Even though I’ve been to the captivating town of Positano many times, it’s a dream come true to share my favorite place in the entire world with my children. Upon our arrival in Naples, we hired a private driver to navigate the challenging 30 miles of winding, two lane road comprised of twisting hairpin curves and switch-backs along the side of a mountain with the sea a thousand feet below us…but Destination Positano is well worth the journey. This town is generally known as the “Vertical City” with stairs, stairs, and more stairs…. but comes directly out of a storybook. Tiny pastel houses built on top of each other stretch from the beach all the way up to the top of the mountain. Our villa was located mid-way up the mountain and 127 steps above the street…which included walking thru several tight alleyways and even a small tunnel…But when we reached the top (and finally caught our breath), our view of the Mediterranean sea from our HUGE patio was nothing less than spectacular! And Yes, we did have a poster to take the 3 heaviest suitcases up for us girls. We spent countless hours the next few days on this amazing patio relaxing, laughing and reminiscing old times and memories. I can attest to the fact that children grow up way too fast.

We ventured down to the beach on two occasions…and explored everything in between ….from excellent shopping; homemade pasta, pizza and ice cream; limoncello (their liquor made from the gigantic lemons grown here); ceramic wares that are world famous; and the kids getting to know one of the locals extremely well who made AMAZING meatballs😜 The good news is… We hopefully walked off most of what we ate.

One day we ventured down the coast to my “dream” town, Ravello…. known as “the town where poets go to die”. Perched 1,100 feet above the tiny coastal town of Amalfi is the tiny medieval town of Ravello. No vehicles allowed inside the town gates. Ravello has often been described as “closer to heaven than to the sea”. There are 2 romantic gardens with spectacular views of the sea… as you wander up the alleyways… but my favorite view in all of Italy is from the 11th Century Villa Cimbrone’s “Terrace of Infinity” which sits at the very top of the mountain. On a couple of my visits in years passed, I’ve seen the sky and water both so blue, I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. BUT I Don’t advise staying here, even though it is a hotel, because the beds are extremely hard… Feels like you’re sleeping on a board😝

When we left Positano, we stopped over in Pompeii, before heading into Rome. I never tire of these ancient ruins and can spend hours exploring, but this trip has definitely made my decision to get a new right knee. It’s interfering with my travels🥴.