It'd be accurate to say that the only thing I actually had on my Amalfi Coast to-do list was to…read morehike the Sentiero degli Dei (aka Path of the Gods). While back at home, I booked a guide to walk with on the route from Bomerano to Nocelle but further research told me this was something I could probably do without a paid guide. As the date of my trip grew nearer I canceled the guide without regret. It would be nearly impossible to get lost on this well-marked trail and seeing large tour groups hiking en masse was an experience I was glad to forgo. While many people hike the Path of the Gods from Bomerano to Nocelle, Bomerano was a 1 hour bus ride (or 25 euro per person private shuttle ride) away from my Positano lodging. Instead, I did as my hotel concierge recommended: I took the bus to Nocelle, hiked in and out on the same path, and completed a big loop trail in the center (about 5 total miles). This is a great alternative for those who don't want to head all the way to Bomerano or who are nervous about starting and ending in different locations, neither of which is the location of your lodging. It's at least equal in length and the stretch you miss, from Bomerano to the split, is only about a 30 minute hike. Living in the California Bay Area I'm accustomed to beautiful mountain trails with water views but none so high up as those seen from here and none, of course, of the Amalfi Coast. Get ready to be amazed. But first, be prepared. The best views are obtained in that center loop trail, about mid-way from either of the trail's entry points in Bomerano or Nocelle. Getting there is a reasonably challenging exercise as the trail is rocky with a fair amount of elevation changes. Come early, before the heat, hydrate, apply sunscreen, use a hiking stick if you have one, and be in shape. The terrain is uneven and you might need to scramble with both hands and feet to get up and down in some points. The mid-way point brings you to a private home whose owner sells lemon granita and offers up his bathroom and some outdoor bench seating from which to (again) savor the views. It's the only bathroom on the trail. If you worry at all about losing track of the trail note that there are red marks applied at regular intervals to large rocks on the trail. If the correct trail is ever in question look for the next red mark and that will effectively keep you on track. Apparently, you can finish in Nocelle then walk some 1700 stairs down to Positano but after 4 hours I'd had enough for the day. I caught the bus back down to Positano from the same location at which I'd disembarked earlier in the day. My Amalfi Coast goal was accomplished.

Great hike that gave us additional views of Amalfi we wouldn't have gotten otherwise…read more Pros: - see the terraced vineyards and gardens - we hiked from Bomerano to Positano, which I recommend. You'll go through a hard part with a lot of steps, and then they'll be an easier section. Made it easier for us to complete hike. - took us about 1.5 hours with small breaks - spots in Bomerano to grab a sandwich or drink before starting the hike. - picnic tables along the way to take a break and one lemonade stand! - easily marked, so we knew how to follow the trail Recommendations: - I recommend stopping by the vending machines to pick up waters - they were cheaper than in the little place we stopped, which charged us 5 euros for everything we got. - wear hiking shoes and bring water! Cons: - store in Bomerano charged 5 euro for everything without really ringing it up. I think they were just gouging tourists, and not actually pricing things accurately. - 1700 steps down to Positano and then a short walk along the road to get into Central Positano. You can avoid the steps if you take the bus, but we powered through...and had very sore knees the next day.

Views, views and more views. Built and donated by the Tycoon Krupp this garden offers the best…read moreviews of Capri. 1.5€ entrance is a steal of a deal. You can't go wrong by stopping by and enjoying the well maintained landscape and absolutely world class views. You will be so glad to stopped and enjoyed. No food or drinks allowed!

A really small park that isn't free. You gotta pay…read more However there are a ton of great views which is what you're paying for. Not necessary for Capri, but still really nice.

This park is HUGE. Seriously check the map! It's very clean and green and beautiful. It's one of…read morethose places you can escape for a nap on the grass, picnic for two, or a book on a relaxing day off. The park offers the Museo di Capodimonte, scenic panoramic views of the sea afar, and the cityscapes of Napoli surroundings. A great place for a walk, a run, a jog, or take your dog. Just outside it's easy to find pizza, a bar, bus stops. It's a fun ride downhill towards downtown and the significant churches with the catacombs. Good for the residents that live near this park.

The main green park of Napoli. Lovely place to relax, enjoy good time and clean up the lungs…read more By the appearance the park seems small, in reality it covers 2-3 cities. In the past it was the Hunting spot during Spanish ruleship and a wonderful museum is located right there not by chance. Entrance: FREE. Animals: ADMITED Family: Perfect and also allowed to play games in open air

