The Hike of the Gods and La Tagliata Feast

Hiking the Sentieri dei Dios (Hike of the Gods) and a meal at La Tagliata both came highly recommended and we figured out a way to combine the two on our first full day in Positano. Pete and I considered doing the entire hike on our own by taking the local buses to the start of the hike in Agerola and ending near Positano, but given the 1 hr 45 minute bus journey and needing to leave close to 7am, we quickly reconsidered. Instead, we all took the local bus up to Nocelle, hiked about 45 minutes of the trail, turned around and hiked down to La Tagliata for our noon reservations.

As we started out, Maeve was not happy about being in the backpack carrier and wanted me to carry her instead (always!). We placated her with some gummies. While Jude was savoring his, Maeve devoured hers and was upset again. Below is Jude removing the one from his mouth and giving it to his sister. A common scene.

Some lovely tile work scenes at the start of the trail, which went through a little village, complete with roadside mule and elderly locals wandering around.

Though the entire trail is supposed to take 1.5-2 hours, we probably made it 1/6 of the way in 45 minutes with our numerous stops as Jude did his best with all of the ups and downs! I still wish we could have done the whole thing, but enjoyed experiencing it together.

A local herding her bell-toting goats with the help of her dog on the hillside. 

 On to lunch! The restaurant is shown below- built on terraces into the mountain side.

Pete was leading the way and while he took a wrong turn, he led us to the ancient path that combined the towns, which was really peaceful and boasted gorgeous views.

Outside the restaurant. So Italy! 

We didn't know what to expect at the restaurant and had an experience not unlike our random agriturismo visit in Sicily the April break before. We were seated and told that a 4 course family style meal would be served along with their own wine. So much antipasti, 4 pasta dishes, plate of meat like woah and I can't even remember how many desserts (3 (or 4?) glasses of wine later!). The kids were entertained by the restaurant parrot that was at least bi-lingual! We also checked out the various terraces of the property including gardens and animals, all with views.

We are in a very cuddly phase right now. 

Straight up ball of mozzarella

We timed our lunch to coincide with the hourly bus that would bring us back down to Positano. The restaurant was probably the 2nd or 3rd stop on the bus, which originates at the Path of God's trailhead. So the bus rolls to a stop, it is crowded, but not overly so. Some people start to move towards the back and the driver tells us "completo" and that another bus is coming. Before we have time to react, he has driven away and we are left realizing that the next bus he was referring to is not coming for another hour! Google maps tells us it is a 35 minute walk back down to Positano and Maeve is beyond ready for her nap so we decide to hoof it. The heros of that hike are Pete for carrying sleeping Maeve and especially Pops for carrying Jude down on his shoulders! My health app later told me that we walked down the equivalent of 30 flights of stairs. And after such a big meal and so much wine, it was pretty exhausting.

Ok, the views were pretty great and we were able to walk off some of that decadent feast.

While Nana and Pops took a well deserved siesta, we took our still energetic kids to the beach for the late afternoon and then all crashed hard at the end of the day! 

Capri Magic

We had a beautiful second day on Capri. It started with the blue grotto being open and Pete and I taking a boat trip from Marina Grande to experience it while Nana and Pops took the kids up to Capri. We set out early after checkout and were to the blue grotto and back in a little over an hour (often people wait for hours outside the entrance as only a few boats carrying up to 4 people can enter at a time). So peaceful being on the water without worrying about a kid going overboard!

We're on a boat! 

Waiting to transfer from our boat to one of the little row boats. 

Once you are in the little boat, you row over to the ticket boat where these two guys literally are just bobbing up and down all day selling the entrance tickets to get in! 

Then you wait your turn to enter the grotto. 

It seems chaotic, but everyone seems to know whose turn it is when.

The entrance is tiny and you are instructed to lie down flat so as not be decapitated. We were in the boat with a young German couple and became fast friends with the girl who had to lie down on top of us!

You can see her hair on me to give you a sense of our intimacy! 

Once inside, you sit up and take in the splendor. Crystal clear water, glowing an almost neon blue. Jelly fish abound (also in the waters in Positano where we saw some people get stung). You circle the cove a few times and the rowers take turns singing to show off the grotto's acoustics (and their singing voices as well). Our guy seemed really brusque, but then he started in on his song and I was wowed. 

If you want to hear our rower singing, check out the video below. Wait for the blue water  to come into view. Bellissimo! 

Blue Grotto Singing

Back on land, we took the funicular up to Capri and met the crew who had been playing in the public gardens and enjoying an icecream outside of the Gardens of Augusto. We hadn't seen much of Capri the night before, so we enjoyed strolling the town, weaving in and out of large tour groups on the narrow streets.

Maeve "thrilled holding and ice cream cone" day 2

Can't you just smell this photo! Looks of lovely wisteria in the region. 

Great views from the gardens

There was an old monastery below that now is a high school. Hmm, time for a job change?

Statues of the Four Seasons

This was a perfumery and had to be the best smelling walkway around!

We booked an afternoon ferry to Positano, which gave us time to go to lunch "out of town" at a restaurant I had read about online. The description was to walk 15 minutes into the country so I imagined us walking down a dirt road with farms around us. I was surprised that we were just walking on paved streets, so narrow that only golf cart sized little vehicles could make the trip. 

We were all glad we made the short trek as the food was everything I was hoping for. Delicious pasta dishes, enjoyed in peace while Maeve napped. And the array of homemade bread was so good! There was a kumquat plant by our table and Jude asked our waiter what it was and the waiter plucked one off for Jude to try. He was very happy.

I'm always amazed at how much fun kids have throwing rocks. A perfect diversion while we waited for our ferry.

Their love for each other continue to grow and grow. Jude loves to tell Maeve, "Maeve, you're the best girl" and now she reciprocates. The sweetest. 

Two-at-a-time underhand thrower.

30 minutes later, we arrived to the beach in Positano. That view of the town as you approach is pretty special. We have been to Cinque Terre (pre-kids) so we had a sense of what the town would be like. Both places are magical! Our weather app was telling us it was around 64 degrees, but it felt like summer so the kids wasted no time playing at the beach with Nana while the rest of us carted our stuff up to our apartment. The town is built into the mountain so the only way is up. Our place was relatively close to the beach, but still required 3 sets of stairs to get to the cathedral and then a walk up the main road. These streets are also really narrow and super crowded. I overheard a woman saying that this was still the quiet season and that soon the place would really get crowded. I can't even imagine what that would be like and with summer heat on top of it! 

Girl was feeling it! 

The beach is totally rocky as you can see. We were prepared with footwear for the kids, but of course they wouldn't keep them on. It's so much more fun to just complain about your feet hurting, right? Hidden amongst all of the rocks is SO MUCH SEA GLASS. Every day was a task of collecting as much as possible. We brought back a small cup full. I have in mind to make some Christmas ornaments out of them. 

This little play set is on the beach and we spent a lot of time here over the next 5 days! 

Looking very relaxed despite a cold brewing in him! 

Positano is not off the beaten path and everyone who told us they'd been loved it. Of course this set my expectations really high. It took a day adjusting to the crowds and the hikes, but we also fell in love. 

We had a great bakery and take away food spot down the street, Colina, which we went to almost everyday. Dinner in on our balcony was molto buono!