Amalfi Coast Thanksgiving — Records of Roam

This year, we spent Thanksgiving on the Amalfi Coast.

My dad came to visit for a week and took us to the Amalfi Coast, where the three of us explored the region and celebrated Thanksgiving together. November is not peak season for the Amalfi Coast, which presented some pros and cons.

The cons: The majority of shops and restaurants were closed for the season, and attractions and transportation ran on shortened schedules. The other downside is weather, which is generally 50s and rainy during the winter months - not the sunny, warm Amalfi Coast you've seen in photos!

The pros: The best part about visiting the Amalfi Coast during the off-season was, of course, that the region was less-crowded. We appreciated the quiet calm and lack of tourists; it made our visit feel like we were wandering around a perfect postcard.

Fortunately for us, the weather gifted us with no rain! We enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s the entire week.

Positano

Our first destination was the famously-photogenic Positano, where we stayed for three nights. Our Airbnb had an incredible view with two balconies and a great patio to enjoy it from.

We spent our first day in Positano exploring the quiet, picturesque town, wandering along the empty streets and beaches. Our seafood lunch at Chez Black was a highlight.

Capri & Sorrento

On our second day in Positano, we took a day trip to Capri, which was on Dad's bucket list. Hopping around the Amalfi Coast is no easy feat; traveling by car is slow and dizzying along windy, narrow, cliffside roads. The views are truly incredible, but the journey will test anyone with a tendency for motion sickness. During the summer, traveling by water is a great alternative, but we were more restricted due to the season. It took a nauseating 45-minute car ride to Sorrento to reach the ferry that would take us to Capri.

Once in Capri, we walked up a quiet, charming path through a residential area and arrived at a cute square on the top, where we enjoyed a coffee in the sun. The hilltop area of Capri was quietly beautiful, and it made us feel like we were on a Greek island! Since it was off-season, the vast majority of hotels, restaurants, and shops were closed. We wandered and explored, then had pizza at a restaurant with a view.

On the way back, we explored Sorrento and had dinner at a restaurant recommended by our driver. In Sorrento, there were a lot of holiday decorations, including a massive Christmas tree in the main square - it finally gave us the feeling of holidays! We ate dinner at a restaurant called Zi’Ntonio. It was excellent! The restaurant was cozy with great food and great service. Jeff and I split seafood risotto and a shrimp/zucchini flower pasta served in a parmesan bowl, while Dad had huge prawns and gnocchi.

Amalfi

Our second destination was Amalfi, where we stayed for another three nights. Amalfi felt more lively than Positano, like more of a year-round, residential town.

Our second Airbnb was similar to the first, with a gorgeous view and a charming tile floor. We loved the beautiful duomo in the town center (Saint Andrew's Cathedral), which was stunning inside and out! We also loved Andrea Pansa, a perfect little bakery, for our morning cappuccino and pastries (especially the "lemon lobstertail"!).

Ravello & Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving, we hiked up the "ancient steps" path to visit Ravello, a neighboring town. Ravello was very charming, with so many stunning views of the sea and mountains. We learned that donkeys used to take the path we hiked to deliver food and products between the towns.

In Ravello, we explored Villa Cimbrone gardens, which were a super surprise of delight. The "Terrace of Infinity" was spectacular. After enjoying some wine and paninis for lunch in the sunshine of the main piazza, we all took the bus back to Amalfi and made it in time to enjoy our last Amalfi sunset on the balcony of our Airbnb.

After catching up with family on face time, we went out to have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant called Da Gemma.

Pompeii

As we left Amalfi, we stopped off for a tour of the Pompeii ruins on the way to Rome. Pompeii was one of those places I had been so fascinated with learning about it as a kid in school; it was one of those places on my childhood bucket list, if that makes sense. I wasn't committed to a trip there just for Pompeii, but if I ever found myself in Rome, I would do my best to get there. Fortunately, I found myself in a place even closer to Pompeii - the Amalfi Coast!

Since Pompeii is a full city, there is a lot to see! It can be overwhelming to know what to focus on, especially if you're limited on time. I booked a tour guide to help us navigate the ruins and optimize the two-hour stopover we had planned.

The ruins were magnificent. It was shocking to hear that everything we were seeing, touching, and walking on was original and had been so well-preserved. I got chills when we walked into a home and saw the painted walls. As the tour guide shared facts and stories, it surprised us how advanced the society and citizens of Pompeii were at the time.

The lack of tourists/visitors in the ruins was amazing, and we were fortunate to have good weather. It was 50s and sunny, and although the clouds somewhat obscured a clear view of Vesuvius, we could still see the outline at times which, combined with the clouds, made it seem like an ominous volcano ready to erupt!

Rome

Jeff and I had insisted that my dad spend the last night of his trip in Rome. Although he had been to Italy multiple times, he had yet to visit the Eternal City, and we thought it was the perfect time to do so, what with Jeff and I living there for the month!

We gave him the hyperspeed tour of the city, trying to show him as many of the iconic sights we could fit in. He tossed a coin into the Trevi, popped into the Pantheon, and walked through Piazza Navona. We capped off the day with a unique wine and food pairing experience for dinner at Rimessa Roscioli.

After dinner, Jeff led us to one last iconic Roman monument, the Coliseum. We said our goodbyes while drinking our last glass of Italian wine together across from the Coliseum. Jeff and I were grateful to have our first true visitor since we left on our trip, and we were grateful to spend Thanksgiving with family.