Italy Road Trip 2023
Our summer saw Tristan and Amber come all the way across the globe from Australia for their first European jaunt. They flew into London and spent a few days with us exploring and getting over the jetlag. They then took the Eurostar across to Paris for a few days before flying to Rome where we met for a summer Italian road trip. They’d spent a couple of days exploring Rome city and Keoni and I had been a few times before so when we flew in, we met them at the camper van hire place where we collected two campers ready to start our adventure down south to the Amalfi Coast.
Day 1 – Rome to Porto di Caposele, 13th July
We had a delayed flight into Rome so only had the afternoon to make our way down towards Naples. We collected the campers and took off south. I had to keep an eye on Tristan in the rear mirror as it was his first time driving on the right hand side of the road which I know can be hairy to start with. We got down to Gaeta on the coast, about halfway between Rome and Naples where we stopped on the waterfront and stretched our legs with a walk along the esplanade before finding a cute waterfront restaurant for dinner. After dinner we travelled a little bit further around the coast to find a place to park the campers for the night at Porto di Caposele. The heat Italian summer heat was real and this was our first night testing out how to manage that in a camper without any real cooling. Surprisingly it wasn’t too bad with the top popped open and the windows unzipped, the main issue was any noise in the carpark with young people using it as a night time make out spot.
Day 2 – Vindicio to Pompeii, 14th July
We got up early in the beautiful Italian sun and I went for a run around the coast along Spiaggia di Vindicio and then a swim to start the morning. We washed off behind the camper with the little shower hose attachment and went to find some breakfast. After a delicious little Italian crema café and cornetto, we drove down inland, skirting around Naples and Mt Vesuvius to end up at Pompeii. We had a blast wandering Pompeii and learning all about its history (although it was stinking hot). Some fun facts we learned were things like the city was destroyed and covered in 79AD when Mt Vesuvius erupted and then disappeared from history and was forgotten until 1549 when it was happened across while someone was digging water channel. Also Mt Vesuvius is considered the most dangerous volcano in the world given that its due for another eruption and the centre of Naples is only 12km away. This means if it did erupt again, most of the population of Naples would be dead within two and a half minutes! From here, we went into a nearby town for a pasta lunch and some sweets then into Naples city in the afternoon. The drive into Naples was one of the most narrow and congested we encountered the entire trip and I was white knuckling it all the way down through the city and to the waterfront. Keoni and I shot off to find a beach for a swim but they were all disgusting and dirty around Naples so instead went into the city for an aperitivo and to wait for Tristan and Amber to join us from their own adventure which we found out was a lost side mirror after their camper van and a truck had a little Italian romance leaving Pompeii.
That evening we lined up for over an hour to order takeaway pizza from Pizzeria Da Michele, apparently the best pizza in Italy and Keoni and I came back to a smashed side mirror on the pathway side of the road while parked. Someone had obviously intentionally smashed it but it wasn’t a good day for side mirrors! Keoni and I spent it camped high up on the side of Mount Vesuvius which was a beautiful view to wake up to the next morning.
Day 3 – Mt Vesuvius to Sorrento, 15th July
We started the morning with another delicious selection of Italian pastries and crema café’s. Tristan and Amber had stayed on the edges of Naples to re-charge their new van and fill up with water at a caravan park so Keoni and I made our way further down the coast to find a lovely beach to relax on for the morning. We had a wander around beautiful Vico Equense for the afternoon and then attempted driving up into the mountains to Ristorante Pizzeria da Gighetto. It was some very hairy driving up steep and narrow streets not designed for two way traffic until we got to a road which looked too much for our campers to handle. Luckily with some google help translating and a friendly local, we were guided another way to get to the restaurant. The meal here was one of the best we had the whole trip. After dinner we hopped on the road again to drive the panoramic Via Capo road which gives some of the most spectacular views of the coast around Sorrento. We ended the evening camped in a cute sprawling olive grove where we slept under the branches of the swaying olive trees for the night.
