Travel Guide: Rome, Naples, Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast

Moments In Italy: A Travel Diary Through Rome, Naples, Ischia & the Amalfi Coast

There are two types of Italy trips.

The color-coded, museum-ticket-booked-six-months-in-advance kind…

…and the kind where you accidentally become regulars at a pizza place, get talked into switching hotels over dinner, dance with locals until midnight, and leave wondering if you should move there.

This was the second kind.

Our route:
Rome → Naples → Ischia → Boat Day → Praiano → Positano → Amalfi → Rome

STOP ONE: ROME

The city that said, “You’re tired? Here’s a rooftop and an Aperol.”

We landed in Rome aggressively jet lagged and realized we still had five hours before our Airbnb check-in.

Enter: the greatest travel hack of all time.

Because of our membership, we headed to Soho House Rome and they could not have been more gracious. They stored our luggage, welcomed us in, and gave us exactly what every sleep-deprived traveler dreams about: somewhere beautiful to exist.

We swam.
We ate.
We sat on the rooftop.
We remembered why Europe does hospitality better than everyone.

After re-entering civilization, we checked into our Airbnb and hit Rome properly.

Do the golf cart tour.

I know. It sounds touristy.

Do it anyway.

We covered more ground (all six of us in one golf cart!) than we ever could have walking and saw:

St. Peter’s Basilica
The historic hospital district
The Colosseum
Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain
Rome’s oldest athletic stadium (which still hosts concerts)
Hidden lemon gardens
Rome’s first church

And yes—I popped into Louis Vuitton and got my passport stamped because apparently that’s who I am now.

The best pizza of my life.

I’m not exaggerating.

Go to L’Elementare – River Less, Drama More Pizza.

It’s where locals go.
Order the Margherita.
Don’t overthink it.

It ruined all future pizza for me.

STOP TWO: NAPLES

One night. Immediate emotional attachment.

From Rome, we took the train to Naples and checked into Romeo Hotel.

Naples is chaotic in the best possible way. Fast. Loud. Alive.

And then we had pizza. Not normal pizza. The kind where you become emotionally attached to the staff by the end of dinner.

We started ordering things that weren’t even technically on the menu and somehow they just made it happen.

Italy does this thing where hospitality feels less like service and more like being adopted.

STOP THREE: ISCHIA

My motherland. My heart. My favorite hotel… maybe ever.

Then we took the ferry to Ischia and spent three nights in what felt like the most magical place in Italy.

On one of our favorite days of the entire trip, we chartered a boat and spent the day exploring the island with Captain Carmino.

Thermal springs.
Hidden coves.
Dramatic coastline.
Enormous castles that somehow still have families living inside.

Then we stopped in Sant’Angelo.

If Ischia already felt magical, Sant’Angelo felt like stepping into a postcard.

Tiny winding streets.
Beautiful boutiques.
No real plan except wandering.

And of course—because travel shopping always finds you when you least expect it—I discovered a resortwear line and immediately became obsessed with this dress by Volantis.

One of those pieces that instantly becomes attached to a place forever.

After shopping we settled into lunch at Green Grotto overlooking the water and stayed far longer than intended. Which became a theme of Italy. That day felt like the perfect version of travel.

Nothing rushed.
Nothing scheduled.

Just following wherever the day took us.

We stayed at San Montano Resort & Spa and I genuinely think it may be the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at. It sits above the water with panoramic views that make you question every life decision that led you to not living there. We spent mornings wandering Lacco Ameno—which is especially meaningful because this is where my grandmother’s family is from.

That feeling of standing somewhere your family once stood? Hard to describe.

Meeting Aunt Anna

I came to Italy for the views, the food, and the memories… but the moment that touched me most was meeting my Aunt Anna. ❤️

For the first time, I wasn’t just visiting Italy… I was walking through my family’s story.

My grandfather and Aunt Anna’s father were brothers, and standing together felt like reconnecting pieces of a family tree that spans generations and oceans. From learning about my grandmother’s roots in Lacco Ameno, Ischia, to spending time with family from Agropoli, this trip gave me something no guidebook ever could: a deeper understanding of where I come from.

There was something incredibly special about standing on the same soil my ancestors once called home, hearing stories passed down through generations, and feeling an instant connection that only family can create.

Some trips change your scenery. Others change your perspective.

Meeting Aunt Anna was the highlight of my entire journey, and it’s a moment I’ll carry with me forever. Until next time, Italy and especially Aunt Anna.

Things to do in Ischia:

Wander Forio

Shopping, aperitivo, people watching.

Eat at Isola

Owned by the same family behind one of our later Positano favorites.

Order:

The artichokes (mandatory)
Pizza
Stay for sunset

Spend a day at the thermal beach club. It’s close to San Montano and worth every second.

Beach chairs.
Sea views.
Thermal pools.

Perfect.

Charter the boat.

This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.

Ask for Captain Carmino.

We cruised around:

Thermal springs
Hidden coves
Enormous castles (apparently still occupied by two families)
Sant’Angelo for shopping and lunch

At one point I found a dress I immediately became convinced I needed.

No regrets.

Lunch at Green Grotto was one of those impossible-to-recreate travel lunches where the food somehow tastes better because you arrived by boat.

That night:
Dinner.
Music.
Dancing with locals.

Core memory.

STOP FOUR & FIVE: PRAIANO + POSITANO

Beach Clubs, Boat Days & A Few Very Large Yachts

Leaving Ischia by boat felt like crossing into a completely different version of Italy.

We chartered over toward Positano and honestly… this may have been one of the most beautiful travel days of the trip.

Sea days in Italy hit differently.

No schedules.
No rushing.
Just music, salt air, endless coastline, and realizing halfway through the day that you haven’t looked at your phone in hours.

We based ourselves in Praiano—which ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip.

Positano gets all the attention (deservedly so), but Praiano felt quieter, slower, and somehow more intimate.

Exactly our speed.

Days looked like:
Beach clubs.
Shopping.
Long lunches.
Boat rides.
Repeat.

One of our favorite experiences was spending time at Africana.

Built directly into the cliffs with impossibly blue water, it feels equal parts beach club and movie set.

From there we wandered into Positano and visited Enzo—which became even more special when we realized it’s owned by the same family behind Isola in Ischia.

Italy really is one big family.

And then came one of those moments where you casually look out at the water and realize… those aren’t normal boats. Between anchoring and cruising through the coast, we spotted some very recognizable yachts—including Elton John’s, LeBron James’, and Jeff Bezos’.

A completely normal Italian afternoon.

One minute you’re ordering pasta. The next minute you’re accidentally yacht watching along the Amalfi Coast.

Praiano ended up becoming one of those places we still talk about. The kind of place that doesn’t ask for your attention. It quietly earns it.

FINAL STOP: AMALFI

The place that completely surprised me.

This was my favorite unexpected moment of the trip.

We rolled into Amalfi and found this tiny restaurant called Masaniello.

And then we met Lino.

Within one meal he had somehow:

become our unofficial travel agent
called friends at Marina Riviera
arranged apartment showings
convinced us to stay

The owners literally showed up in suits. We toured apartments. And Apartment 5? Obsessed.

Overlooking the piazza and Saint Andrew’s Cathedral. Exactly the kind of place you imagine when you picture an Italian summer. We ate at the little bistro below, walked the square at night, and wondered if leaving was actually necessary.

From there:
Water taxi to Salerno.
Met Aunt Anna.
Back to Amalfi.

And eventually… back to Rome.

Where naturally, we shopped away our final hours.