Salerno & Palermo

Rome to Salerno

After Rome, my friend joined the trip and we traveled together. We moved to Salerno, which is located near Naples in southern Italy. This area is popular for its beaches, and we decided to visit some coastal towns from Salerno. Rome to Salerno is around a 3-hour trip by train, but our train was delayed by nearly 30 minutes and we missed our connecting train — so we ended up wandering around Salerno Station (our hotel was far from the main station and we had to use a local train).

Amalfi & Positano

The next day, we went to Amalfi and Positano, where we could see beautiful beaches and local buildings. These two places are small towns but very famous spots, and travelers come from all over the world, especially in the summer season. The coastline in this area has many cliffs, so taking a ferry is a popular way to reach these towns. The cost is around 10-15€ for a large ferry, and it was full of people. We first went to Amalfi, walked around, and had a lunch break. The beach I saw here was one of the best I have ever seen — it made sense why so many people choose this place for their honeymoon.

After that, we moved to Positano (even smaller than Amalfi) by ferry. Most houses looked as if they were leaning against the cliff, and there were actually many stairs. The weather that day was very sunny and hot, so we were exhausted after walking for an hour. However, the views were incredible and I took many pictures.

Positano is a small cliffside village on Italy's Amalfi Coast, famous for its pastel-colored houses stacked dramatically down the mountainside to a pebble beach. Once a prosperous 16th-17th century sea trading port, it fell into poverty and was rediscovered as a glamorous resort in the 1950s after John Steinbeck wrote about it — today it's one of the most photographed spots in Italy.

Palermo

My last destination in Italy was Palermo, the biggest city on the island of Sicily. First, we took a train to Naples and then a ferry from Naples to Palermo. Our ferry departed around 11 pm, so we had plenty of time and walked around Naples and had dinner there. Naples was very lively, but honestly I didn't feel it was safe. I saw many pictures of Maradona, the famous Argentinian football player, while walking around — he used to play for the team in Naples and he's a hero to everyone here.

After having dinner, we moved to the port and waited for our ferry for a while — it takes around 10-11 hours from Naples to Palermo. Our ferry was quite big and our room wasn't bad either, although the ship itself was a bit old. The weather was sunny, so I didn't feel the waves at all and had a good sleep at night.

We arrived in Palermo in the morning around 10 am, then walked around the city after leaving our bags. My first impression of this city was "slow" — it has a typical vacation vibe and the locals look very chill; not the most convenient city, but warm.

The most popular thing in Sicily might be lemon, as Sicilian lemons are famous in Japan. I had gelato a couple of times here as well, and the lemon flavor was super good.

Also, Arancini is my favorite dish in Italy, and it originally came from Palermo. Maybe I miss rice too much? lol

Arancini are Sicilian deep-fried rice balls, traditionally stuffed with ragù (meat sauce), mozzarella, and peas, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden. Their name means "little oranges" in Italian, reflecting their shape and color. Believed to date back to 10th-century Arab rule in Sicily, they're one of the island's most iconic street foods - sold in every bar and café across Palermo and Catania.