Here are what I found to be the best sites, food, and adventures discovered between Rome and the Amalfi Coast, on a 10 day trip in the fall.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this but I continue to get asked about my favorite places around the world, where I’m traveling next, where I’ve recently adventured, and what can’t be missed for those who want to see the beautiful global community that we live on.

This past fall, I was lucky enough to take someone I love a whole lot to Europe for the first time ever. He chose Italy because he’s always dreamed of seeing the Roman Colosseum and never thought it possible – so, of course, I made it a reality. We compromised on a few nights in the city and a few nights down south to experience something new together – the Amalfi Coast.

Travel Tips:

✈️ Fly into Napoli, but we didn’t feel the need to spend a lot of time here. It has great pizza, but it’s a big city and we got scammed more in the few hours we were there than anywhere else in Italy.

✈️ Take the trains. Buying tickets in advance saves you a lot of time so you can just scan a QR code but they almost never sell out so you can also buy at the station.

✈️ We opted not to rent a car, and it made it really easy to sit back and enjoy instead of navigate. Flew into Napoli (direct flights from most cities in Europe), taxi to Pompeii, train to Salerno (Trainline is helpful for planning), ferry to Positano (or any of the other coastal towns), car driver back to Napoli, train up to Rome.

✈️ We LOVED our hotel in Positano, Dimora Fornillo, located on the cliffside on the East side of town. Breakfast on the deck every morning with coffee and fresh juice and croissants and eggs, the ability to order wine or snacks delivered in the afternoon to your room, and rooms are huge with incredible views and patios. It’s a bit of a walk to central town but doable and beautiful along the water, and you can go straight down to the beach. Remember that everything in Positano is steps to steps to steps so your legs will be tired.

Adventures:

📷 Pompeii: Spend one day here (with a minimum of 4 hours to walk around). It’s an incredible place, more perfectly preserved than we realized, with endless streets and old homes/squares/businesses to explore. Note that it does get very hot and you’re in the sun most of the time. We didn’t have time, but if you spend a second day you can climb up Mt. Vesuvius and it’s a fairly easy hike or horseback ride.

📷 Sentiero degli Dei: this hike is a can’t miss. I was told to go here by multiple friends and glad we listened. It started raining so we only hiked a couple miles, but you could go for hours. The bus system throughout Amalfi is easy and stops along the way. We got off at the Nocelle side and loved having a lemonade and snack at Il Chiosco, a cliffside deli, before starting the hike. We opted for out and back and then walked all the way back to Positano, stopping at the fresh lemonade stand in Nocelle on the way.

📷 Vatican City: Don’t miss it, and buy your tickets in advance. We got tickets that included lunch which was nice to have but the lunch was in a cafeteria and nothing special. The Sistine Chapel and museums are incredible and could spend hours there.

📷 Largo di Torre Argentina: A cool landmark where Caesar was killed, and now is a cat sanctuary.

📷 Shopping: The streets around the Spanish Steps offer some of the coolest vintage shops, leather shops, and more. Trastevere is also known for amazing thrift stores and unique boutiques. And right across the water over Ponte Sisto is a little leather shop called T-Nobile and before that is the best little Roman coin-inspired jewelry store.

📷 The Colosseum: Of course, can’t miss this. Book a tour – they are incredibly knowledgeable, each has its own theme to your interests, and they’ll show you things you had no idea existed. You can even book a multi-day tour or multi-site tour.

Food & Drinks:

🥂 La Tagliata: I can’t admit to going here, but can promise that many friends have visited La Tagliata including one of my best friends on her honeymoon when I bought them a dinner here as their wedding gift. It’s supposed to be spectacular, with all homemade family-style meals.

🥂 Ristorante Max: We stumbled upon this wine bar & art gallery in Positano by accident and it was hands down our favorite meal. I got the seafood risotto and a recommended white wine and I still dream about it. It has a nice patio and a huge collection of art.

🥂 Hotel Poseidon: It’s pricey here, but an unbeatable view especially at sunset for a happy hour glass. They also provide tapas/snacks/nuts if you order a drink and blankets if it is chilly.

🥂 Da Vicenzo: For a nice night out with a casual flare, try out this modest restaurant that happens to have a Michelin star. Best mozzarella “sticks” (more like blocks) of our life.

🥂 Da Biagio Vini e Oli: Our favorite wine bar of the trip, with a huge selection and a tiny spot full of local old men and women swapping stories in loud Italian, who all know the owner and his whole family. The owner even helped us call a cab to the airport when Uber wasn’t working.

🥂 Mimi e Coco Trast: We loved the whole Trastevere area, and stumbled into this Italian restaurant with caverna seating below and cute seats on the street. It was affordable, with big pasta dishes and bottles of wine.

🥂 Dar Poeta: The best pizza we had all week was right outside of our Airbnb. Huge portions, mouthwatering flavor, plenty to share, and local beer to match.

🥂 Rimessa Roscioli: The Roscioli family has both a restaurant and a deli. Book reservations far in advance, and be prepared to spend a lot and eat a lot at one of the best meals of your life.

🥂 Osteria La Segreta: Great place for a glass of wine on one of the cutest streets (Via Margutta) in all of Rome, near the Spanish Steps.

🥂 Canova Tadolini: This family opened a restaurant and bakery with an affordable wine list near the Spanish Steps with a personal art collection so that it feels like you are eating within a Roman art museum.

🥂 G-Rough: Not far from the Pantheon is a tiny wine bar within a boutique hotel that feels cozy and friendly.

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And, just in case, things to definitely NOT do:

• If you go to Capri, go on a nice day because when it rains there’s nothing to do but spend money.
• Baccano Restaurant at the Trevi Fountain in Rome was dirty, overpriced, and the staff were rude.
• Bosca de Medici hotel in Pompeii had great views of Vesuvius but other than that it was overpriced, they got rid of the free breakfast despite the “not updated yet” email confirmations & ads, and the guests were screaming in German on all sides of us all night.
• Don’t accept the first price given to you in a taxi, especially in Naples, and don’t let them convince you that their credit card machine isn’t working or that they only accept cash. Stick to credit card charges so they can be tracked in the case of a scam.