Since this is essentially a secondary listing for "Pompeii Ruins" on Yelp, just adding a few more…read morenotes here that I didn't include in my main review. Highlights for me were: 1) the Forum: on the south western side of the park, past the Temple of Venus which is fairly close to the entrance by Porta Marina. This was the main public square and socio-economic center for the city with many different government, religious and commercial buildings set around it. Some of the important ruins include the Basilica, the court of law and business center, and the Macellum, a covered food market and marketplace. Temples of Jupiter and Apollo served religious functions. 2) the bath houses: there are a few different locations Terme Stabiane, Terme del Foro, Terme Suburbane--though I went to the Forum location, was really impressed by how well laid out and preserved this building was. 3) thermopoliums: plural because around 80 different locations were found within Pompeii. These are the equivalent of street food vendors where the working class would procure hot food to go, since the majority of Pompeii's 10-35K residents at the time of its destruction in 79 AD didn't live in villas, rather in multistory buildings without kitchens, hence depended on these for sustenance. These L-shaped marble counters held terracotta jars of hot and cold food, such as stews, meats, and spiced wine. 4) "suburban" Villa di Diomede and Villa dei Misteri which require a separate fee of €8 payable in cash or card at the gate to that section of the park, if it's not already included in your particular combo ticket. These two villas underwent multiple restorations and haven't always been open to the public. Both are examples of larger, grand residences with more complex layouts, the latter housing famous colorful frescos depicting rituals related to an esoteric cult of Dionysus. 5) necropolises: a few different locations around the outskirts of the town, it was fascinating to see how ancient traditions of mausoleums carry into current conventions. 6) interesting signage: while I don't read Latin, from the translations I read about pertaining to some of the sites, they certainly got their point across. I chuckled at the mosaic with Latin phrase "Cave Canem" literally "beware of the dog" showing a snarling black dog, placed at the entrance of one of the domiciles. Side note there is restoration and excavation work ongoing at different sites within the park, so not every building is open to the public. Even some structures that were open within the past several months like the House of Menander and Lupanare di Pompei (Pompeii's brothel) were not open.

Pompeii is one of those "must see!" places,. Every year, the team excavating digs up new treasures…read moreone after another. Our tour took us to several, old and new, but I could have stayed twice as long and still not seen half. We arrived early, but by the time we left, people were pouring in. Walking down the commercial streets that in 79 AD were bustling with life. And then, in just a few hours, sterilized with the pyroclastic heat, and buried under ash and volcanic residue for 1600 years, a Roman city frozen in time.

Beautiful clear day to drive from Sorrento to Positiano along the coast. We winded around hairpin…read moreturns

The (in)famous Amalfi Coast. Talking numbers it is not that long a distance. But due to lots of…read morewinding turns and narrow streets through the towns it takes a while to do it. And of course the many many view points will slow you down extra. Many are a bit scared of the drive, but there's no reason to it I say, if you're a bit of an experienced driver. If you mastered the Road To Hana in Hawaii (which isn't that difficult) or even the Pacific Coast Highway, then you can do this one-handed. We had an over 5m long Station Wagon and it did fine here. Ok, if you show up in an Escalade, you might get in trouble a bunch of times. But it really is fine, many tourists won't drive that fast, so you won't have to either. And the locals will take you over anyway. The only thing you should be aware of are the turns. Italians are fast drivers, but they will use both lanes in a turn. So have your foot ready on the break, because there might be a car partly on your lane in any turn. If you're aware of that, you will enjoy this Coastal Road. So many beautiful views and vista points and lots of charming towns and villages. Of course Amalfi itself is the famous place here. But overcrowded. If you look for a charming little village with locals and good food you definitely should stop at Cetara. Parking is - as in any town here - quite limited though. If you want your spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend or any shotgun passenger to enjoy the views you should drive from west to east (except you're selfish). Like I said, Vista Points are plenty, but also mostly just a few parking spots. Many visitors get temped and park their car anywhere....on the road itself....even in turns. Pls. don't do that. It's quite annyoing and downright dangerous. A lovely road - a thing that you should do at least once in your life.

Many destinations along the Amalfi Coast stand out for their incredible panoramic views of the…read moremountains and Mediterranean Sea. In Ravello, there are two better-known villas touting scenic eye candy worth checking out (with many other more or lesser known viewpoints)--Villa Cimbrione and Villa Rufolo. The latter takes its name from the wealthy merchant family that built this domicile in the 13th century. In the 14th century, banquets were hosted here for King Robert II of Naples and other Norman royalty. It was even written up in a story by Italian Renaissance author Boccaccio in "Decameron," published in 1353. In 1851, Sir Francis Neville Reid, a Scottish botanist and philanthropist, visited the villa in a state of deterioration and neglect, purchased it and renovated what was remaining of the property and gardens. Famously German composer Richard Wagner visited in 1880 and was so inspired he remained in Ravello to complete the second act of "Parsifal," an opera that had been in work for two decades. Today this villa is a historic landmark and cultural center, hosting musical concerts, open to the public for €8 regular admission, €6 discounted, tickets available at the entrance. There is a Moorish-inspired smaller tower and a taller bell tower from which you can climb to the roof to take in the views from behind a glass barrier.* The staircase inside this bell tower stands out in its criss-crossing design for stairs going up and down--reminiscent of MC Escher's lithographs showing impossible perspectives. From terraces and gardens outdoors behind the villa you can also catch sight of the hillside and coastline. While I was there in April, the gardens were in transition, they had various signs posted that apologized for the bare appearance due to recent storms. To me they still looked nice and I appreciated that they were so conscientious with upkeep! Wandering around you can spend anywhere from 30 min to 1.5 hours here. It's conveniently located next to the main town piazza and close walking distance to local restaurants and businesses. For more info: https://www.ravello.com/attractions/villa-rufolo/ *and from which I tried very carefully to hold my phone above--and not plummet it into the hundreds of feet below--when taking videos.

If you're already up in Ravello, you definitely need to stop by Villa Rufolo. To be totally honest,…read moreit doesn't quite have the same "wow" factor or the massive, sweeping panoramic views as Villa Cimbrone, but it is still absolutely worth checking out. The gardens here are beautiful, and the way the colorful flowers frame the old stone ruins and the ocean in the background is gorgeous--definitely a prime photo spot. It's right off the main square too, so it's super easy to get to compared to the trek out to Cimbrone.