Praiano, Italy: The Amalfi Coast’s Hidden Gem

18

Dec

You can view all posts from my trip to Italy here.Β 

The Amalfi Coast is known for famous towns like Positano and Capri, but Praiano, Italy was one of my favorite places to visit on the coast. We also stayed there because it was a central location and easy to get to any town on the Amalfi Coast without having a long bus ride, and it was a lot cheaper (and quieter!) than the bigger towns! I only spent about 40 euros a night for a pretty nice hotel with beautiful views. I’ve already posted some of the scenic views from our balcony on last week’s bridal photoshoot on the Amalfi CoastΒ (I’m so excited for that photoshoot so check it out if you haven’t already!), and everywhere we went in the town had amazing views. If you’re planning a visit to the Amalfi Coast, I highly recommend staying in or visiting Praiano, Italy!

Praiano, Italy: The Amalfi Coast's Hidden Gem

It was hard to photograph the winding coast as we were riding on the bus, but I couldn’t get enough of the coastline! It was pretty amazing how the houses were built into the cliffs.

Amalfi Coast cliffsΒ Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast water

Amalfi Coast water

I love that Medieval tower on the beach!

Amalfi Coast cliffs

House on the Amalfi Coast

House on the Amalfi Coast

There isn’t too much to do in Praiano, Italy (which makes it a great place to stay if you’re not into the crazy nightlife), but there’s a nice “beach” to soak in some sun by the ocean. You do have to hike down quite a bit to get there, so make sure you wear your walking shoes! The walk down and up is very pretty though, so I stopped a lot to take some photos (and to catch my breath).

Praiano, Italy

Flowers in Italy

Church of San Gennaro

I loved the mosaic domes on the churches!

Praiano, Italy house

Flowers in Praiano, Italy

Flowers in Praiano, Italy

There aren’t many true beaches on the Amalfi Coast since the area is made up of cliffs, so Praiano has a man-made “beach.” There are lounge chairs there and they were free, so you don’t have to worry about finding a chair or sitting on the concrete. The water was incredibly rough the day we went (it was so bad that all the ferries in the area were shut down for the day!) so we didn’t get to go swimming, but we did get to cool off with the water splashing up. Even though we couldn’t swim, the rough water did make for some neat photos!

Beach in Praiano, Italy

Beach in Praiano, Italy

Praiano, Italy water

Beach in Praiano, Italy

Amalfi Coast cliffs

Praiano, Italy walkway

Be prepared for lots of stairs!

Praiano, Italy

Purple flowers

Praiano, Italy vineyard

I loved seeing the local vineyards and fruit groves!

Praiano, Italy garden

Praiano, Italy vineyard

Praiano, Italy flowers

Pink flowers

Praiano, Italy

Praiano, Italy

Praiano, Italy

Praiano, Italy flowers

After soaking in some sun, we headed back up the cliff for more exploring and dinner. We were near the Church ofΒ San Gennaro (the mosaic dome pictured earlier) and there was a square outside with beautiful views of the water during sunset. My photos of it were lost in the great external hard drive crash, so the rest of these photos were taken by Stephanie!

Church of San Gennaro

Church of San Gennaro

Church of San Gennaro

Church of San Gennaro

Church of San Gennaro

Church of San Gennaro

While we were taking photos, a parade led by priests appeared out of nowhere, and we got trapped in the corner of the square! I’m sure the sight of confused tourists scrambling to get out through the only exit of a narrow alleyway was quite funny to see- especially since the minute we tried to escape down the alleyway, the second half of the parade started coming down! I’m not sure what the occasion was, but it seemed like the entire town was there giving us crazy tourists confused looks. We finally got out without interrupting too much, and we got to watch the rest of the festivities fromΒ Tramonto d’Oro Restaurant, the restaurant we went to for dinner. I don’t have any photos from dinner, but everything was delicious! The gnocchi was some of the best I’ve ever had.

Praiano, Italy sunset

Praiano, Italy sunset

Praiano, Italy sunset

Praiano, Italy sunset

After a delicious dinner and seeing the beautiful sunset, the festivities at the Church of San Gennaro were still going on, and they actually set off fireworks! (I posted a video of them on my Facebook page). It was really cool to see local traditions, and it’s one of the many reasons why I recommend staying in Praiano, Italy! Don’t miss this hidden gem when you’re visiting the Amalfi Coast! πŸ™‚

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Blog, Europe, Italy, Photography, Travel

  1. Amanda says:

    Loved reading your post! Thank you for sharing!!!!

  2. menty says:

    omg, i’m so much missing the italian summer, exactly like in your beautiful captures of Amalfi!!!!

  3. Kate says:

    Yours and Stephanie’s photos are simply gorgeous. It makes the Amalfi Coast look completely worth the extra stairs for all the exceptional views. I can just imagine having a cappuccino on one of those balconies overlooking the gorgeous water.

  4. leanne says:

    This looks amazing! Yet another reason to go back to Italy..!

  5. It seems like there are a lot of interesting hidden gems on the Amalfi Coast. My boyfriend and I went last summer and stayed in a secluded little Airbnb. Was magical πŸ™‚

  6. Sam says:

    I am absolutely gobsmacked! SO GORGEOUS! Need to go back to the Amalfi coast <3

  7. MIchelle says:

    Julia, as always, your photos are stunning! Thank you for introducing me to a new place on the Amalfi Coast, I will definitely have to check it out! I feel like the whole area is so beautiful that you really just can’t go wrong!

    • Julia says:

      Thank you! πŸ™‚ Yeah you can’t really go wrong on the Amalfi Coast, there are amazing views everywhere!

  8. Ameeta says:

    This place is stunning! I think it’s a smart idea to stay somewhere quieter but charming and cheaper place in the Amalfi coast and explore the region as day trips. Thanks for recommending Praiano πŸ™‚

  9. Laura says:

    This was such a lovely post – gorgeous pictures! I hope to see more of Italy one day πŸ™‚ x

  10. Emily says:

    Your photos are breathtaking! ~ wow girl, you really have a spark that you make brighter every single post… keep going πŸ™‚ I especially love the ones of the tower, beautiful colours!

    http://www.beautynbrushes.co.uk

  11. Katherine says:

    Wow what a beautiful place! I absolutely love all the flowers hanging from everywhere!

  12. Such a lovely view you’ve got, your photos are all beautiful. Amalfi coast is definitely a must place to visit and its well known towns.

  13. Michael says:

    Really super photos! And there is nothing like stumbling into a parade / celebration you didn’t know about, but suddenly are part of. Makes the entire experience even more special.

  14. Wow! This is just beautiful; you’re pictures are stunning! I could definitely see myself spending a holiday here, relaxing and taking in the views!

  15. Danie says:

    I had a trip to Amalfi planned and I was wanting to go to Capri, Positano, and Praiano. My goal is to go at another time and reallly get to see these beautiful places. I loved your photos. It looks like heaven.

    Danie
    http://www.thiscurvylife.com

  16. Michelle says:

    It’s so beautiful! I hope I can visit it someday!

  17. Julia says:

    Praiano looks so beautiful! I’m sure there are many gems around the more famous Capri and Positano, that nobody thinks twice about because they’re in the shade of these two big holiday spots. Thanks for making us discover Praiano, seems to be a little town worth visiting!

    Julia x
    Last Post: The Most Festive Lush Shower Gel | http://juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.fr/2017/12/beauty-most-festive-shower-gel.html

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