AMALFI COAST AND NAPLES

I have traveled around nearly ¼ of the World as a solo traveler until now. I always do my homework before each trip to locate most interesting destinations, I walk at least 15 kilometers a day while I am traveling, I get up at 7.00 o’clock sharp to make use of most of the day. As a result I always get back home with an exhausted body but with a refreshed mind/soul. I always try to taste the local food, eat at the best restaurants, visit the local markets. My friends have been kept on asking me to share my experiences on my Blog. However I was not hardworking for writing as I am for traveling. But I decided to begin sharing my travel tips starting with my trip to Naples and Amalfi Coast on 24-30 June 2019.

Rather than writing a poetic text, I prefer to share my tips as bullet points so that it will be easier to follow. I hope you will enjoy and make use of my tips.

AMALFİ COAST AND NAPLES

The cities and islands visited: Naples, Salerno, Vietri Sul Mare, Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, İschia, Procida, Capri.

GENERAL TIPS:

· Roads/highways of the Amalfi Coast are very narrow and full of curves. (Especially the ones between Amalfi-Positano and Amalfi-Ravello). Furthermore the motorbikes create a great risk of accident. Thus I do not recommend you to rent a car or even travel buy bus. ( The bus company is called SİTA Bus) The best means of transportation is the boats/ferries among the cities and islands. (You have to take bus from Amalfi to Ravello, other than that, you can always travel by boat)

· You can access to schedules of buses and ferries from the link below by clicking “Getting Here”

http://www.positano.com

· Be aware of the fact that each and every bus will arrive with delay. Buying the ticket for bus is very complicated as well. Because there are different bus companies operating on various routes and you have to buy the ticket for each trip, it is not possible to buy weekly bus card etc. You can buy the tickets from the kiosks called “ Tabacchi”

· Amalfi is the ideal town for lodging because of its geographical position. However you can find the cheapest hotels and restaurants in Salerno.

· The Italian food is extremely delicious. If you are not suffering from gluten intolerance like me, I am sorry to tell you that you will put on weight for sure…

ABOUT CITIES, TOWNS, ISLANDS

Salerno:

· Nothing special to visit but lodging and food is very cheap.

· If you happen to stay in Salerno, I recommend you to visit Vietri Sul Mare which is 15 minutes away from Salerno buy public bus. (The beach and ceramics shops)

· Have a dinner at Osteria Del Mercanti in Salerno. Eat Anchovies with onion sauce, Parmigiana Melanzane, Patata Al Forno, Insalata Caprese and recall my name with gratitude.

· You can buy souvenirs such as magnets, fans, ceramic trinkets etc. from Salerno for a reasonable price.

· Eat ice cream in Brioche at Nettuno Bar. I could not taste it due to my intolerance for gluten but it looks so yummy.

Vietri Sul Mare
Vİetri Sul Mare
Osteria Del Mercanti
Vietri Sul Mare

Amalfi:

· Take a boat from Salerno Port to Amalfi Port.

· Eat La Delicia Al Limone accompanied with fresh lemonade made of Amalfi lemons at Andrea Pansa. Recall my name with gratitude.

· Buy limoncello from Antichi Sapori which is next to Andrea Pansa.

· If you have enough time, walk to Atrani village.

Antichi Sapori
Amalfi
Andrea Pansa

Ravello:

· Visit Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. (Entrance fees 5-7 Euros)

· Stroll each and every small street, enjoy the attitude of a genuine traveler: Visiting a hundred of shops but buying nothing.

· Have a glass of local wine or Aperol Spritz at La Boteca Di Villa Maria while the fluffy cats are murmuring around you.

· Have dinner at Trattoria Cumpo Cosimo.

· Do not rush, enjoy the town tranquilly. Be aware of the fact that it is at the Top 3 among all destinations of this trip.

Villa Cimbrone
Villa Cimbrone
Villa Rufolo
Ravello

Positano:

· Arrive there early in the morning as it gets crowded during the day.

· Have breakfast at the garden of La Zagara Pastry Shop with a panoramic view of Positano.

· If you do not prefer to have pastry for breakfast, then grab some fresh fruit and mozzarella from the deli shop opposite of La Zagara; sit on the steps in front of the shop and enjoy your breakfast.

· Take amazing photos from the terrace of Hotel Sirenuse.

· Sip your frappe or lemonade at İl Galli Bar while enjoying the panoramic view of Positano. You can take the bus to Amalfi or Sorrento from the bus stop next to İl Galli Bar.

· Do not rush, enjoy the town tranquilly. Be aware of the fact that Positano is at the Top 3 list among all destinations of this trip.

Positano
Positano
Positano

Sorrento:

· Do not have great expectations to avoid deception. Apparently it is not a heaven on the earth.

· The main square is Piazzo Tasso. From there, walk to Via San Cesareo which is full of shops of souvenirs, ceramics, leather etc. Stop by “Limonoro” at that street. They treat limoncello and chocolate with lemon to the visitors. The presentation of the products are so impressive that you end up with buying something.

· Contrary to its name, Marina Grande is the small port where restaurants and cafes are located. Do not be deceived by its name and do not go to Marina Piccola.

· Franco’s Pizzeria is a good stop for Pizza (I could not eat as you already knew the reason why)

· Visit Villa Comunal to take some beatiful photos.

