One of the hottest locations in Italy is the Amalfi Coast and summertime is no exception! It has been reported that this is one of Amalfi’s most packed summers when it comes to tourists, which is great for Italy and its economy but not so great for my own personal wallet. Reasonably-priced hotels and Airbnb’s are few and far between. So how can you visit the Amalfi Coast and still not blow your budget? Let me help you save money while studying abroad!
When it came to finding a place to stay, we knew we wouldn't find anything reasonable in any of the major towns: Sorrento, Positano, Praiano, and Amalfi. So, we looked a bit outside of these and found Salerno. Salerno is a city located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea and around an hour away from Amalfi. There were plenty of options in this small quaint town; we ended up booking an apartment through Booking.com that wasn’t too far from the main downtown area and the beach.
As for still living out our glamorous and picturesque Italian summer dreams on the Amalfi Coast, we ended up booking a seven-hour full-day boat excursion that brought us to Amalfi and Positano. We booked the trip through Get Your Guide, which is a great app to use when trying to find things to do for weekend travels and finding attractions nearby. The specific name of this particular activity provider is Blu Mediterraneo SAS.
This excursion ended up being everything we wanted and more! The boat picked us and other passengers up in Salerno’s port—we practically had the boat to ourselves besides a few other random guests. Once aboard, we left and motored along the coast heading to Amalfi first.
Once we arrived in Amalfi, we got about an hour to shop around and explore. No matter what you do while in Amalfi, you truly can’t go wrong! Once we returned back to the boat, we anchored just outside Amalfi to go swimming. This was so much fun and we enjoyed the dark blue sea. After swimming for a while, we had lunch waiting for us that they provided and which was included in the trip. Once lunch was finished, we cruised over to Positano.
Once we arrived in Positano, we had another hour or so to go around the island and explore. Positano has some of the best shopping I’ve experienced in Italy, including handmade shoes, linen, and beautiful dresses. It also has great restaurants and, if you have enough time, beach clubs where you can rent lounge chairs and umbrellas for the day.
After leaving Positano, we once again had the chance to go swimming and enjoy the view from the boat. We even saw Dal Fiordo di Furore a Bomerano, a famous arched bridge that has a beach tucked behind and between the rocks. It’s known for the secluded beach and beautiful view.
At the end of the day, we were sadly brought back to Salerno where we started that morning. If I could only recommend one excursion while studying abroad in Florence, I’d recommend this one. I truly can’t recommend it enough!
As for the rest of our trip, we got to explore Salerno and enjoy all that it offered. We traveled back the exact way we came, by train, and returned home to Florence. I hope you get to experience the pure magic of Amalfi and I can definitely understand why everyone is flocking to one of Italy’s gems.
Lucey Savino is an official blogger for Summer ‘23, sharing her story in frequent posts on our blog. A Marketing major at Sacred Heart University, she is studying and interning abroad in Florence this semester. All views expressed are her own and may or may not reflect the experiences of other students.