Napoli & Amalfi Coast

When my bestie came to visit, it was the perfect time to explore the Amalfi Coast. Since part of her family is originally from the region of Campania, it was more than fitting to see it for the first time with her. Neither of us is big on planning ahead too much, so much of our trip was quite spontaneous. Although spontaneity often makes for less stress and more fun, it has it's pitfalls. For us that pitfall was Naples. I was left with a somewhat negative image of Napoli, which I think is partly due to our poor planning. We left Rome after I got off work on Friday and took the Trenitalia train from Termini to Naples. The tickets for the slower train were ridiculously cheap, so it took us about 3 hours to get there. This train makes a lot of stops (i.e. is used by commuters), so getting there early is crucial if you plan on having a seat. Wauwa did not need a ticket, nor did he have to wear a muzzle.

If you know us at all, you'll know that we had some wine and snacks for the train ride, so the journey went by quickly and enjoyably. Once in Naples, though, we ran into some problems. Not only did the area seem a little sketchy, but the hotel we had booked (based on the advertisement that they allow pets) turned us away because we had a dog. As you can imagine, this was infuriating. After some arguing and showing the front desk clerk the advertisement that states "pet-friendly" but still not getting anywhere, we gave up and began searching for another hotel. Of course, prices had gone up at this point, so they only other affordable room on such short notice was quite far. Luckily, taxi's are cool about dogs so we got to the business district, where the new hotel was, quite fast. Unfortunately, though, the address of the hotel was wrong in google maps, so we circled the area for hours (even managing to get lost from each other and almost losing Wauwa because his leash broke) before finding the hotel. No restaurants in the area were even open at this time, so the lovely front desk clerk ordered us some pizza and we called it a night.

Although Napoli was a bit of a disappointment, Sorrento and Positano were quite the opposite. We took the Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento, again not needing a ticket (or muzzle) for Wauwa. We stayed at a hotel a little outside the city of Sorrento, with lovely gardens and a gorgeous view of the ocean. It was a bit of a walk from the Piano di Sorrento train station and a couple stops on the train away from the city of Sorrento, so although we had a wonderful experience there, I would recommend paying a little extra for a hotel in Sorrento itself.

We headed straight to Positano, since it is said to be the most beautiful city in the Amalfi coast (I can now confirm this to be true). Outside the train station we found a bus going to Positano, so we hopped on (and again, not a peep about Wauwa) and, after a veeeery winding mountain road, were there. The views were breathtaking! We spent the rest of the day strolling around Positano, stopping at cafes, bars, and shops. But most of our time was probably spent admiring the view (and trying desperately to capture it in a photo).

At night we returned to Sorrento and went out for drinks at the main plaza, Piazza Tasso. Some bars had live music and others had strange men wanting to buy my dog a rose. All in all, a fun vibe.

The next day we strolled through the old alleyways of Sorrento, which are full of little shops and bars, and made our way to Marina Grande. The pastel colored buildings at the shoreline made for a perfect place to stop for lunch and enjoy the views. In the evening, we headed back to Rome via Napoli with just enough time to stop for Napoli's famous pizza. This was a wonderful weekend getaway and super easy to pull off on short notice WITH a dog! No car rentals needed and even if you'd prefer skipping Naples (which I'd recommend tbh) and going straight to the Amalfi Coast, public transportation will get you there. I loved the Amalfi Coast so much that I already returned for a second trip, this time hitting Pompeii and trekking the Sentiero Degli Dei (Path of the Gods). Both were incredible experiences, that deserve their own post, so more on Amalfi to come!

#travel #italy #travelingwithpets #dogs #amalficoast #naples #positano #sorrento