· Visit İl Giardani Di Cataldo for an hour of relaxation sorrounded by lemon trees.

Limonoro
Via San Cesareo
Via San Cesareo
Villa Comunal

Ischia:

· This Island is the epic faiure of my trip. A lot of people told me good things about it but it is nothing but waste of time. Just one recommendation: Do not bother to go there.

Procido:

· I get off the boat on my way from İschia to Naples and this improvisational decision gave me the best present of the trip. Listen to your hearth, it knows everything better than your brain; trust me.

· I had only 2,5 hours at the island because the last ferry to Naples was at 20.30. However, I recommend you spend more time or even stay there for a night.

· Walk to Marina di Coricella, enjoy a cup of coffee while watching colorful boats of fishermen.

· Stroll around the streets that are full of colorful houses.

· Climb up to panoramic hill of Terra Murata for one of the best photoshots ever.

Marina di Coricella
Terra Murata

Capri:

· Do not rush, enjoy the Island tranquilly. Be aware of the fact that Capri is at the Top 3 list among all destinations of this trip.

· You will get off the boat at the main port ( Marina Grande), then you can climb up to Capri with funicular. You can take a bus to Anacapri from Capri. In a nutshell, the ısland is composed of 3 main parts.

· I recommend you to go to Ana Capri from Marina Grande by bus, then visit Capri and return to Marina Grande by funicular from Capri.

· Ana Capri:

Visit Villa San Michele. Take the chair lift to Monte Solaro from the station at Piazza Vittoria ( Return ticket costs 12 Euros) Enjoy the ride up to hill while chirps of birds are accompanying you. ( I am sure you will recall my name with gratitude) At the hill take a perfect photo of the famous rocks of the island (Faraglioi) ( IMPORTANT REMINDER:If you have acrophobia, the chair lift may not be suitable for you)
Visit Capri Palace Hotel. It has a great interior decoration.
Visit Casa Rossa.
Take the bus to Capri from the bus stop at Piazza Vittoria.

· Capri:

Visit Giardani di Agusto, take photos of Via Krupp from that garden
Grab a sandwich from Deli Shop (Salumeria) at Via Roma
Enjoy the beach at Marina Piccola. The sea is crystal clean
Take the bus from Marina Piccola to Capri
Take funicular to Marina Grande from Capri

Via San Michele
Villa San Michele
Taxis of Capri
Capri Palace
Via Krupp
Monte Solaro
Monte Solaro
Capri

Pompeii

· There is direct bus from Salerno to Pompeii Archaeological Site (Bus number 50) They offer you free luggage concierge service at Pompeii Archaological Site. (next to ticket Office)

· On the way back, you can take the local train (Circumvesuviana) from the station just across the Puerta Marina exit of Pompeii Archaelogical Site. It takes 30 minutes to arrive Naples Central Station.

· I think there is no need the explain Pompeii Archaelogical Site in details. You can download the map from the link below: http://pompeiisites.org/en/visiting-info/map-and-guide-to-the-excavations/

· The ancient city is so big that it may be useful to mention some special points that you must visit: Villa de Misteri, Orto di Fuggiaschi, Foro, Casa del Fauno, Luponare, Terme (Baths)

· There is cafeteria at the archaelogical site. However I recommend you to bring a bottle of water, an umbrella and sunscreen cream with you. Better to wear running shoes or comfortable sandals as you will walk at least 5-10 kilometers in the site.

· Allocate at least 3-4 hours for your visit.

Villa Dİ Misteri
Casa del Fauno
Orto di Fuggiaschi

Naples

· It is the second dirtiest city I have ever visited after Agra (India) The streets are full of rubbish, the pavements are covered with dog poop.

· The neighbourhood of Garibaldi and Central Station (Stazione Central ) is angerous in terms of security. I had to wait more than 1 hour due to the delay of my train to Salerno from there. It was 23.00 o’clock, all shops inside the station were closed, I was very thirsty and hungry however I could not dare to go out from the station after seeing a bunch of policemen were chasing and then beating up a man outside. I consider myself a quite courageous traveler but being brave does not mean taking unnecessary risks. In short, avoid this neighbourhood.

· There are decent hotels with a reasonable price around Via di Tribunali or metro station of Universitat.

· The most famous pizza restaurant is Pizzeria Sorbillo. Unfortunately I could not eat there due to gluten intolerance issue but the Pizza Margarita looks amazing to me. Be aware of the fact that there is another Sorbillo next to the genuine one; do not confuse two restaurants. The address of the genuine one is: Via di Tribunali, 32. If you have gluten intolerance like me, you can eat glutenfree pizza at Pizzeria Vesi located at Piazza Luigi Miraglia,388.

· Despite the fact that I am not a big fan of Italian ice cream (gelato), I recommend you two Ice Cream Shops which serve very tasty ice cream: Gay-Odin and Il Gelato Mennella.

· Eat Sofigliata ( similar to croissant) and Baba (sort of cake)

· Start walking from the east end of Via di Tribunali, visit Napoles Subterranea on your way, visit the artisan shops at Via San Gregorio Armeno. Arrive at Piazza Dante, then take Via Toledo until you Piazza Plebiscito.You can visit Galeria Umberto on your way to Piazza Plebiscito.

· I do not recommend you to walk alone at the streets late at night. Watch your purse and mobile phone while you are walking or while you are at the metro.