{picture perfect amalfi} reasons to visit

Your heart will stop as you drive along the coast into Amalfi. The entire town is built into the mountain with lemon trees overflowing with luscious beauty. Being there is almost like being in a postcard except it's far more incredible than you could ever imagine. Feast your eyes on Italy's hidden gem. 

I couldn't help but take a classic tourist shot of my feet overlooking the Amalfi Coast! I'm wearing my favourite pair of Orthaheel sandals called 'Fleur'. Not only are they super cute but they have a built-in orthotic footbed! Pretty cool right? Susie and I both got a pair of these for our trip and they have been amazing. Walking around on your feet all day long can be exhausting and cause serious pain so keep your feet fully supported with a pair of Orthaheel sandals!

Shout out to my incredible mom - thank you for helping me return to our favourite place on earth.

Paper Mill Amalfi

We visited the oldest paper mill in Europe located right by the port in Amalfi called Museo della Carta Amalfi. It felt like we were stepping back in time! This is where the Popes paper is all made and I was able to make a piece! 

My family visited Amalfi years ago and fell in love. As we wandered in and out of shops, eating delicious pizza and licking away at gelato, we missed this paper mill. My stepdad who greatly admires well crafted stationery would have been thrilled with this place! I guess we are going to have to visit, again! 

Pottery in Viatri

Between Amalfi and Sollerno is the quaint town of Viatri. Here you will find walls of painted tile on the outside of charming pottery stores. If you are looking for the perfect way to add to your platter collection back home, come here and personalize one to make it your own. This truly is the most authentic pottery you will find in the south of Italy. 

Prices vary between each store so I suggest browsing a bit to find the lowest price. The heavier the platter (or item) the more expensive it is to ship home. If you have the space, I would bring it along with you. 

Wander the streets of Amalfi

Since there are countless lemon trees here, the city produces tons of bottles of lemoncello! 

Pizzeria Donna Stella

We found out about this place in the Lonley Planet Europe on a Shoestring book. From the center of the town follow the signs for the restaurant. You will go up a few sets of stairs and you might feel like you are in a back-alley, this is okay it means you are going the right way. Although there are no views of the city or the water, you forget about that very quickly because you are now in a whole other world. There is a massive patio with lemon trees completely covering it. This place is something special. 

Susie and I shared bruschetta to start and each had our own pizza. The pizza was the perfect thickness and filled with juicy flavour! After a long day of walking around, we were pleasantly delighted with this pizzeria.

* It was pouring with rain when we left and the streets all the way down were like a waterful - it was interesting making our way down!

{Images by Sara + Susie}

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xo sara

trattoria da barracca in amalfi, italy

We were treated to lunch by the hotel we were staying at, Villa Felice Relais at Trattoria da Barraca. This restaurant is a hidden gem right by the port in Amalfi. You are made to feel right at home by the charming staff right away. 

We began our lunch with bruschetta and sardines and a devine appetizer plate of aubergine and baked cod, sword fish, smoked salmon, tuna and baked love anchovies. Wonder what love anchovies are? They bake two together. Adorable!

For our main course, we had home made pasta with shrimps, clams and mussels. 

It tasted like they caught the fish just before our meal - very fresh!

For dessert we had home made tarimasu! It was melt in your mouth amazing.

Thank you for a delicious lunch Mario!

{Images by Sara + Susie}

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{when in rome} the sites + museums

We were both so excited to visit all the famous museums and sights of Ancient Rome! Since we only had until 4:30pm today to see everything because we had to catch a train to Amalfi, we mapped out our route around the city to maximize our time. I highly recommend doing this so you don't waste time backtracking!

The Colosseum was our starting point of the day as it is very easy to get to and was the closest to our hostel. We lucked out with only having to wait in line a short while when we got there around 9:45am. If you get there later in the day or during a more touristy time, I would suggest going to one of the other sites and getting your ticket there. The ticket gets you into all three areas, Palatino+Foro+Mostra+ Colosseo, and it good for a full 2 days. The price of the ticket is 12€.

They are slowly putting in a floor in the middle of the Colosseum which was really cool to see!

Sistine Chapel

If you do anything is Rome, visit The Vatican Museum. The line can be quit long in the morning but usually dies down a lot in the afternoon. Allow yourself at least 2-3 hours inside the museum as there is so much to see. 

Do you know who this guy is? Yes, it's Homor! We visited his tomb in Greece. Check out the post here! 

There is no photography or talking inside The Sistine Chapel which was lovely. Grab a seat along the wall and let yourself get sucked into the incredible art and history in the room. 

* I highly recommend getting an audio guide as it will make your visit much more enjoyable 

* You might be tempted to get a tour from one of the million selisators outside but try and hold back. You will be stuck in a tour with 30 people slowly going through the museum. 

Leonardo Da Vinci Museum

This museum showed Leonardo's sketches and plans for machines and other incredible things. They have made his plans life-like by building lots of his inventions. It was fun to walk around and truly see first hand just how much of a genius he was! 

Old Bear Restaurant 

While wandering the streets at night we stumbled upon this charming restaurant. It was on a hidden cobble stone street with vines hanging over the patio. 

We both had traditional Rome dishes. Our appetizer was similar to bruschetta with baked cheese on toasted baguette and fresh tomatoes on top. This was to-die-for! So delicious! Susie had a fish pasta and I had a cheese pasta as our mains. 

Restaurant details:

www.oldbearit.it

00186 Roma

Via dei Gigli d'Oro, 3

Tel: 06.68210009

This is a waterfountain in Rome. I think Toronto sould get one like this!

M & J Place

This hostel is right beside the train station and the cheapest place we could find. The only time we spent there was to sleep. There isn't anything special about the rooms and there is a club/bar right beside it that stays open super late. If you are looking for a decent place to have a good nights sleep, I would go elsewear. 
* They only have wifi in the lobby

{Images by Sara + Susie}

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xo sara