Paradise Found - Nocelle and Positano, Italy

From Nocelle looking back on Positano, Italy. This is the stuff dreams are made of. 

Summer traveling in Italy. Oh where to begin?! No matter how thoroughly planned your vacation, the Italian summer has a way of reminding you to relax, be patient and enjoy a glass of wine along the way. It doesn't matter that you carry a shiny Capitol One credit card (no international transaction fees - yes please); you'll still find yourself scurrying to the nearest ATM when the tour company discovers their credit card machine mysteriously "broken," or your B&B simple doesn't even have said machine.

Lucky for my organized-type-A-self, a sweet girl friend in Rome warned me to hold my schedule "loosely" while exploring Italy. Heather said something to the extent of, "In the summer, you can expect train strikes; sometimes you'll be warned and sometimes you'll be caught off guard. Oh yeah, and often public transportation is late or just doesn't show up at all. That's totally normal. You have to just enjoy the country and don't have too many concrete plans while in Italy. If you can relax and drink up the culture (and some wine and lemoncello), you'll love every second in Italy."

I met my best friend from Kentucky, Lindsay, and her Hubby, Evan, in Rome (blog to come), and the three of us made our way towards the Amalfi Coast. Heather had warned us of a 8:30am train strike the day we were leaving Rome, so we caught an earlier train out of the busy city. Once in Naples, we were met with one of those surprise strikes that Heather had warned us of. There was nothing we could do but wait around for three hours and finally push our way onto an overcrowded, un-airconditioned commuter train bound for Sorrento. From Sorrento, we took an hour long bus ride to Positano, and then our final leg was a 20-minute bus ride through narrow, cliff side roads wide enough for only one vehicle.

Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we got off the bus. Our six hour journey had turned into more of an 11-hour-trek, and I could not help but remind myself of Heather's wise words. Just enjoy the journey, Lana. . . .

In the next moment, I turned around - and gasped! Evening rays kissed the landscape, and the view from Nocelle back on the hillside town of Positano was simply breathtaking. As we walked towards our B&B, I couldn't stop taking pictures. We arrived at Villa Sofia  and were warmly greeted by Luciana and her brother Raffaele. Raffaele showed us to the poolside terrace where he treated us to homemade lemoncello. We relaxed as the sun slowly slipped into the ocean. The moment was worth 11 hours of traveling and every stressful leg of the journey from Rome-> Nocelle. I have to give Evan mad props for picking Villa Sofia.

Had Lindsay, Evan and I just discovered paradise?!

Lemoncello on the terrace at Villa Sofia in Nocelle, Italy. 

Lindsay and me on our terrace overlooking Nocelle.

Evan and Lindsay - Starting our hike down 2000 stairs. 

Beauty everywhere you look. 

Small little beach we found at the bottom of  our 2000 step hike.

Entering the dreamy town of Positano, Italy. 

View from the main beach in Positano, Italy. 

Italian coursed dinner recommended by Villa Sofia.

So much dessert!

How we ended the night - with the owner, his son and a HUGE bottle of lemoncello! Fun memories. 

Goodbye Nocelle, Positano and Villa Sofia. You're in my soul and I will visit again!

Heather was right, if you can see Italy at a leisurely pace, you'll fall head over heals for her beauty. I cannot wait to get back to Amalfi with Chris, and Villa Sofia has so be on my itinerary.

This may be the closest to heaven that I have ever been. Seriously!