Sorrento, Italy

The last stop on our Italian coastal tour was Sorrento, also known as the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. While Sorrento still boasts gorgeous sea views, colorful buildings, and delicious Italian cuisine, I didn't find it quite as charming as Positano. We arrived in the heart of the town just after 2 pm and the streets were bustling with tourists. I don't mind visiting touristy locales, but after wandering down the almost tourist-free streets in Positano just hours before, I couldn't help but be disenchanted by the overabundance of them in Sorrento. Not to mention it was over 80 degrees outside that afternoon, so the combination of crowded streets and humid weather made our time there a little less bearable. In lieu of snapping a million photos of the town (since I'd already had my fill of photographing gorgeous Positano), we spent an hour wandering up and down the shop-lined streets trying to find a memento to bring home from our quick stop there. We settled on a cute ornament covered in hand-painted lemons and seascapes, then headed back to our air-conditioned van and we jetted off to the docks to catch our ferry back to Naples. A quick stop, indeed. If I had the chance visit Sorrento again, I would...but maybe in the off season when less tourists are out in full force. Although, if we find ourselves along the Amalfi Coast again, I'm positive the island of Capri will be our first stop since we opted out of it this past trip. So much Italy to see, so little time. Guess we always have a reason to come back! You won't hear me complaining. :)

If you missed any of our day along the Amalfi Coast, you can find all my recaps here, here, and here.

Positano: Fattoria La Tagliata

When I think about our time along the Amalfi Coast, our stop in Positano and the food we ate there always comes to the forefront of my mind. Before we even stepped foot on the beach or wandered down any beautiful cobblestone streets, we ate the most delicious Italian feast I've ever experienced. Fattoria La Tagliata is a colorful quaint restaurant tucked away into Positano's lush green hillside, high above the shops and hotels in the city center. If our tour guide hadn't suggested it, we may have never known it existed. The locals know all the good stuff. As we walked into the cliffside al fresco dining area, we were greeted by the restaurant owner's son, Peppino, a sweet fella excited for La Tagliata's first patrons of the day. He happily sat us at a rustic table with impeccable sea views and signaled to the kitchen for our feast to begin.

Bottles of house wine were already lining the table, opened and ready to be poured. Naturally, we all dove in like rabid animals as the smell of pecorino and prosciutto began to fill the restaurant. Our first course (aside from the plethora of wine and bread) was a slurry of antipasto bites--homemade buffalo mozzarella (from the local mountains of Campania), proscitutto & peas, mini calzones, parma ham & melon, marinated eggplant, fagioli & chickpeas, and fresh bruschetta--all passed around family style. Next up, a parade of freshly-made pastas including cheese-stuffed ravioli, gnocchi with tomato sauce, fusilli with pumpkin, and meat cannelloni came marching down the table. My favorite? The gnocchi. Like little pillows of heaven swimming in fragrant tomato sauce. D and I still talk about that pasta and how it's the best we've ever tasted. As if the plethora of pasta and antipasto wasn't enough to stuff you full, the last course, a plate of homemade cakes and pastries, just about did us in. 

Hands down, the best Italian meal in the history of ever. 

If you get the chance to drive along the crystal blue Amalfi Coast, make sure you stop in charming Positano for 3 courses of authentic Italian heaven. Signora Dora and her family will treat you right and leave you speechless with their spell-bounding views and out-of-this-world local homemade cuisine. I'm not sure a meal will ever compare to the one we ate at La Tagliata...and that's quite alright with me. :)

Amalfi Coast Drive

Guys, the Amalfi Coast is stupid gorgeous. Roads are windy and I almost lost my lunch a few times, but it's so beautiful, I'd barf a million times just to see it again. Sorry for that visual. Aside from Santorini & Mykonos, this was one of our favorite stops on our Med cruise. And not just for its gorgeousness, but also the food. OH, THE FOOD! Their lemons are the size of your head, I kid you not. But, more on that later. After spending roughly 2 hours exploring Pompeii, we hopped back into our comfy 10-passenger van and started our hour long Amalfi Coast drive. Final destination? POSITANO! Well, and Sorrento, but we hit that up on our drive back to the cruise ship.

Even though the drive was rough on my tummy, our driver (and sharply dressed tour guide) gave us lots of info about the Amalfi Coast along the way. He also stopped the van at a few key lookout points so we could snap photos of the too-stunning-for-words views. I might as well stop typing now because nothing I tell you will be able to compare to actually seeing this coastline for yourself. Rome is great, Cinque Terre is fabulous, but the Amalfi Coast (even more notably, Positano) is mega wonderful. Italy hasn't been my favorite county we've visited during our time in Europe, but this region? I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Scenes from Positano & Sorrento coming soon...