with ease. Highly recommend! It is a very modern yet comfortable hotel. We did enjoy one full day in Milan and explored the Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittoria Emanuele, as well as the Fondazione Prada.
We grabbed food on the go while in Milan (nothing of note) but we did visit Prada’s Pasticceria Marchesi for a cappucino. Check out “An American in Rome” for a wonderful post on this chic spot for pastries and coffee.
DAY TRIP 1: LAKE COMO
Read more about our Day Trip to Lake Como.
DAY TRIP 2: MODENA
We made a special trip to Modena just to go to Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana for lunch…more to come soon.
Helpful Tips:
- We left at the end of May in order to end our trip in time for a wedding in Monaco but I would also recommend going in early May or September/October. It is a little less crowded than in the summer months and just as beautiful.
- When traveling in the height of the season, it is important to plan ahead and make restaurant reservations, especially for dinner. It is better to have them and cancel than not have them at all. If you are like us, it is nice to not have to think about where to eat when we are hungry. 😉
- In Capri/Positano, definitely make reservations ahead of time too for any beach clubs or boat rentals.
- We were fortunate to be able to stay in Positano and as a result were able to enjoy the city once all the crowds were gone and the ferry boats departed. It can be expensive to do so! Book ahead and early in order to get your hotel of choice at a reasonable price.
- You can book trains in Italy three months ahead of time and in doing so you can enjoy very cheap fares the day tickets are released. Plan ahead and use the Trenitalia website to set a reminder for when they become available.
- Ferry fares from place-to-place can add up so make sure to add this into your trip budget.
- Happy planning! Buon viaggio! 🙂
