Part Two of our Honeymoon in Italy: Capri, Sorrento and Florence

Ciao friends! If you’re planning your honeymoon in Italy today’s post is perfect for you. In case you missed it I shared part one of our honeymoon in Rome and Positano that you can read here. Going through these photos has truly brought me so much joy remembering our time in Capri, Sorrento and Florence. Whenever someone asks us about our favorite part of the trip we both say “Capri.” There’s just something magical about this island, and we had the best experience swimming and exploring together.

Capri

After a couple of days in Positano we took the ferry to Capri. There are many different ferries that go from Positano to Capri (and vis versa) multiple times a day. So, even if you don’t want to stay on the island it’s very easy to make this a day trip option. Being from Michigan I would say Capri is very similar to Mackinac Island. If you’ve stayed on Mackinac Island before you know if can be quite busy during the day, and then very quiet at night. Capri is very similar with lots of tourists exploring during the day so keep this in mind.

Because we had a lot of things we wanted to do on Capri we stayed on the island for two nights. Capri is definitely a little pricier when it comes to finding hotels, so keep this in perspective if you’re looking to stay on the island. We both tell people our favorite part of our honeymoon was Capri because of the food, culture and activities. So, for us it was totally worth spending a little more to stay on the island.

Things to Do:

• Gianni’s Boats – This was the boat company we used for our boat ride around the island. I would highly recommend using them!
• Blue Grotto – When you tour the island by boat you should definitely see the Blue Grotto. There is a fee to have separate company take you by a small boat inside the Blue Grotto. On the day we went the waves were too high for boats to go in.
• Garden’s of Augustus – These gardens are beautiful and gives you a chance to see Via Krupp.
• Anacapri – We took the bus from Capri to Anacapri in the morning. It was fun to walk around and see the sights while we were there.
• Shop – There are some amazing luxury boutiques in Capri. We loved shopping at Carthusia for candles etc.

Our favorite part of the honeymoon was the boat ride around Capri with Gianni’s Boats. There are quite a few different companies that offer boat rides around the island depending on what you’re looking for. I did A LOT of research on this because it was something we both said “we have to do this” on our honeymoon.

Gianni’s Boats had awesome reviews and the private boat option really appealed to us. We did the four hour boat tour, and ended up with the most amazing tour guide. This tour was long enough for us to see different caves, swim and see the blue grotto (doing the three hour option would be difficult do any swimming). The boat provided towels and we could bring snacks and sparkling wine on with us. If you’re worried about getting sea sick (I get sick easily) I would say the boat rocks quite a bit depending on the weather, but I did just fine.

You can’t miss the Gardens of Augustus and taking a ride up to Anacapri. The gardens are absolutely stunning and give you a great view of Via Krupp. We took the bus up to Anacapri and walked around the town for the morning. Anacapri is much quieter than Capri, and offers more artisan workshops rather than luxury boutiques you find in Capri.

Where to Eat & Drink:

• Mammà– This Michelin Star restaurant is top notch for the view and food.
• Ristorante Le Grottelle – We had a lovely lunch here. It’s quite a hike but worth it for the view.
• Da Paolino Restaurant – This was one of our favorite meals on our honeymoon. The lemon trees overhead are absolutely amazing, and the food is phenomenal.
• Capri Rooftop – We loved enjoying an Aperol Spritz here (and the view was incredible).

Where We Stayed:

• Hotel Piazzetta Diefenbach – This was one of our favorite hotels in Italy. The hotel is very new and the amenities and location are great. The room was very spacious and breakfast was included in our stay. We would totally stay here again!

Sorrento

Although we spent less than 24 hours in Sorrento I thought it was worth mentioning our time here. We took the ferry from Capri to Sorrento and then jumped on a bus that brought us to our hotel. Since we didn’t leave Capri until later in the day, it would have been a LONG day of travel from Capri to Florence. So, we stayed the night in Sorrento and really loved our hotel and dinner.

Where We Stayed:

• Hotel Villa Garden – For our one night in Sorrento we really enjoyed staying here. The rooms were spacious with a large patio, and the pool was a nice feature that we enjoyed.

Where to Eat & Drink:

• Restaurant Bar Paravisiello – This is the restaurant outside of Hotel Villa Garden. Since we didn’t have a ton of time in Sorrento this was an easy choice for us to relax at the hotel and also eat here. Honestly, the food was great and obviously you can see the views were spectacular.

Florence

We left Sorrento in the morning and took a taxi to the train station. The fast train took us to Florence and we arrived just after lunch. This mode of transportation is so great throughout Europe. We took a cab right to our hotel and headed out to grab lunch and explore the city. Florence is one of my favorite cities for the culture and food.

Things to Do:

• Walk the Ponte Vecchio – This old bridge is absolutely beautiful spanning the river Arno. There are some beautiful jewelry shops along the bridge, and pretty views.
• Piazza della Signoria – The square has many old buildings and artwork.
• Piazza del Duomo – This is the main square of the city.
• See the Statue of David – Unfortunately we didn’t have time to see this on our honeymoon. I saw the Statue of David when I was in college studying in Italy and it was amazing. I would highly recommend getting tickets in advance.

Where To Eat & Drink:

• All’antico Vinaio– This was probably one of our favorite lunch stops on the trip. These sandwiches are so good (big enough to share) and really draws a crowd. Be prepared to wait in line, but it moves pretty fast. They were nice enough to create a vegetarian option for me which I really appreciated.
• JJ Cathedral Irish Pub – It might seem kind of random that I would recommend an Irish pub in Florence. But, trust me for a beer on a hot afternoon this place was perfect. You can’t beat the location and the tiny patio (see photo below). If you look up and see the patio is open I wouldn’t hesitate to walk in for the views and a refreshment.
• Il Santino – We grabbed a drink and small bite here before having dinner next door at Il Santo Bevitore. This was a hot spot for locals and we really enjoyed the wine and food.
• Il Santo Bevitore – I ordered an amazing pasta here for dinner. Everything from the service to the food was outstanding.
• Gelateria del Neri – Gelato is a must in Florence. We loved this after dinner snack walking along the streets to our hotel.
• Il Mercato Centrale di Firenze – If you want to experience an amazing market look no further than Mercato Centrale. This market has just about everything you can imagine you would find in an Italian market. We enjoyed lunch here and Cory ordered a fresh pasta with meat sauce and I got a sandwich. I would highly recommend stoping here for lunch or a snack (the cantucci pictured below were so good).

Where We Stayed:

Hotel Balestri – We stayed at this hotel during our time in Florence. The location was perfect and the rooms were very nice. We loved the complimentary breakfast in the mornings, and the small rooftop deck had great views.