Weekend Getaway to Italy!

One of my favorite trips throughout my study abroad was traveling to the coastal towns of Italy. From Barcelona, I flew to Naples, Italy, since that was the closest airport to Sorrento. It was about a 2 hour flight. From Naples, I took a 2 hour train ride along the coast to reach Sorrento, Italy. Because of how touristy Sorrento is, I stayed in Massa Lubrense, which is 30 minutes uphill from Sorrento in the mountains. Massa Lubrense was very local and had various restaurants all around. There’s only one road that goes all around this mountain neighborhood, but it overlooked the coast, so the view was always mesmerizing to watch during the drive!

I spent the rest of the day touring around the city of Sorrento. It’s a small coastal town, so I was able to see almost everything in one day. The first thing I noticed in Italy was how hot it was! The sun was beaming extra hard, but it only gave me more of an excuse to go swim in the coast, so I enjoyed it. I tried my first authentic Italian margherita pizza in Sorrento, and it did not disappoint. Without a doubt, it was the best pizza I have had. Towards sunset, I headed towards the beach and was met with a beautiful view of course. I was able to see the island of Capri from afar. I ended my first night in Italy with a relaxing swim on the Sorrento coast.

The next day, I had a boat ride scheduled in the morning that would pick us up from Sorrento and stop at Amalfi Coast and Positano. We headed there at 8:30am and got great seats right in the front of the boat. It was about a 2 hour ride to reach Amalfi Coast and the view was breathtaking. The Gulf of Naples had beautiful blue water and the mountains were amazing to see. Once we reached Amalfi Coast, we explored the town and tried many Italian classics such as seafood, caprese sandwiches, gelato, lemon sorbets, and lemonade! In the center of the town is the Duomo di Amalfi, which is the Amalfi Catholic Cathedral, which had a beautiful staircase that led up to the church doors. Amalfi Coast was on my bucket list for so long, so touring the beautiful town was a very surreal experience for me.

Our next stop was on the way back to Sorrento, which was at Positano, another coastal city. I noticed the actual town of Positano was much smaller than Amalfi Coast, but I spent most of my time swimming on the coast anyway. Again, a very surreal moment for me. I was swimming by myself, surrounded by Italians I’d never met, while gazing at the beautiful mountains right behind the coast. I could not believe I was here, and honestly still can’t process the moment.

At that moment, I was so proud of myself and how far I came. This whole experience was so life changing and I reflected so much after traveling throughout Europe in one month. One of the lessons I learned during my time abroad was how important it is to go with the flow. I mentioned this in a previous blog as well, but going with the flow throughout life in general is so important. You come across even better opportunities and experiences than you actually planned before. Also, it’s so much more fun anyway. Studying and living abroad was the best thing I have done for myself, and I recommend anyone who can to go for it!