Back when Thom and I were deciding where to go on our European Adventure I knew it was time to visit the east coast of Southern Italy. Like most people, I have seen photos of the Amalfi Coast for as far back as I can remember. What I had never really thought or read about was the coast below the Amalfi Peninsula. Plus when I heard that many Italians choose that area of their country to vacation to (and avoid the crowds of Amalfi) I figured it would be somewhere to explore. Plus, because the Amalfi Coast is so popular, it is less expensive to both stay and eat in locations further south. I found a vacation home that looked great and off we went through mountains and tiny Italian villages to the little town of Maratea.
Our stay there was in a family owned Italian “villa” that had four bedrooms and one bath and occupied the second floor of the home. While the house was “dated” with antique furniture in various condition, the bathroom came out of the 70’s with chocolate brown fixtures and worked about as well as you imagine such out-dated fixtures would work. BUT…the deck out front overlooking the garden, the hillside and down over the sea was magnificent. Nearly every place I rent contains a patio and this was/is the best we’ve had so far. We spent most of our time there and loved every minute.
We stayed in Maratea for five nights and enjoyed the (mostly) cool air and the sea breezes. We did drive up the coast a bit to a nearby seaside town and inland to a large monastery but mostly stayed nearby and enjoyed the little town and some downtime. If you are following us on FB it might appear that we are constantly on the move but staying in one place for five nights/six days is hardly rushing things. After our time there we were ready to move to our next vacation rental on the northern side of the Amalfi Peninsula. I had picked that location for a couple of reasons but it came with a couple of problems that were unforeseen. 
The rental itself was spacious, had a wonderful view, a great kitchen and the bathroom was very up-to-date. But it sat on the side of a hill/mountain and the road was extremely narrow and nearly impossible to drive. We worked it out with our very gracious landlord/host and still had a good time, but it was not a place I could ever recommend.
What I could recommend was the all-day Amalfi Coast tour we took with Gianluca, a local guide, Like I mentioned before, one of my strongest intentions for visiting the south of Italy was to see this particular coast and Gianluca gave it to me. We spent the day visiting Positano, Amalfi and Ravello as well as having a wonderful lunch just south of Maiori. A day to remember forever.
And while our lunch at the old Norman Watchtower was spectacular, we also had a lemon sorbet in Positano that was very memorable. The day was warm and it was exactly what we needed to cool down and enjoy. And yes, we split it!
So while I can’t recommend our vacation rental for the Amalfi area, I can recommend a great tour guide and a gorgeous place for lunch. And in case I haven’t said it before, we are eating VERY well during our travels. Onward!
Oh my gosh, this looks like the vacation in paradise. I have been caught up with lots of family stuff lately (all good) so I got behind. I just made a cup of tea and caught up on your recent posts. Every time I read one and look at the pictures, I think oh this is the best one…until I read the next one! Even with the less that ideal rental, you still manage to find the most beautiful places and have the most excellent adventures. And the food…I can only imagine. I also admire the way you mix activity with relaxing, urban with rural, travel and staying in one place for a while. Definitely the way to do it. Thanks for taking us all along on your trip!
Hi Galen! Awwww…thank you. I am doing my best to keep up with the posts and making them interesting for everyone without putting pressure on myself to “work!” Glad you are liking them. And I do think we are doing pretty well with our selections but it’s hard not to compare from place to place. I do like to mix it up though so thanks for noticing that…it would be a bit boring to have them all have the same feel. Thank YOU for following along. ~Kathy
Great scenery … including the lemon sorbet!
Hi Tom! I think the “view” is always great when it’s something new and interesting don’t you? And tasty food nearly ALWAYS is makes for great scenery! ~Kathy
It is great to live vicariously through you and Thom. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful and your comments and recommendations are so appreciated. WOW are those streets ever narrow! I would have been worried about scratches as well. Glad nothing happened and you could return it with no issues.
As you stated, travel is very good for getting to know yourself a bit better. Your likes, dislikes, wants, needs, etc. Glad you are taking the time to relax and just enjoy the beautiful scenery as well. Looking forward to hearing all you have discovered during your extended stay in Europe. You’re giving me ideas for our next extended trip 😉
Love the posts and looking forward to the next one!
Hi Debbie! I’m sure you’ll be doing your own list of “likes, dislikes, wants, needs etc.” on your upcoming trip. After all that is part of the journey isn’t it. And the good thing for us bloggers is we can use it all and write about it if we want. I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip too and glad you’re enjoying mine. ~Kathy
Limoncello, pics and stories! Thanks and keep them coming
Hi Gary! You’ll be proud of me for (mostly) avoiding all the sugary sweets all around us. While Italy is sorta bad…Spain was over-the-top with candy. Some of it is REALLY tempting though…. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy, we had a similar experience on a narrow street in Florence. We actually took a side mirror off a police car! You’d have thought that the VRBO owner/manager would have explained the situation better. Oh well, chalk it up to a learning experience. We visited the Amalfi Coast while cruising several years ago and have always intended to return for a more extended visit. One day.
I appreciate that you are sifting and learning along the way. Fine-tuning your likes and dislikes will serve you well for future travels. I’ll look forward to that post. Now, I’m off to follow you on FB so I can see more photos!
Hi Suzanne! Wow! You took the side mirror off of a police car!?! That definitely beat our experience for nerve wracking!!! As it turns out even though we “thought” we scratched the car going up to our Airbnb…it turns out it was just a “rub” on the plastic wheel wells. When we turned the car in here in Rome the agent didn’t see a thing. Yay! It was expensive enough with rental rates these days and Italy is really high with insurance. Yes as you say, lesson learned!
As for learning as we go…I tend to think all life is that but it is always for fun and exciting to do it when traveling!!! ~Kathy
Hi, Kathy – These photos are stunning. I love your honest and candid recommendations. Returning to Italy is HIGH on our list!
I look forward to catching up with you again soon.
Hey Donna! Thank you. Like you I have SO MANY photos I could post, but trying to select ones that I think capture the best of the experience is hard. Still, sorta fun telling a “story” from our photo logs. And as you know, if anyone wants ALL the photos they just have to follow me on FB. And YES I’m looking forward to catching up with you too when we get home and things settle down. Oh, and did find another “camino” here in central Italy that you might want to consider for the future. :–). And I hope your mom is doing better every day. ~Kathy
Whew! I’m glad you told us you don’t travel and sight-see every day and that you enjoy down time like in this villa with the brown bath fixtures! Originally I thought you were in a different place almost everyday with photos and script. Your travels are our travels. Grazie!, for showing us the Amalfi coast…gorgeous!
Hey Rick! Yeah I could tell from a couple of comments on FB that some people thought we were go-go-go every day. But we are enjoying just hanging quite a bit. What seems to work well is one day of touring/exploring and then one day just staying at the house or only taking short walks. Seems to work well..plus Thom has stayed quite busy with work so that also keeps us focused on everyday life rather than “vacation.” Learning a lot though about our likes, dislikes and expectations for extended travel. And yes, there will likely be a blog post about that down the road. 🙂 Thanks for following along. ~Kathy