Fav 5 {Travel Guides} are a short list of the best things I've found to do, see, eat, or drink in a particular location. This guide is for Sorrento and the Almafi Coast in Italy. Look no further for more posts about International Travel and additional Italian cities including Florence, Naples, Palermo, and Rome. The Amalfi Coast is a place that even Jay-Z brags about. ALEXA: Play Upgrade U by Jay-Z and Beyonce. This stretch of coastline in Italy is a TRUE DREAM to visit. I visited Italy in 2016 for a second time. My husband, Bryce, and both of my parents came along with me. My Mom is 100% Italian and this was her first trip to the motherland. Her one request was to visit the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento is the first city on the Amalfi Coast and I'd relieve our days in this area again and again! 1. Grand Hotel Aminta SorrentoThe Grand Hotel Aminta Sorrento is perched high above Sorrento with a SPECTACULAR view of the Bay of Naples at Mount Vesuvius. The view can be seen from every part of the hotel. There you'll slow down your pace of life and begin to savor every sip, bite, and breath while enjoying LA DOLCE VITA aka the good life. . This hotel has everything: a beautiful outdoor pool, a bar with top-notch cocktails, and a gorgeous restaurant where we enjoyed both breakfast and dinner. The rooms are super chic and comfortable and every room has a balcony to make the most of that view. The second best feature of the Grand Hotel Aminta is the ongoing shuttle service into Sorrento. The route is wild, twisting and turning down the small roads carved into the mountain. The shuttle option provides you with a comforting combination of feeling totally taken care of, having the freedom to explore the town, and relief in knowing exactly how you'll get back up the mountain to your hotel. The hotel does have events onsite. When the party being held around the pool lingered well into the wee-morning hours my parents were pleased to have been given a large amount of their money back. I slept through the whole thing and never would have complained (I am an Event Planner, after all) but it's worth noting that the hotel provides great customer service. 2. Cooking Class with Chef CarmenWhen we arrived in Sorrento we were unprepared for our activities for the next few days. I grabbed a brochure and sent a few emails. When I got a reply from Chef Carmen within a few hours I promptly enrolled my Mom and I in a three-course cooking class for the next day! The cooking school is called La Cucina del Gusto by Chef Carmen and we were the ONLY PEOPLE in the class, what an Italian dream. My Mom, Chef Carmen, and I spent a wonderful morning together making homemade ravioli, chicken, and tiramisu. Chef Carmen is a gem! She kept us laughing while teaching us the techniques. We worked hard! When she heard us speculating about what the guys were doing she insisted that we invite Bryce and my Dad to eat with us. Chef Carmen provided champagne, wine, beers, and limoncello for us novice cooks AND OUR GUESTS. The five of us spent our time leisurely enjoying our (delicious) homemade foods while sipping drinks and enjoying the day. Chef Carmen made us a dinner reservation for her favorite restaurant before we left. She emailed us her recipes in the following days. We gladly purchased her cookbook and a few bottles of limoncello. The whole experience was spectacular and one I'd recommend to everyone who's visiting Sorrento. 3. Tour of the Amalfi CoastBecause visiting the Amalfi Coast was my Mom's highest priority it had to be done right! We booked an all day tour of the Amalfi Coast with Rosato Private Tour. Vittorio is the owner of the company and he was our driver and tour guide for the day. He picked us up from our hotel in Sorrento in the morning, took us on an adventure through the Amalfi Coast all day, then dropped us, and our suitcases, in Naples to catch a ferry boat to Sicily. This was one of the most amazing days of our lives! We hopped in an out of Vittorio's (air conditioned Mercedes) van all day long. He'd drop us off, tell us exactly what to explore in each town, and would be patiently waiting and eager to hear our stories when we returned. If he could find a parking spot he'd come along with us! We were comfortable, entertained, and educated all day long. We visited the beach at Positano and admired the vertical village surrounding it. We stopped in Amalfi where we enjoyed the buzz of the town, stopping for coffee and treats (see #4, below), and perusing the tiny shops and handmade paper goods. We enjoyed a stop in Ravello for lunch where we admired the many picturesque lemons and stellar views. If you've dreamt of touring the Amalfi Coast someday this is absolutely the way to do it! 4. Andrea PansaThis pastry shop in Amalfi is such a gem. Pasticceria Andrea Pansa is located just next to the Amalfi Cathedral. Vittorio insisted that we visit and we were happy to oblige. It's an Italian dream. I walked in and sipped a cappuccino at the bar. We tasted the locally favorite pastries and I wish I could have eaten them all. This place feels so magically old world and it's pure Italian coffee/pastry heaven. 5. HerculaneumWhen Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. both Pompeii and Herculaneum were cities destroyed by the volcano and its aftermath. Bryce and I visited Pompeii during our first trip to Italy so we decided to tour Herculaneum on our second visit. This visit was an add-on from our Amalfi Coast tour with Rosato Private Tours (#3 above). When we arrived at Herculaneum we met our English speaking archeological guide who gave us a grand tour of the ruins! This is one of the best "field trips" I've ever been on in my life. Herculaneum was a destination where wealthy Romans would vacation. The site is much smaller than Pompeii but just as interesting and tragic. The ruins include the common areas like bath houses and snack bars as well as private homes with running water and gardens. It's so wild to see these ancient and over the top vacation homes that were demolished and preserved all at once. Warning: There is a part of this tour where you see HUNDREDS of skeletons. It was not my favorite part and could be skipped with advance notice. Thanks so much for reliving this amazing trip with me. I hope this Travel Guide gives you some guidance for your visit to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. We all agree that Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast are worth visiting again and again. Please follow Figs and Flights via Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. If you LOVE this blog and the content please invite a friend who will, too! Similar Posts
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Hello, I'm AngelaI'm a food obsessed blogger and world traveler Let's Connect.Search Here:Most Popular PostsMost Popular VideosMost Popular Recipes
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