Wander & Wonder: Short stories on the road II.

Hi all! Welcome to the second leg of this journey, where I take you traveling with me - just for the fun of it! And, of course, always for the writing. Today, we continue the Italian adventure, heading a little further south to the Amalfi Coast.

Always Validate Your Ticket, Kids!

I left Rome on a sunny Monday afternoon after walking a few more hours through that amazing city - well, at least the hours my busted knee would let me. At 1 p.m., my train to Napoli pulled out of the station with a very stressed Ce aboard. Why the stress, you ask? Well, let me tell you - and here's a traveling tip for you. When you buy a train ticket in person at the station (because who doesn’t want to experience that ritual?), always remember to validate it. There are small green-and-white validation machines on the way to the platform. Quick and easy, right?

Well, not for me. I had the information, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find those machines. The result? A stressful first half of the trip. I’m not exaggerating when I say I spent a good chunk of my cellphone data Googling the punishments for failing to validate a ticket. Fines up to 60 euros or… getting expelled from the train?!.

Fortunately, a polite tone and a desperate "I'm-not-from-here-please-don't-fine-me" face worked wonders, and I wasn't thrown off the train. I made it to Napoli, where I caught another train - because, as we all know, there’s always another train - to Sorrento.

The Trick Is to Travel in a Pack.

As I mentioned in my last post, this trip was actually my folks’. I just decided to tag along. I arrived in Sorrento in the afternoon and, lo and behold, there were my parents waiting for me. I’m not going to go into the details of seeing them after months apart (the perks of being a daughter living abroad) - maybe that's material for another blog series. Let’s just say: tears were shed, laughs were shared, and suitcases were dragged through many blocks to our rental apartment.

While there’s joy in traveling alone - listening to music, getting lost in winding streets - there’s something uniquely special (and privileged!) about meeting family somewhere around the world. There’s a warmth to it, a sense of camaraderie, and a reliance that makes everything feel just a little easier. Traveling together as a “pack” brings a new layer to the experience, one that turns every adventure into a shared memory.

Romanticizing Italy.

Here’s another travel tip no one asked for: If you can, dress for the place. The Amalfi Coast is everything you dream about when you see it on postcards, and it’s so easy to romanticize it that you can’t help but lean in. So, I put on a sunny dress, did my makeup, and decided to live the dream - even though a ferry was threatening to burst my bubble.

You see, I suffer from seasickness, so the trip wasn’t as glamorous as I’d hoped. But I survived, and the stunning views on the other side were more than worth it. Amalfi, Atrani, and Positano are perched on the side of a mountain, defying gravity with every narrow street and colorful building. These towns are what you imagine when you think about Italy - and for good reason. You wander through little streets, enjoy gelato while gazing at the sea, and suddenly find yourself dreaming of a rom-com life. You know the one: you inherit a run-down apartment from a distant relative, quit your corporate job, move to Positano, and start over. You work as a waitress, discover Italian cuisine, fix up your apartment, and fall in love with a local beauty - all while living in flowing dresses, sipping Aperols, and waiting for the credits to roll.

I didn’t stay, of course, but I definitely enjoyed the dream while it lasted (minus the ferry trip).

Next Up: Napoli.

I had planned to include Napoli in this part of the journey, but I decided it deserved its own chapter. Also, because the mood shifts a bit - from romantic, citrus-scented sea views to chaos, loud music, and so many Maradona references. As an Argentinian football fan, I think we need a short break between these two stories.

See you next time,

Ce.