The almighty Amalfi and captivating Capri, Italy.

We awoke early to the sound of alarm blasting away. We packed up our things drowsily & were out the door in good time. After stopping for a pastry & espresso, Cris & Roberto dropped us off at the station. We hopped on the train & before we knew it we were in Milan. We had a two hour stop over before jumping on the fast train to Salerno, so we just chilled at a café & had an overpriced sandwich. Once we got on board we were sat opposite each other, next to two Italian strangers. One of which was a lady who sighed frequently, & unnecessarily loudly! 

It was a long six hour trip but we made it into  Salerno just as night was falling. We jumped in a cab from the station & pulled into a small alleyway which allegedly led up to our Air BnB. After asking a friendly waiter at a nearby restaurant, he pointed us in the direction of our accommodation & in no time we were buzzing on up. We were greeted by a young, quiet couple who showed us our cute orange room with a little terrace. We dumped our bags & asked where the best place was to eat. The man recommended the same restaurant downstairs with the helpful waiter so we headed on down & after a little wait for a table, we were seated. Dinner consisted of a tasty thin pizza & an okay salad, & satisfied, we went back upstairs & dived into bed! 

Waking the next morning to the noise from the bustling little street below, we walked out into the kitchen & helped ourselves to brekky. Our plan for the day was to head out on a ferry to the town of Positano, & once we figured out where it was & we got changed, we were off! We managed to make the 10:30am ferry, & we took a seat up on the top deck. The water was absolutely gorgeous the further we moved around the Amalfi coastline, & the secret coves, beaches & houses along the way were countless! 

After a couple of hours we arrived at the port of the pretty-as-a-painting Positano. We disembarked the ferry, had a quick browse around the town & marvelled at how 'Italian' (tacky) the unreasonably expensive clothes were, then had a bite to eat before heading to the beach! We walked along a path just outside of the town, away from the crowded main beach, & stumbled upon a quaint little cove where hardly anyone was, happy to avoid the masses lazing about on over priced deck chairs!! Jumping at the chance to get in the stunning aqua blue sea, we laid our sarongs down on the scorching hot pebbles, & dived on in. 

The water was cool & very refreshing, & the cove was such a little haven away from the masses. We had a couple of swims & chilled in the before heading back towards port & onto the 4:30 ferry. Napping the majority of the way back (whilst being pranked by a certain photographer,) we arrived back in Salerno. We made our way home, stopping at a supermarket on the way to gather supplies for dinner. I hopped into the large shower while Sean cooked up a pork dinner, along with peas, carrots, zucchinis & mashed potatoes. We crawled into bed, ready for an early start in the morning for a day trip to Capri!

We accidentally overslept our alarm when we eventually woke, & after chucking a few things together & throwing clothes on, we raced to catch the 8:30 ferry. Making it just in time, we set sail again over the crystal blue ocean, & after stopping a couple of times to pick up more passengers, we arrived in the port of the paradise island of Capri. Unloading off the ferry, we weaved & dodged around the masses of other tourists, who trickled off other boats at a seemingly never ending pace. Seeking respite at a café with a particularly strong cappuccino, we made an executive decision to hire a scooter for half of the day, & after we paid up, our waiter pointed us to a scooter hire store. 

The hiring process was a breeze, the gent behind the counter marked the best spots on the map, & we had 5 hours to bring it back. Setting off on the hectic & narrow island roads, we rode along a winding pass that cut into the mountain & provided breathtaking views. It wasn't too long before we pulled into the carpark of Punta Carena e Farro & as we walked down the pathway we soon came to realise why the swimming spot was a local favourite! The  water deep, yet crystal clear, so you could see every rock on the bottom. We jumped off a diving point, which unbeknownst to us, would be just a warm up for the ones to come!

After making like a sunbaking lizard on the rocky boat ramp for a wee while, we were up & off again, this time headed to another swimming spot on the opposite side of the island. This one was called Grotta Azzurra, & it was just picture perfect. Laying our sarongs down, we leaped into the ocean, the island dropped off right away into blue abyss, making this the perfect jumping spot. Sean was jumping from a point a good 8 metres up before a young local boy asked him to come jump off a point nearly twice as high! Unsurprisingly, Sean needed no time to deliberate, & he was soon up on the face of a cliff. It was a giant drop but he wasted no time in taking the leap of faith, plunging into the water, then coming up laughing. We hung around the serene spot for a little while, before agreeing that we were both hungry, & so we were back on the scooter, headed towards the opposite end of the island.

We parked up in the town centre as no vehicles were permitted past a certain point, & we made our way up a hill towards a restaurant Sean had read about. Making it to the place after a good twenty minutes of walking, we were met with a closed door & empty place. Not disheartened, we retreated down towards another crisp white place we walked past earlier. It worked out fantastic in the end, because the place we ended up at, 'La Palette,' provided outstanding views of the other side of the island from their modern balcony. We enjoyed a cold peroni with a tantalisingly fresh Capri salad, before our mains were brought out. We both had different pastas, mine a seafood special & Sean's, a classic carbonara. They were both fresh & tasty, not to mention very cleanly presented. It hit the spot, & after paying up, we were back walking down towards the J'ardin Augustino. 

The gardens were picturesque, amongst the cliffside with sea views. Unfortunately as we were in a hurry to get the scooter back in time, we could only stop for a few photos of the gorgeous view, before heading back to the carpark & jumping on the scooter. We rode back down to the shop, dropped it off, & after one more swim at a packed beach we were back on the ferry bound for home. 

