I’m not sure if you’ve ever had the feeling of waking up in broad daylight, even though you’re already awake, but our most recent trip to Italy felt just like that. It was like a curtain pulled away and I could see again. All the anticipation and anxiety leading up to the trip just washed away and I felt like myself again, carefree and happy, taking on each new challenge that unfolded and unlocking the par tot myself that craves adventure.
Of course, traveling with a pre-schooler is not without its challenges. There were definitely days that our son was just not having it after dragging him into the car again and again for another roadtrip. But overall, he did great, and for a 4 year old, he’s well on his way to being a jet setter. The number one thing that I was most worried about was the long haul flights from Seattle to Paris and Amsterdam to Seattle, but he weathered the flights like a champ.
We started our trip to Italy in Naples, arriving just after dark. The only mishap during the whole trip is two of our bags were left in Paris after connecting there. Even though we had ample time, after discovering that the AirTags in our bags were sitting in Paris, we filled out a baggage report and proceeded to the car rental desk.
One thing I was super impressed with leading up to the trip is Budget called me internationally to pre register for the car. I highly recommend doing that if given the opportunity, because it allowed us to skip the line and quickly get the keys to the car after a very long day of traveling. As the jet lag set in, we really appreciated zipping through the process.
Finding the shuttle to where the cars were parked in the dark was another matter. There are signs, but not very good ones at the Naples airport. The area surrounding the airport feels a bit disorganized and haphazard, but after wandering around for a minute or two, we followed the crowds and found the shuttle stop. Once we got to the parking lot, it was easy to find the car and we were off. Also, note, anyone renting a car in Europe probably knows that the vehicle sizes are not anywhere near the same as the US. A standard SUV in Europe is about the size of an intermediate or crossover one here, so luckily we were able to upgrade. Otherwise, there was absolutely no way we would have fit all of our luggage.
We plugged the Airbnb address into Google map and away we went into the world of Napoli drivers and tolls. While the highway for the most part is fine, orderly driving in Naples is not really a thing on the side sheets. It borders on third world type driving. If you want it, you have to take it and hope you don’t get hit. After throwing coins at the toll booth (because it was dark and we had not idea how to work the toll system yet) we made it to our beautiful apartment in a historic villa in Angri for the first stop of the trip.
The apartment sits on the third floor of a villa. While we would soon learn that hauling our luggage up several flights of stairs in Italy is enviable, it was worth the climb. The apartment has a gorgeous view of Mt. Vesuvius and ample space for at least six people. It’s also a short drive to Pompei and drivable to the Amalfi coast for the day. But what made this place even more special was the host Ciro. Ciro went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed and even helped coordinate a local stroller rental for our day in Pompeii. He provides a slew of different services and while we didn’t have time while we were there, he even offers to make a traditional dinner with his family for guests. He also stocked the fridge with much appreciated essentials after a very long travel day. The apartment is very comfortable and I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to stay in the Naples area, close to Pompeii. Here’s the listing! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/642438545834242962?viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76
After conking out after an extremely long day, we made the trek back to the airport the next day to retrieve our waylayed luggage. And that was a whole experience – parking, navigating a protest and just simply finding the luggage claim desk. All in all, it took a couple of hours.
After finally making it back to the apartment, we hopped in the car and made our way down to Positano. We had planned to spend most of the day at the Amalfi coast but with the detour, we only had a couple of hours. Still it proved to be a beautiful evening and a perfect start to the trip.
We parked and then wandered our way down the steep steps leading down to the water on the edge of town. At the bottom, we took the path lining the sea to the city center.
Once we rounded the bend, the liveliness of the town radiated through the bay. The ferry, packed with people, pulled into the dock to drop passengers off with their luggage. Several boats were anchored off shore and downtown was buzzing with people. It was so picturesque. It was like stepping straight into a painting.
In the center of town a beach sprawls out, covered in boats. Atlas played on the sand for a few minutes because he simply can’t resist. Then we went to dinner at a traditional trattoria. The pizza was arguably the best pizza we had all trip.
After dinner, we shopped a bit and made our way up the long windy road back to the parking lot. We didn’t realize when we parked that it was still quite a ways down to the bottom of the hill, but the trek was a fun adventure.
We ended the night winding our way back up over the mountain, feeling grateful to be in such a beautiful place and content after our first full day in Italy. There was so much more to come!
Next Up: Pompeii
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