My Trip Back to the Amalfi Coast

Where It All Began

My First Trip to The Amalfi Coast

I was 25-years-old when I first visited the Amalfi Coast. It was back when I lived with my sister in Lake Como, and I yearned to see Southern Italy and the famous Mediterranean coastline. I was also itching to work on my Italian. Living with my sis, who spoke the language impeccably, meant I relied on her too often, and I knew traveling solo would be good for my Italian skills! So I bought a train ticket to Sicily, stopping at the Amalfi Coast along the way.

The Memorable Bus Ride

From the station in Naples, I hopped on a bus not realizing that this would be the most breathtakingly beautiful bus ride of my entire life. And the scariest! The bus climbed its way up high above the sea, on the famous "Amalfitana" road, straddling sheer cliffs. As it navigated every hairpin turn, honking its horn obnoxiously, I thought for sure we were going to tumble over the cliff's edge and crash into the sea 1,000 feet below!  I was filled with mixed emotions of beauty, yet fear, of the drive, making for quite the emotional roller coaster. But the views of the sea, cliffs and picturesque towns we passed made the nerve-wracking ride totally worth it.

25 Years Later...

Fast-forward 25 years later, and my hubby, Ryan and I took a quick trip to the Amalfi Coast to capture content for the launch of Alora's new ocean-inspired fragrance, Mare. The views haven't changed a bit, and the scent of the salty ocean breeze, lush lemon groves and the wooded cliffs towering above the shimmering, deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea was mesmerizing. Here's a little recap of our trip (along with some fabulous photos snapped by Ry!)

No scary bus ride this time, we I hired a driver (Carmine!) to show us around. And while the drive was just as exhilarating as the first visit, those iconic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea trumped all my fears!

When I visited the Amalfi Coast at 25, I didn't have a cell phone or camera, so the only memories I have are in my head. I can still picture myself roaming the streets of Positano, eating the famous Delizia al Limone in Amalfi and remaining in awe of the deep blue sea. I had never seen such a beautiful setting! And at 50 years old, it was just as amazing.

I can't tell you how many times on this trip I said to Ryan either "Oh my gosh honey, look at that view!" or "Wow, do you smell the lemon?" I stopped for all the views and inhaled as much bright citrus aroma as possible!

These memories and the "la dolce vita" experience was the inspiration behind the new Mare fragrance. I wanted to capture the idyllic view of the Mediterranean Sea that you see with every crevice of coastline, the heavenly aroma of lemon groves, slight tang on your tongue after devouring granita di limone and the light mist of salty sea water on your skin as you shuttle back and forth on the water between towns for lunch and dinner.