Naples, Italy and so many choices

Naples as viewed from the ship

Naples as it appears on post cards

Naples, Napoli in Italian, is the third most-populated city in Italy and the biggest city in Southern Italy. They make great pizza but I am not a big fan of touring around this city. I know there is a lot to see, but I prefer to get out of the city and see some of the near by sites

Its close proximity to many interesting sites, such as Pompeii, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Positano, & Capri. So you will have to make your choice on what you want to do in this port. I have been in this area before on a different trip. There are some excellent choices for your time in Naples.

You can take a fast ferry to Capri, which is an all day trip, and very nice. I have been to Capri twice and loved it both times. It is a beautiful Island with lots of history. Well worth the trek on the High Speed ferry. Just make sure you catch the right ferry -- the regular ferry will take you twice as long to get there. 

You can take a short trip to Sorrento, which is lovely upscale town full of shops & restaurants and will give you a feel for this part of Italy. There are picturesque parks & gardens and the town is on a cliff overlooking the sea. This area is famous for Limoncello and other liquors -- that will help your digestion, they say. I don't know about the health benefits, but I can tell you the limoncello and other fruit flavored liquors are worth trying. You can easily spend a full day in Sorrento and not be disappointed. 

There is Pompeii, which, if this is your first trip to this area, I highly recommend. I have been to Pompeii. and it is at least a half day to get there, spend some time and see the sites. You might be able to do Pompeii & Sorrento in the time you have in port. Or you could do Pompeii, then come back to Naples, have some great pizza.

I wanted to go to the Amalfi Coast, and in particular Positano. I originally planned a private excursion and went on Cruise Critic, looking for 6 people to get us to 8. I wanted to spend time in Positano & do the Amalfi drive. Positano is a sentimental favorite of mine as my first trip to Italy ended in Positano and I just loved it. Anyway, one of the gals I had been chatting with already had a simular tour planned so we joined her group. It was a good tour, but they tried to cram too much in to the day. It is a bit of a drive to the Amlafi Coast line, so there is a lot of travel time involved. Our tour included, driving the coast line, Positano, Amalfi & Ravello. Lunch was included in the tour. This was probably a little too ambitious of an itinerary for the day. However, we still had a great time.

Off we went for our drive. If you have never seen the Amalfi Coast on TV or in a movie, it is this spectacular narrow road that runs along the coast line with little towns along the way. The view is stunning and the road way curvy and narrow. If you get car sick, do not do this drive or take dramamine . Otherwise, get ready for some of the most dramatic views you will ever see!

Positano, what can I say except I think this is the most charming town along the Amalfi Coast. So much so, that I highly recommend it if you are doing a land-based trip, rather than a cruise, that you end your trip here and stay a few days. From Positano you can take a ferry to Capri and you can take day trips to some of the other towns.

But for now, we are on a cruise, so our time in Positano is limited.

I mentioned Limoncello earlier in todays blog, and it was in Positano that I first tried this tasty digestive.  

If you eat lunch in most any restaurant, they should have Limoncello, so give it a try!

If you happen to find yourself in Positano, I recommend Buca di Bacco Hotel & their restaurant.  Our stop here was not long enough for us to enjoy a meal here this time, but the last time I was in Positano I ate dinner here 3 out of the 4 nights we stayed because the food is just that good and the service top notch!

Yes, that is a real Positano Lemon!

This is Stunning Positano

Positano photos by CJS

Alas our time in Positano was way too short and we were off to Amalfi - the town the drive is named after.  Amalfi is a much larger town than Positano, and there are more little streets, shops & cafes to explore.

In Amalfi, as in all the small towns along this coast, you will find the most fantastic ceramic art work. 

Seen in a bakery window! y

After our allotted time in Amalfi, we it was time for lunch and off we went to a little restaurant with an excellent view of the ocean and the coast line.

Lunch started with ceramic carafes of wine and tomato, mozzarella & basil with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.


And this was our view as we ate.....
Stunning!

 Entree's were either fish or pasta

Followed by an lemon ice cream cake & Limoncello!





Oh, and did I mention there was wine one the table?

our guide and one of the tour group

And of course, more limoncello!

Salute!

Ravello was also on the itinerary and it is a lovely town.  Again, just not enough time here to see much.  If you go, try and spend the day or at least a 1/2 day exploring.  The Villa Ruffello is worth seeing as is Villa Cimbrone.

Then it was just a race back to the ship.  It was a good day, but this particular tour guide tried to fit too much in to an approximate 10 hours.  If you are in this position, read up a little about the towns along the Amalfi coast, and pick just two and go there.  

DO THIS:     Get out of Naples!

TRY THIS:   Limoncello - ice cold!

HAVE YOUR CAMERA'S READY!  You are about to see a most beautiful part of Italy!

Bueno Sera

Until Next time,

Travel Safe!