Our Italian Honeymoon: A Special Place In My Heart

Friday 4 September 2015

Those of you that follow me on Instagram will know that Mr Sunshine and I recently returned from the mother of all Italian honeymoons, which took us from the cobbled streets of Rome to the rugged coastline of The Amalfi Coast, and finally north to historic Florence. The trip was everything that I believe a honeymoon should be: filled to the brim with romantic vistas, great food, excellent wine (and even better bellinis), lazy days and new adventures.

Here are some of the highlights from our travels that I will be writing about over the next few weeks, and some of the places that have nestled themselves in my heart forever more.

Rome


I can't think of a better way to have started our trip than with a few days of Rome-ance. Rome has been a wanderlust-inducing city for me ever since I spent some time working for a client there in 2012. I fell in love with the history, the passion and the soul of the city, and I knew that returning with my soulmate would be even more special.


Praiano, The Amalfi Coast


Our first introduction to the Amalfi Coast was a stay in the tiny village of Praiano, perched on the cliffs overlooking its bigger and better-known sister, Positano. From the beautiful Casa Angelina, we wandered the tiny streets, perused the old fashioned village stores and fell in love with the domineering cliffs, sea views and kindness and warmth of the locals who were so proud that Praiano remains an unspoilt haven in the midst of this bustling coastline.



The Island of Capri


We took a boat to Capri for a day of swimming, exploring caves, and finally, clambering up onto the island to take a look around. Capri is an incredibly special spot (so special that tourists head there in their droves) and we talk about that day as one of our favourites of our entire honeymoon.


Conca dei Marini, The Amalfi Coast


Another tiny village, but one which has become famous in recent years, with the opening of Monastero Santa Rosa. A once in a lifetime hotel, which surpasses any that I have stayed in before; we are determined to return one day to celebrate a notable anniversary or to renew our marriage vows.


Ravello, The Amalfi Coast


If I was forced to choose, then Ravello would be my favourite honeymoon destination of them all, and we both wished we could have stayed for longer. Further inland than some of the other settlements along the Amalfi Coast, the town is perched high on a hillside, and offers some of the most awe-inspiring views across the landscape to the sea beyond. I'm excited to tell you all about my favourite place in the world that I discovered here...but you will just have to wait for this one!


Positano, The Amalfi Coast


Our final stop on The Amalfi Coast was the iconic Positano. With it's pretty pastel houses occupying a steep hillside leading sharply down to the sea, every view from every angle is picture-perfect. I took hundreds upon hundreds of photos, and we enjoyed a stay in the incredibly special, world-renowned Le Sirenuse to complete our exploration of the Amalfi Coast. It was a good place for us to choose. Positano was everything that we hoped it would be, and more.


Florence, Tuscany


And finally, we took the train north, back through Rome to Tuscany, and stopped in beautiful Florence. I had visited the city before, but had never stayed there. Luckily, we had Angie on hand to recommend the best hotel to stay in and we can't thank her enough for this! Conde Nast readers voted Il Salviatino the best hotel in Europe in 2014, and from the moment we stepped through the huge front door, I could see why. What a fitting place to end our honeymoon, and our three week long Italian adventure!


I can't wait to share all of the intricate details of this adventure with you over the next few weeks! If there are any elements of these travels that you are particularly interested in then please let me know in the comments, and I will make sure I cover it in my posts.

In the meantime, if you would like to join in this month's travel link-up on places that you can not get out of your head, then you can link up your post to  EmmaKellyRebecca or Liz's blogs before 7th September!

23 comments:

  1. Ahhhhhh.....I can't wait to read your reviews!! AND copy your exact trip to Amalfi!! Thanks for mentioning me :) I'm sooooo glad that you loved Il Salviatino :) It's one of my all time favourites
    Lots of love,
    Angie

    SilverSpoon London

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    1. Thanks again for the recommendation! I hope I can help to spread the Il Salviatino love through my posts too now! Can't wait to share the Amalfi Coast with you 😀

      Polly xx

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  2. I'm excited that Ravello was your preferred place out of all your honeymoon destinations - my friend's wedding is really going to be special.

    Suze | LuxuryColumnist

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    1. It truly is the most romantic place in the world for a wedding :-)

      Polly xx

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  3. This sounds like the perfect honeymoon. A bit of culture, a bit of sightseeing and a bit of relaxation. All in blissful luxury of course! I think I will have to visit some of these places myself one day :)

    PS. I adore your dress (or is it a skirt/top combo?) in the last pic! xx

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    1. You have to!! After your time in the Cinque Terre I think you'd love the Amalfi Coast. Thanks so much - it's a dress from Warehouse. One of my faves!

      Polly xx

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  4. such a great honeymoon location

    http://hashtagliz.com

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    1. Thanks, we are so happy with our choice!

      Polly xx

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  5. Italy lured me away from New Zealand, so I'll be forever biased but this sounds like honeymoon perfection!

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    1. Oo this sounds like a story I need to know!

      Polly xx

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  6. Oh my gosh! This looks like a perfectly romantic honeymoon! Nick and I were planning to go to the Amalfi Coast for our honeymoon, until we found out we were moving to Hawaii! We will save Italy until we are a bit closer now! I would love to read about the little places you found in Italy, and everything you can share about the Amalfi Coast, as I hope to get there one day! I'm so glad you had such a wonderful honeymoon <3

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    1. Moving to Hawaii sounds like an adequate excuse to me! But you absolutely must go at some point, you would love it! I will try to make my posts as useful as possible for you :-)

      Polly xx

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  7. These are all gorgeous spots - what an incredible honeymoon! Italy is on our list, to see more, and this is a great list of prompts! xx

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    1. Excellent, I'm so pleased you found it helpful. Seriously, the Amalfi Coast should be high on your list when you go. I truly think it's my favourite place in the world!

      Polly xx

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  8. Ahhh you've just made me 100x more excited about my trip to Italy soon! I can't wait :)

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    1. I hope it's amazing! Looking forward to having a nose of your blog posts!

      Polly xx

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  9. Ahhh. This post makes me want to book a trip to Positano pronto! Gorgeous =)

    Honey x The Girl Next Shore

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    1. DO IT!!! Seriously, you won't regret it :)

      Polly xx

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  10. You found your most favourite place in the world?! Huge call - I can't believe you're keeping us in suspense for now! I haven't been to Amalfi since I went on a school trip and after seeing these teasers, I'm desperate to return! Only this time, it'll be with my special someone rather than a group of hormonal teenagers ��

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    1. Haha. Yeah, you need to do Amalfi properly definitely. Sorry for the suspense, I'm hoping to reveal all over the next couple of weeks!

      Polly xx

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  11. I love Italy but never done the Almalfi Coast. Your post has made my mind up that this is a must and I now have the perfect your guide Lucy x

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