One Time on Amalfi Coast: A Cruiser’s Guide to Sorrento and Positano

The wonderful southern Italian towns with views of the Tyrrhenian Sea were where I’d always wanted to stay on our 11-night cruise along the Mediterranean Sea. And while visiting the Amalfi Coast was undoubtedly a highlight of our summer vacation in Europe, there was hardly any town I did n’t like in the upcoming weeks. The next time this article was updated was in May 2024. In her 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun, Diane Lane drank limoncello from a seaside cafe there, but I do n’t blame her for first introducing me to Positano’s beauty. But she certainly was n’t the last. I made a desperate attempt to travel to Capri and Naples, especially since there is no way to get there by boat. However, my labor schedule prevented me from having any free time. Due to the proximity of our Livorno harbor on our next Italy trip, we decided to travel to Florence, but this time, I wanted to see the Amalfi Coast. Powered by GetYourGuideHowever, this day? We were just a half-hour drive from our harbor of Sorrento, so I was relieved to learn that we were doing so. However, the issue was with getting there when we had a time limit and did n’t have a car. A squeezed journey docking schedule and our lack of a personal tour of the Amalfi Coast would have added yet more time to our schedule because we were traveling alone. But instead, we opted for a personal day visit of the Amalfi Coast without a guide, as it would help us a bit of freedom. Our driver, Gianni, arrived punctually—actually, he was it early, as were we—and as we’d now tooled around Sorrento on our own a little, we made straight for Positano, so as to not waste a time. En way, Gianni began told us all about the place in destroyed, but lovely Italian. He kept saying embarrassingly, “my English is no good”, but we understood him perfectly, and the fact that he was n’t even meant to be our guide, just a driver, and took on that role anyway was endearing. Gianni stopped at each one of the mountain pull-outs to offer to take our photos, and there are plenty of places to park a vehicle and admire the view. We could n’t believe the views—each stop one- upped the last—and then we arrived at the outskirts of Positano. It was obvious from the beginning that everyone had raved about the opinions over Positano. The red roof, the spray of bougainvillea, the way the city cascaded down the mountain— I loved every bit of what I was seeing. But before we’d set out to explore, there was something more important to do first: have breakfast. Gianni took us to a family-owned restaurant called Da Contanstino for 25 euro every ( not included in the tour’s cost ) for our two-hour meal. I also helped to make the variations. And person, was it GOOD, to. These were the opportunities we sought out in Italy, the glimpse into the neighborhood living without the enraging audiences. And the meal was perhaps the best dinner we had the entire time we were in Europe: endless home liquor, a Caprese salad, a trio of pasta, peach cake and, of course, limoncello to complete the cooking journey. Oh, and did I explain the opinions? Gianni had already called in advance and offered to give us a perfect desk directly in front of the window. Italians take a “digestive stroll” after eating so much wheat and pasta, so we made the decision to do the same. They may do this on a regular basis. Gianni led us to the town’s heart and let us leave at the motorist walkway’s access. We made our way down secluded stone alleys, peeked into local shops, and arrived in Positano at the city’s foundation, where everyone seemed to share our common interest: beach time. We took our pictures, sat for a moment, and headed back up to Gianni because we did n’t have much time to work on our tans because we were, after all, at the mercy of the ship’s schedule. To get there, we had an hour of winding, stormy coastal roads leading to Amalfi, a charming city. Strolling through the village of AmalfiAmalfi may have been smaller than Positano, but I think I liked it even more, if that’s probable. We waited for an hour or so in the Piazza del Duomo before entering the Amalfi Cathedral. Although it’s so simple to get churched out in Italy, this one was one of the prettiest we saw, and it’s definitely worth a look ( 3 euros to enter ). Next, as to not get a time without our dessert repair, we tried the mint per Gianni’s local and devoured it out by the Fountain of Sant’Andrea. Gianni would have taken us higher up into the hills to Ravello if we had had more time, but since we were now pushing it time-wise, we turned round and drove the hour to Sorrento, where our fleet was waiting for us. We did an out-and-back on the Amalfi Coast because there is only one true way to travel down the island, but everyone was relieved to see that see twice, so no one seemed to care. With 15 minutes to spare, we returned to the ship, and Gianni had now made our trip, which was only day three. Next time, nevertheless, we might not let him depart without taking us house with him. SHARE ON Facebook WhatsAppGoogle+BufferLinked InPin It