LA DOLCE VITA: CAPRI

Here it is folks, the Amalfi Coast Post That No One Knew I Was Writing But Have Been Pumped About For Some Time^TM. I’ve mostly been excited because “coast” and “post” rhyme. But also, this entire trip was a dream, and I’m so happy to finally get around to sharing it!

For our first school break this semester, a few of my friends and I decided to take the long weekend for a vacation that would allow us to savor the last of the warm European weather. The Amalfi Coast was the clear winner for pretend-it’s-still-summer destinations. Plus, our September visit meant we beat (a good amount of) the crowds. Ugh, tourists, am I right?

We settled in an Airbnb in Praiano, which I’ll share more pictures of when I share a post dedicated to the little village. We flew into Naples and arranged for a car to pick us up, which I’d recommend doing unless you like dying. Seriously, the coastal winding roads aren’t so picturesque when you have an inexperienced driver whipping you around every corner. Part of the magic of the Amalfi Coast is the drive: though death-defying, it’s gorgeous. We caught glimpses of the weekend ahead from out our dirty van windows, and we were not disappointed.

To refuel on our first night, we cheers-ed to the weekend at Il Pirata, a charming restaurant on the water serving up – you guessed it – Italian food! What says “romance” better than glittering outdoor lights, a cavernous indoor bar, and a group of five girls and their solo male friend? Not much. Nooot much.

Our first full day in Italy was the stuff of Gwyneth Paltrow movies – we woke up early and chugged down countless steps for an almost-private boat ride to the island of Capri. Though our boat was intended for twelve people, we made up six, so we got to hoard the entire front. Armed with free sparkling lemonades and plenty of sunscreen, the five of us jetted off to Capri (one of our team members was below deck with seasickness).

If you’re like me and had the Bath and Body Works Capri Seaside Citrus bath gel (who am I kidding, of course you did), you’ve aways dreamed of going to this fantasy world. I’ll be honest and admit that Capri felt by far the most cheesy of the areas we visited, but that was probably because we were only there for a short while. Our day trip allotted us four hours on the island, which didn’t give us much time to explore the other side of the island, which we later found out was the celebrity side.

Though we were stuck with all the muggles in the touristy areas, Capri was still beautiful – and there was plenty of shopping. When I come back in 30 to 40 years, I’d try staying longer in Capri to get the feel I was “supposed” to see. I’ve read that staying the night is the way to go, since all the daytime tourists leave for their hotels.

The best part of the day was the ride back, because we finally released into the Mediterranean Sea for some swimming. The water was like nothing I’ve ever seen before; it was insanely clear and blue. Like, Gatorade blue. I felt like I was in a movie – I’m surprised I didn’t start belting out “Part of Your World.”

Though we didn’t get to see the Blue Grotto earlier in our day due to sharks (just kidding, it was too windy), we still got our cave fix in for the day. Our boat was parked at the base of a few jagged cliffs, so we were able to swim into the underwater caves beneath at our own will. It took me a little while to build up the nerve to swim in (it was super dark in there, OK?), I did manage to finally explore the caves and reenact an episode of H2O.

I’m embarrassed to admit that we ended the day with delivery pizza. At least it was authentic Italian pizza, right? We were exhausted from the day and needed time to do homework. I had almost forgotten we were still in the middle of a college semester, but all ~dreams~ must come to an end when you wake up!