We stopped by the supermarket again & picked up some snackie foods - cheeses, cold cuts & bikkies. We weren't terribly hungry so it was just a light dinner along with  a couple of beers each. The second one, a German wheat beer smelled & tasted like smoked salmon! It was bizarre & I wouldn't rush back into another one! We were in bed shortly after, ready to leave Salerno to venture further into the coast.

One night in Rome and endless sunshine in Elba, Italy.

After an easy but delayed flight we flew into Rome, grabbed our bags and jumped on the train into the city. We arrived at Termini station at about 9pm and set off in search of our hotel which conveniently was only a few blocks away. We were greeted by an extremely friendly lady who showed us to a comfortable room where we dumped our bags, quickly changed and ordered an uber. Rushing to meet a friend, Alex from home, we arrived to the pub we had previously agreed market at campo square.. but we were an hour late. We crawled between the raging contiki and top deck tours in search of him but their high pitch screaming and sweaty bodies got the better of us and we left unsuccessful and feeling old. 

The square was bustling with people as it was lined with cafes, bars and buskers, so we decided on dinner just near by so we could see if he was to leave the pub. Ordering a few well deserved beers, and a tasty starter of creamy mozzarella and salad, followed by our favourite pizza; napolitana. Just as we were finishing off our beers a familiar face caught my eye and we found Alex! The rest of his group decided to head home so the three of us headed to a few more bars for more beers before sending him home in a cab and putting ourselves on a bus after midnight! 

We woke around 8 and headed for the train station, with a quick bite to eat there we found our train and scored some seats! A few hours later we arrived at campagniola maritime and had to run to make our second train due in at Portimbo maritime at 2pm. We jumped off the train and into the hot, salty, summer air and crossed the road into the ferry office. Booking two tickets, departing at 2:30 and arriving into Portoferraro, Elba at 3:30. 

We were greeting by a super smiley beachy beauty; Cristina, whom I met in Bondi a few years back. She had invited us to join her at her holiday house in Elba for the weekend, and obviously we greatfully accepted the kind invitation! We all jumped in her big soccer mum car and drove about 20 minutes to a small community set up by the beach, booming with tourists! Arriving at her house, it was adorable and authentic, like stepping into a set from the 50's, complete with drawings on the wall (that her grandfather had done) to Rosemary beads hanging over the beds. She showed us to our room and opened the shutters.. Which literally showed us the beach! The water was a stone throw away, needless to say we changed quickly into our swimmers and ran down to splash in the sea. 

We met her mum Jane, and her friend Steph, who was also staying for a night! The beach was completely lined with deck chairs, and umbrellas and stretched for a few kilometres until it escalated into the township area full of bustling restaurants and pricey boutiques.   We swam into the early hours of the evening and soaked up all the sun we could before walking the few metres back to the house for an outdoor shower (with a forest view!) and to get ready for dinner. 

After popping open a bottle of one of the champagnes we specially brought with us, we drove (the whole 2kms) into the township area and arrived to our reservation at a friendly authentic pizza place. We ordered an eggplant parmigiana, followed by a massive Nepolitana pizza to share! It was delicious and was washed down with a tasty, cold draft beer! We then followed the cobble streets down to a happening little bar, ordered cocktails and watched an incredible band! She took requests and when Sean asked for 'what's up', she insisted he have the microphone for the chorus! She shut down at midnight and so too did we! 

After a little lie in, we opened the shutters to see the sun was in full force and the beach was already packed! We headed back into town to the garden beach cafe (where we were the night before) for a few macchiatos (they do this well, but not so good at cappuccinos), and a few brioches (perhaps we are just fussy but they taste like a sponge cake compared to anything in Paris). 

On island time it was already past midday and we had barely finished our breakfast before making our way back to the beach for a good few hours of splashing around! Steph took off to catch her flight back to the UK so we had a late snack at one of the beach shack cafes to tie us over until dinner. We strolled all of the twenty metres home & set up some Campari spritz for apertivo hour. 

Feeling a little tipsy we ventured back out, fortunately not far at all as we returned to the same café from earlier, however it had now been transformed into a fine dining seafood restaurant. We took our table with a gorgeous sea view & ordered a whole fresh sea bream, which was filleted & plated up right at our table. The fish was incredible, & the matching local white wine, a viogner, harmonised perfectly. Finishing up with a digestif, we left feeling full & fantastic. We headed home for a much needed sleep.

The sun poured through our shutters again the next morning, & after a dip in the ocean, we decided to walk into town for some brekky. We returned to the garden café for macchiatos & brioches, & Christina joined us halfway through. After we split from Chris, & browsed the local overpriced shops we decided to hike over the hill to another beach on the island. After walking for 20 mins we reached a beautiful blue rocky beach, & we dived into the cool sea without hesitation. We floated around for awhile before getting out & making the journey back home. 

We returned to the beach out the front of the house, sunbaked & swam for a good few hours, & before we knew it, it was time for aperitivo hour yet again. This time we shared Campari with orange juice & soda, & just like the day before, we each had a few, got ready, & headed out for our last dinner in Elba. We walked back to town as the sun set, painting a picturesque scene across the water. 

We made it to Jane & Chris' extended families restaurant, with the exhausted owner standing outside fishing for customers, & doing it well. We sat down & ordered two different homemade pastas. The gnocchi was fluffy & delicious & the crab spaghetti was decent as well. Our meal was accompanied with another local white, this time a vermentino, & it was all happy days! We paid up & left, & after Christina went shopping at 1am on a Sunday night(!), we returned home, ready to leave the island the following afternoon, our next stop being the Cinque Terre, via Florence!