At the start of June, I was boarding a plane to visit the sunny area of the Amalfi Coast. This was my first holiday in quite a while, therefore I was rather excited! The views along the coastline looked stunning and I couldn’t wait to explore the city of Sorrento. Before leaving I wanted to make sure I had some sort of plan in place so I knew where or what was around the area. There’s no point visiting a location without knowing details about where you’re visiting.
Bags packed, e-tickets downloaded, airport checked in and plane boarded – it was time to see what the Amalfi Coast had to offer.
Stunning Views and Sunshine
Although I’d seen photographs and the odd YouTube video of Sorrento, what I hadn’t taken into account was just how amazing the views were in person! No matter where you looked the stunning views were all around you. From the coastline to the hillside behind, this place was breathtaking.
On the first full day venturing into Sorrento the “wow factor” continued. Exploring the narrow cobbled streets. The strong smell of lemons and the various restaurants offering a vast amount of Italian cuisine. No matter where you walked or looked there was always something different to catch your eye.
The main harbour area, even though it was quite a walk from the heart of Sorrento, was full of activity. More so on the day I was there as Italy’s answer to “The Great British Bake Off” was being filmed – Bake Off Italia. Something that I wasn’t planning on seeing during my time way. A live recording with what was quite a small crew. Large powerful daylight cinema lights to add some fill to what was an extremely sunny day.
Day or night this coastal town was always alive. On a few of the nights, I had my camera in hand, out exploring to see what I could capture. If a town is easy to photograph during the day, shooting at night was even easier. The colours of the shop fronts reflecting on the cobble streets. It was a photographers dream. Especially when walking up the hillside out of Sorrento to capture the blue hour, right before nightfall of the harbour area below.
From here you’re able to see the whole of the coastal town set against the green mountains in the distance. A stunning and inspiring view! So inspiring I lost about 2 hours just snapping this scene again and again. The best view being at the entrances to a luxury hotel situated on the coastline.
The Coast and Beyond
No matter if you hop on a bus, boat or train, there’s always so much more to see around Sorrento. Which is just what I did during this holiday. A short bus trip to see the picturesque views of Positano along the Amalfi Coast. A boat venture across the bay of Naples to the island of Capri. As well as visiting the city of Pompeii, a whole city buried in meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. It was hard to fit in time to enjoy all these places, however we managed to!
If you ever get the chance to visit Positano – do it! This place including the drive in, is one of the nicest and photogenic areas I’ve ever visited. The drive on the coach isn’t for the faint hearted but the views, they speak for themselves. Walking from the main bus stop, down the hill into the main beach area of Positano, it’s like walking into a world made for Instagram or Pinterest. You can’t turn a corner without seeing something that catches your eye.
Capri is a luxury island for the rich and famous, which when you’re there you can see why. At the very centre of Capri overlooking the harbour area, an array of designer shops and small boutiques line the streets. Bright vivid flowers and well kept gardens. Hidden away at the other side of the island is a viewpoint with an almost panoramic scene, that looks like the setting to a James Bond film. With expensive yachts moored within the royal blue seas. It’s hard to not feel jealous about the way some people live! Just make sure the boat ride over isn’t going to be a rough one as believe me…..when the ships rocking it’s rocking and rocking hard! Luckily the boat from Capri back to Sorrento wasn’t as painful.
Following that a trip a to Pompeii you see how people once lived. A vast city that was destroyed by a terrible tragic event. Walking around the ruins it’s amazing what they have been able to recover. Some of the buildings still have faint outlines of where drawings once were. It’s a shame some of buildings couldn’t be restored as there’s quite a few “empty shells”. Trying to not picture the struggle of what happened was hard!
Addio Amalfi Coast
All good things must come to end and so did this holiday. A week exploring the Amalfi Coast just didn’t seem long enough. Sorrento itself isn’t a massive town which means it’s hard to get lost exploring. Walking down one street which leads to another which you’d never seen before. It’s hard to get lost within Sorrento as you’ll always end up finding your way to a familiar location or street within a few minutes. It’s hard to pick a highlight as each town had it’s own unique charm however if I had to pick………..the views at Positano were something else. Visiting this area has definitely given me that travel bug and can’t wait to explore again.
Share this post
