Everywhere we went in Italy
Where we stayed, ate, shopped, sight-seed, and more. Plus fall trends on the blog.
In the past, when I took a vacation, I’d recap it with a travel diary on the blog. These posts were always fun to write but felt a little self-indulgent. That said, I do want to be of service, and when I do travel research, I always appreciate recommendations from other people. So with that in mind, here are my fully unsolicited recommendations (as well as places to avoid!) for Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Puglia. (Note: these are all Google Maps links!)
Rome
Where we stayed
I cannot recommend Casa Montani enough. The location is perfect (just outside of the Piazza del Popolo), the rooms are spacious, the beds comfy, and Andrea, who works there, is so incredibly lovely. This was, hands down, our favorite hotel of the trip.
Where we ate
Ginger: Good for a snack, aperitivo, shopping break, etc. Great for people watching.
Osteria da Fortunata: Right outside of the Pantheon, recommended for the carbonara, and in that, it did not disappoint.
Sensorio Coffee Roasters: This was one of the best breakfasts I had on the entire trip. Great coffee too.
Osteria Barberini: Known for its truffle dishes, although the linguine al vongole is nothing to sneeze at either.
Niko Romito: This place is a scene but the food and wine are fantastic, and the views are even better. Incredible service.
Where we shopped
The best shopping area is basically between the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, between Via del Babuino and Via del Corso. Via del Condotti is the famous cross-street with all the luxury stores. My favorite places to hit are:
Il Bisonte: The Coach of Italy—beautifully understated leather goods.
Sermoneta Gloves: Every type of glove you could dream of, many in buttery-soft leather.
Iosselliani: Really cool, accessibly priced demi-fine jewelry. (Sadly closed when we were there in August!)
Campomarizo70: Allll the niche fragrances, and one of the few places to buy Fornasetti in Rome.
Santa Maria Novella: One of three locations in the city (there’s another in the same neighborhood, and one more closer to the Pantheon). The best body lotion and soap on the planet.
Kiko Milano: The MAC of Italy. I am so far incredibly impressed with everything I bought here (which was a lot). Their sunscreen is incredible.
Where we sight-seed
The Trevi Fountain is a non-negotiable must-see. The Spanish steps are very romantic too. The Pantheon is a marvel. And on this trip, I finally went to the Galleria Borghese, and it is 100% worth the hassle of getting tickets.
Amalfi Coast
Where we stayed
We decided to base ourselves in Massa Lubrense, just outside of Sorrento, which is a flat (and much more walkable) coastal town on the other side of the peninsula. Getting to Positano and the towns on the actual the Amalfi Coast takes about an hour via ferry; I’m glad we stayed where we did, but if I ever go back (and have unlimited funds), I’d probably stay in one of the quieter towns like Ravello or Atrani. As for our actual hotel, Bellavista Francischiello was clean, family-run, had a gorgeous rooftop pool (and bar!), delicious breakfast, and a bus stop right in front to take us into town (about a 10-15 minute ride). Everyone who worked there was so kind and welcoming; my one bit of criticism is that the beds were hard AF, but we encountered this in several places—maybe it’s an Italian thing?
Where we ate & drank
O’Murzill: Super fresh seafood pastas. Delightful service. A little off the beaten path, in a good way.
Piennolo Land Food: The food here was way more serious than you’d think, judging by the look. This was the best spaghetti al nerano I had on the trip.
Frankie’s Pizza: Very casual, affordable Neapolitan-style pizza with many different topping/sauce options (and vegan ones as well).
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria: Expensive aperitivo but you’re paying for an amazing view and somewhat fussy service.
Ristorante La Torre One Fire: Michelin guide; really fresh seafood and lots of locals eating here. I will say, this was the one place on the entire trip where we were asked to tip, and the service was not at all worthy of it.
Grand Hotel Quissana: We ate lunch here on Capri because it was one of the only places open before noon (we had to be back on our boat at 1pm). The food was ok but wildly expensive—I had a glass of prosecco and a Caprese sandwich and it was the second-most expensive meal of the trip. A+ people watching however.
Da Vincenzo: I had a gazillion restaurant recommendations for Positano; this was the first place we came across, after climbing what felt like 8,000 steps. It was solid, however nearly all Americans inside.
Taverna Buonvicino: This was, surprisingly, one of the best meals we had on the entire trip (Sean & I both had the tuna, which was the catch of the day). The incredibly hot Italian waiter didn’t hurt.
Where we shopped
Antica Sartoria: As I noted in last week’s newsletter, this boutique has locations in nearly every southern Italian vacation town, and it’s a must for affordably priced dresses that scream vacation in the best possible way.
Casa e Bottega: This place has gorgeous ceramics and linens at Positano prices (the napkins I liked were 30 euro each!).
La Bottega di Brunella: Quiet luxury, vacation edition. Lots of loosely woven linen pieces, most in the 100-200 euro range.
Carro Positano: This place had really nice leather bags at reasonable prices; I am kicking myself for not buying one.
Emporio Sireneuse: Super high-end gift shop for the super high-end La Sireneuse hotel. Gorgeous things, priced accordingly.
La Scuderia del Duca: Paper goods for days (Amalfi has been making them for centuries). A great spot for gifts (one for me, one for you).
Stefania Shoes: This is where I got my custom-made pair of sandals (for a very reasonable 90 euros). Great service, and a super-fun experience.
