We've wanted to go on a big trip when our youngest finished kindergarten, and when researching different options, I was shocked at the cost of four days at Disney World. My immediate reaction was that we could go to Europe for that much money. So we did.
Where We Stayed
Our home base for the whole trip was a beautiful
agriturismo in the mountains just outside of Salerno. I didn't know much about the Amalfi region
when picking a bed and breakfast, but I was romanced by the pictures of the hazelnut and olive trees, refreshing pool, and a donkey named Serafina.
My gamble paid off, and we were able to easily drive an hour here or 20 minutes there to all the sites we wanted to see. The pool was our favorite place to hang in the afternoons when we were tired from sightseeing, and the expansive property was perfect for games of hide-and-go-seek and catching fireflies after dinner.
The farm was an ideal spot for us to say. It had a variety of animals to visit, and our kids like to do so every day. We were especially enchanted with the two donkeys and the miniature goats. The kitchen served a magnificent daily breakfast and a dinner with many items fresh from the farm garden; it was so good we ended up eating there about half of our nights. After staying there for over a week, our kids felt especially at home on the farm, and we were happy to not change towns every two or three days.
Where We Played
Agriturismo Negri
The pool, pizza and pasta kid's cooking class, and inviting spaces to relax gave our trip the perfect balance of relaxation and adventure. We met a family, who'd also spent 10 days in Italy, on our last flight home, and they talked about the blistering heat in Rome and Pompeii and the exhausting parade of changing towns every two days; it made us feel especially good about our decision to stay where we did.
Most days started with a generous breakfast, a day trip an hour or less away, and lunch out so we landed back at the farm by late afternoon, just in time for a couple hours of rest and pool time before a 7:30 dinner.
Paestum
One of the big reasons we picked Italy was because of our love for history, and Paestum, home to three ancient Greek temples, was even better than we imagined. It was especially exciting to walk on and through the temples of Hera and Neptune. We went there on our first full day, and it was an easy 45 minute drive south of where we stayed. The site was pleasantly uncrowded, and it was one of our very favorite day trips.
On the way to Paestum, we stopped at a
buffalo mozzarella farm. We especially enjoyed seeing the buffalo, tasting the mozzarella, and getting the best gelato of the trip.
Herculaneum
Herculaneum was just the right size for us. Near Pompeii but easier to see with kids, the site was fascinating and well-preserved. There were tons of frescos and blackened wooden beams still intact in their one and two story structures. We had originally planned on going to the bigger and more famous Pompeii, but we're glad we heeded the advice of our hosts and picked the smaller and more shaded site of Herculaneum.
Amalfi Coast Cruise
Taking a
cabin cruiser on an eight hour trip along the Amalfi Coast was one of our favorite days in Italy. We went swimming in the Mediterranean three times, walked around Amalfi and Positano, had refreshing lunch and drinks on the boat, and got to see the coast from the best vantage point possible. It was dreamy. It was also only double the price of ferry tickets to Capri and completely worth it.
Salerno
The closest big city to where we stayed, and we visited Salerno several times to see their hidden gem of a
duomo and the fascinating, historic
Miverva's Garden. It was also the port we used for our boat tour and an easy 20 minutes from our b & b.
Sorrento
We spent an afternoon in Sorrento and were happy to stroll, with frozen lemonade in hand, through two pedestrian friendly streets full of tourist shops selling soccer jerseys for my son and twirly dresses for my daughter. We had the good fortune of spotting this Insta-famous landmark across the street from the parking garage, too.
Of course, all of this travel was possible because we had a rental car, one of the most hotly debated topics I saw in my research leading up to the trip. I saw so many bloggers insist on the need for public transportation and hired drivers, and perhaps it's needed in July and August, but we were very comfortable driving throughout the region in June. I ultimately relied on the advice of our
agriturismo host who smartly told me to get a car because of the distance of the farm to public transportation and it's unreliable nature. The only time we ran into terrible traffic was heading down the coast on a Saturday (which made our Sunday boat trip all the better!).
Where We Ate
We indulged in our fair share of pasta and pizza while we were in Italy, and some of the best meals were at our agriturismo. We also found some other favorites near the farm, including
this pizza spot, a must-have in the birthplace of pizza. We were wowed by this
incredible gelato shop and a butcher next door that offered
custom burgers (and a nice reprieve from the traditional Italian fare we'd been stuffing ourself with for days).
In Salerno, we had the best panini of our trip at a small
wine, cheese, and meat shop we were lucky enough to find for lunch. The owner was an incredible host and fed our kids chilled peach slices from his garden while Mom and Dad sipped l
imoncello for dessert.
Our vacation was a fantastic mix of adventure and relaxation, and I feel so lucky that we got to make these memories with our kids. Since our return, we've been practicing our homemade pizza, our rattling rolled "r"s, and dreaming of our next opportunity to escape to Italy.
