The Amalfi Coast is dotted with colorful towns that overlook a stunning, blue sea. It has been on my Pinterest travel board for years, so when Brantley and I got the chance to visit in May of 2023, I was over-the-moon!

I’m still dreaming about our trip a year later, and I’ve been painting lots of little Italian scenes from the photos I shot along the way. The Italian Summer collection released in June, and Part II drops on August 15! And now I’m finally sharing our travel itinerary, along with my recommendations and favorites!

Our Itinerary: 

Day 1: Travel

Day 2–3: Sorrento

Day 4–5: Capri

Day 6–8: Positano

Day 9: Travel

Sorrento

We stayed at Hotel Antiche Mura that overlooks Vallone dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills). Our room was on the back of the hotel among the lemon trees, so it felt straight out of a fairy tale!

We were in Sorrento for a wedding, but we did take some time to walk through the streets and explore a bit. Our favorite spot was Marina Grande, where we had lunch at Trattoria Da Emilia. Brantley and I both agree it was our favorite meal of the entire trip!

Capri

From Sorrento we took a ferry to Capri. We stayed at Villa Brunella, which was a short walk from Faraglioni, a beautiful rock arch formation, right off the coast. That side of the island was much quieter, making it the perfect spot to relax for a couple of days.

Our first day at Capri, we took a boat tour of the island. This was the highlight of the trip for me! I just loved seeing the rocky coast, grottos and the breathtakingly blue water.

The next day we went to La Fontelina Beach Club. You need a lunch reservation to access the beach, so we made a day of it. We enjoyed the view from under our blue striped umbrella, sipped on Aperol Spritzes and took a dip in the Mediterranean to cool off!

Positano

Our next stop was Positano, which is where we stayed for the remainder of our trip. I absolutely loved our hotel in Positano, and I would go back just to stay at Hotel Poseidon. If you’ve read One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle, this is the hotel from the book.

We took a great tour at MAR Positano Villa Romana, an archeological museum; ate lots of gelato and enjoyed the walk along the water to Fornillo Beach. Positano was the most crowded place we visited, so we spent a little time exploring there, but mostly enjoyed the hotel (it has a great view and an adorable terrace) and used it as our home-base to adventure further up the coast.

From Positano we took the winding road along the coast to Ravello, stopping at a couple of sightseeing spots and the town of Amalfi along the way.

We started our day early to avoid the crowds. We spent an hour or two strolling the streets of Amalfi; my favorite part was the heart of town with the Duomo di Amalfi and Fountain of Sant’Andrea. We also walked along the boardwalk, which gives you a great view of the little town!

Then we drove on to Ravello to visit the villas and gardens. Ravello was Brantley’s favorite part of the trip with its beautiful views. We loved the gardens at Villa Cimbrone that overlooked the sea. We stopped for a refreshing lunch at Hotel Villa Maria (our second favorite meal) before strolling through Villa Rufolo and heading back.

On our last day we hiked the Path of the Gods. We started in Bomerano and ended in Nocelle, where we took the bus back to Positano. The hike was a little steep and rocky in areas, but not too strenuous. Plus, the views along the coast were amazing. You could certainly see God’s beauty at work!

All-in-all we had the trip of a lifetime, and I’m glad we saved up for it. I’ll probably be painting Amalfi Coast views for a very long time!