Italy has never been on my “European summer” wishlist.
Because my family comes from southern Europe, I have spent countless “European summers” on and around the Mediterranean coast. So when my boyfriend suggested we spend a month there in August 2023, I was initially reluctant to go. What more could coastal Italy offer me that Croatia hadn’t delivered in abundance? We have beach clubs, stylish folk and pasta too!
Nonetheless, we did go, and I was so glad to be wrong. Although the heat, cost and crowds got to me as expected during the peak of summer, I also got to experience the beauty of Italian hotspots such as the Amalfi Coast, Capri and Lake Como, as well as a ton of other gems not routinely featured on social media.
Keep reading for a casual recount of a fantastic summer travelling around Italy. Best of all, most of it featured a scooter for the classic Italian experience.
Naples + Procida, Ischia
Naples
After a very long flight from Australia, our first area after landing in Rome was Naples. We initially chose this area because my boyfriend wanted to eat traditional pizza from Naples – a very important and honourable pursuit.
We stayed in the heart of Naples for 3 nights, with our hotel balcony right above the famous Spaccanapoli. As we are not really museum people, all we really did was walk around the area and eat pistachio croissants, margherita pizzas, rum-soaked babas and sfogliatellas.
Interestingly, although many people have commented on Naples being the centre of organised crime, we felt very safe on the streets at all times of day even catching public transport. I will add though that I have a 6’2 tattooed boyfriend who looks scary himself, and we avoided very late night excursions.
Ischia
Nonetheless, although we wanted to spend a few days in Naples alone, the August heat hit me and we had to get out ASAP (I moved from Australia to Canada for a reason).
The first day trip we did was to the island of Ischia. We caught an hour long ferry, then rented a scooter and did a day-long loop around the whole island. Ischia was the true Italian summer experience for me, with beautiful beaches and casual beach clubs. It had a ton of tiny towns dotted around the coast, delicious seafood restaurants, stunning nature and an overall lack of non-Italian tourist masses.
I would definitely return and stay a few days on the island itself.
Procida
Because we were so impressed with Ischia, the next day we took a day trip to the smaller nearby island of Procida.
Interestingly, this island was used as a filming location for the movie The Talented Mr Ripley (1992). Unfortunately, we didn’t arrive early enough to rent a scooter so we walked around the neighbourhood. We went to the pastel Marina Corricella, had lunch with a fantastic view at La Lampara and a light swim Spiaggia Lingua.
I would definitely come here again as well, stay for a new nights and aim to explore the whole island – preferably on scooter.
Amalfi + Capri
Amalfi
The next stage of our trip was the Amalfi coast. We stayed a couple of nights at a boutique hotel right in Amalfi with a fantastic beach view and managed to rent a scooter for the entire duration.
The Amalfi coast is objectively stunning, however it was not my favourite part of the trip mostly due to the number of tourists. Each morning, tourist ferries would deposit boatloads of people who would swarm every corner of Amalfi making it impossible to even walk through the town. The only acceptable hours were at the crack of dawn and just before dinner when the hoards left for Naples. My boyfriend and I would escape early in the morning by scooter and hide out in the neighbouring towns – which ended up quite fortunate for us as we ended up seeing the whole coast from Sorrento to Salerno.
We really enjoyed the views from the “backyard” of the coast at Praiano and Ravello, and walked every day to Atrani for a pistachio croissant. We swam a little bit here and there, but it was very difficult to find unpaid beach access.
Capri
Just like every tourist, if you didn’t see Capri, did you even go to Italy? Capri was the logical next stop to the Amalfi Coast. We stayed on the island in Anacapri for about three nights, and I was so lucky to have a close friend visit me for a few days.
Capri was the luxurious part of our trip, including seaside lunches, fine dining dinners with the most beautiful views, a day at a beach club, open air taxis and, of course, pistachio croissants. Unfortunately, the one draw back was, once again, over tourism. Ferries would deposit what seemed like hundreds of tourists to swarm the island each morning and retrieve them each evening. It was hard to find a restaurant without booking, or even a patch of sand for swimming.
Half the island was also blocked off to tourists, so you had almost nowhere to ride a scooter unless you were a resident. I would only recommend visiting right at the end of summer once people are back at work.
Lake Como
The overall highlight of our trip was, to no one’s surprise, Lake Como. Here we stayed for several nights at a boutique hotel in the lake-side village of Valmadrera near Lecco (where the train station is). Lucky for us, we also rented a Vespa for the entire time.
Although I’m sure that Lake Como offers much more luxurious experiences, we decided to have a cheap and cheerful time. We did visit the hotspots of Bellagio and Varenna, and they were truly stunning. But, it was the small towns and unassuming restaurants dotted alongside the lake were, in my opinion, far more beautiful. We ate the same fig pizza every night at Osteria Era Oro, swam in the lake right in front of the restaurant (for free, might I add) and had the most authentic and relaxing time out of anywhere in Italy.