As for Capri, the main shopping streets are Via Furolovado, Via Vittorio Emanuele, and, most famously, Via Camerelle. I will say, I was almost offended by how expensive everything was. The one store where I bought something (a gift) was Ricciocaprese, which has incredibly beautiful (but not ridiculously priced) ceramics.
What we did
I highly recommend Ferryhopper for booking ferry tickets. You can take the bus to the Amalfi Coast towns for 2 euros, but the ferry is faster and arriving from the water is far more dramatic.
For our day trip to Capri, we used Lubrenese Boats. We were in a small group (there were 10 of us total), the captain was excellent, and they gave us lots of prosecco and snacks. My only quibble is that we were supposed to go to the Blue Grotto, but it was closed due to high seas, which was out of their control and apparently happens a lot.
In Positano, we spent the afternoon at Da Ferdinando, a very off-the-beaten-path (but amazing) beach club—there are several clustered on that beach. To get there, DO NOT follow Google Maps walking directions; take the footpath that starts by the Covo dei Saraceni hotel and winds along the water. Best part: there’s a boat that takes you back to the ferry so you don’t have to climb the steps again.
In Amalfi, we went to one of the clubs at Tonino’s beach, right by the ferry. We paid 20 euros each for our chairs, and were back on the ferry in under 10 minutes. Well worth it.
Puglia
Where we stayed
In Puglia, you basically have two types of accommodation: a masseria, which is a farmhouse out in the country, many of them very luxurious; or a villa in one of the towns. We went with the latter, at Palazzo Fiscaiolo in Monopoli, which is a seaside town with lots of affordable restaurant options. It was the right choice for us—after driving around to various other towns in Puglia, it was nice to park the car, then walk to dinner. Our villa was very well located, pretty affordable, and very quiet. Our room was a bit smaller than we expected (it was advertised as a junior suite, which was a stretch) but our host was lovely, and we got free breakfast every morning.
Where we ate & drank
My Wine: Not just wine (although that was fantastic)—we had really good seafood here, with several daily chef’s pasta specials to choose from too.
Barumba Café: Right in the main square of Monopoli, great for people-watching and very reasonably priced drinks (although they have food too).
Trattoria Pizzeria Da Zi Ottavio: Huge wine list, surprisingly innovative appetizers and specials, and really good pizza.
CarloQuinto: Great views (right on the sea), great people-watching, decent seafood. There were a lot of tourists here.
Caffe Letterario: We had breakfast here every morning (it was included with our villa). Very sweet servers too.
Trattoria La Locanda dei Mercanti: One of the best (and most affordable) meals of our entire trip—we were glad we saved it for the last night. You definitely need a reservation.
The Super Mago del Gelo Mario Campanella: Quaint old-school place for gelato and coffee in Polignano a Mare. Get the “special coffee” (it’s spiked).
La Veranda di Giselda: Literally fresh-off-the-boat seafood by the kilo. We went to Sunday lunch here and it was an event with the locals. Amazing views too, and friendly service.
Bar Enoteca a Casedd: This was a totally random little bar that we stopped at in Alberobello. We just had spritzes, focaccia, and burrata, but all were incredibly affordable and fresh.
Borgo Antico Bistrot: We only had aperitivo here, but the drinks were great, the views were amazing (all the way to the sea!), and the food looked pretty good.
Cremeria History Vignola: We stopped here for coffee during our bike tour through the Itria valley (more on that in a bit). Worth it for the views alone!
Masseria Madonna Dell’Arco: This is where our bike tour stopped for lunch. After riding 18 miles, I would have eaten anything, but everything we had here was super fresh and I ate an embarrassing amount of burrata.
La Perla Nera: We decided to be incredibly lazy one day and parked ourselves at this beach club (I think 2 chairs and an umbrella were 35 euro, which seemed reasonable to us). We hit the restaurant for a light lunch, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to eat there. The beach club, however, was perfect.
What we did
E-bike tour: This was one of my favorite days of the trip. We rode really nice e-bikes on a tour through the Itria valley, through the towns of Martina Franca, Locotrondo, and Cisternino, and past all manner of masseria, trulli (the stone houses), and all-around gorgeous views. I found the e-bike incredibly easy to ride, and it was such a fresh way to see the countryside.
Polignano a Mare tuk-tuk tour: We were supposed to do a boat tour of the grottos on our last day, but it got cancelled due to rough seas, so we ended up on this instead; you ride in an Ape, which is like a scooter with a golf cart attached. It was an unexpected delight, and Polignano a Mare is a freaking gorgeous town.
Alberobello: A UNESCO World Heritage site, this hillside town has a huge cluster of trulli, the adorable hut-like stone houses that are everywhere in Puglia. It’s touristy but totally unique and worth visiting.
Ostuni: A whitewashed hillside town with a lot of great ceramics stores (I cleaned up at Carella) and great views all the way to the sea.
Matera: We stopped here on the way to Puglia (we drove from Naples) and were blown away by how amazing it was. Also a UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, and wandering through the sissi (the streets carved out of caves) feels like you’re inside of a painting. Words cannot describe what an incredible place it was—a highlight of our trip.
This week on the blog
Whew, ok, that went on way longer than I had anticipated, so thank you for making it this far. This week on the blog, I decided to do a trend report of sorts, and first up is barn jackets—mine is from Old Navy(!) and $60(!!!).