Day 4 – Sorrento, 16th July
The olive grove campground was right on the coast, above Spiaggia della Pignatella and nearby to a little hidden cove open to the water. We got up and walked a little trail down to the cove (Bagni Regina Giovanna) and the surrounding roman ruins. then went for a dip in the refreshing blue water just before the area started to get too crowded with tourists. Back to the campground and then into Sorrento for some lunch and a pair of parking fines. We walked into the town and has some refreshing granitas (slushy drinks) and cannoli. Sorrento is known for its lemons so of course everything was lemon flavoured. We spent another night in the olive grove – one of the best camp sites we had the whole trip – before continuing on the next day.
Days 5 & 6 – Positano & Amalfi, 17th & 18th July
We continued around the peninsula from Sorrento to start driving the Amalfi Coast. I lost a flip-flop somewhere that we stopped for photos along the way and so was grumpy but this didn’t take away from the stunning views the whole drive. We did two laps down through the one-way single street of Positano and parking was not going to happen so we continued on to San Lazzaro where we settled the camper vans for the next few nights. We took the bus back down the winding switchbacks into Amalfi town and went for an exploration. Duomo di Amalfi, a wander through the cobbled streets and then onto a boat tour around the coast to visit Grotta dello Smeraldo (the emerald grotto). Back up to San Lazzaro for the evening where we had dinner at an amazing little place within walking distance from our camp ground called Ristorante Leonardo’s.
The next morning Keoni and I got up early and made our way to Pianillo on the bus to the start of the Path of Gods hike. It was a beautiful hike up high along the cliffs overlooking the Amalfi Coast and all the way into Positano. We stopped for a well-deserved coffee and pastry at a fancy café with a leafy patio overlooking Positano and then continued down into the town to explore and go for a swim. We took the bus back to Amalfi and then up to San Lazzaro again to meet up with Tristan and Amber for lunch and a chilled afternoon. That night we went back to the same restaurant as the night before and again ate a great sprawling meal accompanied with many 5 Euro bottles of wine. We took a bottle for the road and stopped for cocktails on the way home. That night Keoni and Amber had a sneaky chunder from too much alcohol but Tristan and I were fine and woke up fairly chipper the next morning.
Day 7 – Salerno, 19th July
We left San Lazzaro the next morning, Keoni and I nursing some sore legs from the hike and Amber and Keoni nursing hangovers which didn’t go too well with the winding roads back down to the coast. We continued around the coast, quickly realising that trying to find anywhere to stop or park during peak season was going to be a nightmare so we eventually decided to continue on round, out of the Amalfi Coast and onto Salerno. We originally tried to head further around the coast and find a quiet beachfront to camp on but read lots of dodgy reviews about the area not being safe so ended up back in Salerno for dinner and then headed up into the mountains to park in a stadium carpark for the night somewhere near Pagani.
Day 8 – Naples, 20th July
A delicious breakfast in Nasti Café the next morning and saying goodbye to Tristan and Amber as they called their trip short to rush back to Australia for an emergency in Ambers family. Keoni and I then made our way back into Naples for a day exploring catacombs and wandering the city eating delicious things. That evening we continued on back to Porto di Caposele for a swim and a waterfront aperitivo before camping in the same marina carpark we spent the first night.
Days 9 & 10 – Gaeta & Rome, 21st & 22nd July
We were hot and sweaty and craving a proper shower and some air con so we decided to do the same thing Amber and Tristan did on their last night – get a hotel in Rome! We swung into Gaetta to view the Grotta del Turco and explore the beaches a little before beelining it back to Rome to return the camper and head into the city centre to our hotel. A proper shower, a walk around the city eating pasta and getting some obligatory tourist shots and the same the next day before a late flight out.
Even with the looming shadow and unknowns that came with Ambers family emergency, we all managed to have some really fun times and lots of laughs. We did learn that peak season in such a busy tourist destination in Europe should be avoided in the future or perhaps just not the type of holiday we chose. It was really great to all get together and finally do a trip like this with Tristan. Hopefully it’s a sign of more trips to come!