Feeling refreshed, we stopped by Milan for half a day, then went to our last stop – Rome.
Rome
Rome was our last stop on our trip, and possibly my least favourite. Nothing could ever beat Lake Como! We stayed right in the city centre, but due to the crowds and heat, found ourselves escaping the cultural monuments and traversing the back streets and overlooked areas instead.
Our all time favourite activity was to observe the cats at the Largo di Torre Argentina, and secondly was to eat pizza at nearby street-side restaurants. Nonetheless, interestingly enough, to escape the crowds and heat, we did two day trips out of Rome. The first one was to Castel Gandolfo for a swim and paddle around the beautiful Lago Albano. The second was to Santa Severa, a family friendly beach with a castle in the background.
Whilst I’m sure these two locations are on no tourist’s wish-list, it’s the random parts of a trip that bring the most memories. (Castel Gandolfo i.e. Castle Gandalf – what’s more random, yet more epic than that?).
Sweet Spots & Speed Bump
What I Loved…
Fresh water
Lake Como is now my greatest love in inland Europe (apart from Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia – you will never be replaced!).
We, Australians, are largely unfamiliar with fresh water. In Australia, we don’t have many freshwater lakes, and the only one I can think of has crocodiles living in it. (But only freshies – they’re friendlier than saltwater crocs).
The feeling of not needing to shower, not feeling itchy from the salt, and not having sand in every nook and cranny was beyond refreshing. I have truly converted to being a lake girl now!
Stylish people
I love seeing how different cultures look different, especially when it comes to dressing.
I wouldn’t say Australia is unfashionable, but the predominant style doesn’t really suit me. Think long, flowy pants, crochet tops, oversized bag – but imagine them on a 5’2, pear-shaped person. Doesn’t quite look the same as on a tall blonde. Even though I love the beach, the neutral, beachy vibe is not me.
In Italy, I loved seeing bright lipsticks, coloured shoes, different hairstyles and women wear heels on cobblestones. I even saw ladies driving scooters with stilettos!
Beauty at all ages
Although Australia does have some semblance of family culture, it has nothing on Italy.
I saw families everywhere, including young children behaving at fine restaurants, young and old family members mingling and elderly couples taking a walk at 11PM. The blend of ages was beautiful to see, especially as this is not quite the case in Australia. There, age groups tend to segregate and socialise with each other.
Nonetheless, what I loved most was how stylish women of all ages were. The 50-year-old women I saw would certainly give us 30-something-year-old’s a run for our money.
What I Didn’t…
Beaches are not free
Coming from Australia, I found the idea of paying for beach access appalling. Even in Croatia, you only pay for the beach clubs, otherwise, you can jump in the water pretty much anywhere on the coast. I strongly believe beaches should be public property and therefore free.
Nonetheless, I understand that the beach club, or “lido” culture, is different in this part of the world. It does cost money to maintain cleanliness and beach facilities. But after a lifetime of “free beach”, it is still hard to get.
Cost
Because I have been to Europe multiple times, I have always been aware of the summertime price increase or “tourist tax”. I was, however, not prepared for the prices in the hotspots of Italy. I can recall an espresso and a croissant being 12 EUR, and a basic pasta dish for over 30 EUR.
Ok, I do tend to go to nice places, and I know we could get it cheaper a few streets away from the hotspots. Still, 25 EUR for a glass of house wine seemed exorbitant!
(Note, would I go and spend this money again? Yes – it’s an amazing experience after all).
Lack of cafe culture
As any Australian knows, we have self-voted ourselves as having the best cafe culture in the world. Most cafes open from 6-7AM with a variety of coffees and baked goods available.
Surprisingly to me, Italy was not like this. There was almost nothing open before 8AM, and soon after only espresso bars. For someone who wakes up early and eats a solid breakfast, I spent most mornings starving waiting for “cornettos” to become available.
Not a complaint, just an interesting cultural difference.
Looking Back on the Ride
It comes to no surprise that my final review of Italy is positive.
Although I am not one for heat, crowds and exorbitant costs, the beauty of the country outweighs all the above. I would recommend avoiding the peak tourist months of July and August overall, as June and September are just as good for the “European summer” experience.
For some inner peace, make sure you visit smaller, less known places such as the islands of Ischia and Procida versus Capri. You could also go adjacent towns to hotspots – think Atrani vs. Amalfi, or Valmadrera vs. Bellagio in Lake Como. A lot of the Instagram hotspots experience over-tourism and are lacking the originality that made them hotspots in the first place.
Lastly, because I have a blog on motorcycles, I would strongly encourage booking them several days in advance and using them as your primary means of transport at your destination of choice. Trains are perfect for travelling in between cities, and cars are almost forbidden (especially when considering traffic!). Italy, like a lot of southern Europe, is very motorcycle/scooter friendly, so make the most of it and get yourself on a Vespa!
