12 nights in Italy, 9/21-10/4. Living like locals tour

Don't tell too many people how wonderful Napoli is! It's such a hidden gem. We go every year for the holidays. The best pizza and people in the world!

From Sorrento we boarded a ferry to Salerno, a city that wouldn't have been on my radar if not for all the comments I've seen on this forum.
Our ferry had a change in Positano for an hour, so we thought maybe we'd pop up to the city and check it out for a few minutes. Thank goodness we didn't because as soon as we off boarded, we saw people lining up for Salerno, and then within 5 minutes, they were boarding. I asked the crew if this was the 12:00 to Salerno and they confirmed it was. It was 11:15 at this point, so remember this: the ferries are on their own time. Positano was so beautiful looking up at it from the port as we sailed away at 11:25.
Our ferry was packed to the gills but about 98% of travelers disembarked in Amalfi. Seeing the Amalfi coast from the water is an incredible experience. The weather was warm, 80-85f, and clear. The breeze standing outside on the open ferry deck was welcome and appreciated. I was so excited at my first glimpse of Salerno. It's a very long city, the port stretches for miles. Lots of rock formation piers near the port, and the tree lined Lungomare were the first things we saw. My husband brought a telescopic fishing pole with him, and his excitement was palpable.
We walked along the Lungomare to our apartment with our backpacks in the hot sun and just smiled at each other, because we knew this was the city for us.
Our apartment check in was at 3pm like most check ins are, but since we arrived so early, I texted the host and asked him if there was any chance for an early check in, and he graciously obliged. We were in the heart of old town and I could tell by the curious, but not unkind looks. We had a completely remote entry, and it couldn't have been easier or more hassle free. We were blown away by this apartment. It was attached to an old church and when we went out to explore, we wandered into part of the church/building that they were excavating. We thought maybe we shouldn't have entered, but then we saw a sign in book near the door. People from all over the world signed in to look at this building, which we surmised was maybe an old bath house?
We had 4 nights in Salerno and couldn't be happier. We already loved the city, and I was so pleased that I took the chance and put our longest stay there. We set out to look around and find a grocery store for supplies and wine and snacks. We had lunch at Mythos (Thank you ChristineH for the recommendation) and it was easily one of the best meals we had the whole trip!
The next morning, husband went out to fish at the waterfront while I blissfully slept in. That's what the next day looked like as well, in addition to a lot of walking and finding more places to eat and people watch.
On my bucket list was the Minerva Gardens, but sadly it was closed. I had a mini meltdown over that because I really hyped it up in my head, but it was not to be this time.
The last day we were there was my birthday, and we took the train to Paestum. What an experience! Pictures just don't do it justice. These temples are huge and so well preserved, it almost looks like a movie set. It's truly incredible.
That night, we wanted to splurge on a birthday dinner, so we found a place that looked good and still only spent 60 euros for the whole meal. Steak, pasta, salad, grilled veggies, cocktail for me and wine for us both.
I would go back to spend a week + in Salerno.
Definitely partake in the passeggiata, we did it every night under the full moon and it was just so calm and beautiful to walk along the promenade with all the locals and tourists like us, appreciating the beautiful city they get to call home and we are lucky enough to experience.
Being that this trip was intended to be a relaxing, non frantic- see all the things trip- we were pleased at that point that we nailed it. Even though husband did not catch a fish.
I spent too much time waxing poetic on Salerno, so next up: The Eternal City

Great report! Naples definitely grows on you the more time you spend there.

We also loved Naples when we were there and hope to go back for more. I’ve never met such gracious locals who are exceedingly proud of their heritage. It is a fascinating city.

We walked to the train station early on the first day of October and said a wistful goodbye to Salerno, our new favorite city in Italy (closed Minerva Gardens notwithstanding). We had a fast train to my other favorite city, Roma. 3 nights to try and be as local as possible without the pressure to see any big sites. After our train got into Roma Termini, we stood in the taxi line and got a ride to our Trastevere apartment. This is our 3rd time staying in the Trastevere neighborhood, and I don't think I'd want to stay anywhere else. Some of my favorite memories are of grabbing an IPA from Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa and walking over to Piazza Trulissa to watch the street artists woo every one of us, sitting on the steps of the square.
Like all of the 15 + apartments I've rented in Italy on Booking.com, I rented this one in Trastevere, and despite the terrible reviews, I rented it anyway. I thought maybe people were being too harsh but we found out there were valid reasons for these reviews. We made the best of it but it was a bummer to end the trip on a sort of bad note.
The food. The food in Trastevere is second to none. Our first lunch happened at Trattoria Casa Mia, as did our second night dinner. The ragu!! The trio of meatballs! The fried artichokes!
The other amazing meal we had was at Hostaria Da Corrado, which was literally 2 steps from our apartment. They were only open for about 4 hours a day between lunch and dinner. Again, the ragu!
We made the trek to the Testaccio market for more, you guessed it, food, and by this point of the trip, I was fooded out. Husband, however, was in his foodie element.
I planned the whole Rome portion of the trip around getting up really early to visit the Trevi fountain, but that never happened. I still needed to go, however, so we went midmorning and felt the elbow checks of every other visitor grappling for a spot. We threw our coins in and bounced.
The rest of our time in Rome was just staying close to our neighborhood, people watching at cafes and bars. It was hot and I asked a bartender if I could buy a bag of ice from him (as a joke) but he did sell me one, so I made myself a couple spritzes in the apartment with much happiness.
I love Rome and the chaotic, frenetic energy it offers, as well as the midday will to stop and sit on the steps of a piazza and relax.
Key take aways:
Friendliest/ most helpful people: Naples
Calmest vibe: Salerno
Didn't see any locals :( : Sorrento
Best food: Trastevere
Best drinks: Salerno
Best shopping: Naples
Most budget friendly food: Salerno
Most beautiful: Everywhere we visited. <3 Italy

Minus the not so good apartment in Rome, this sounds like a perfect way to visit! I love your descriptions and list of “bests”.

Jenny, this is so great. Having just returned from a too intense, trying too hard to fill others' travel expectations trip to France, I need a Salerno! Love Naples and Trastevere, and have always visited Sorrento in calm off-season, which I hope hasn't changed. Thank you!

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing. It makes me want to go to Salerno...

Thanks, everyone for your kind replies.
I agree that Naples is a hidden gem. Not once did we feel unsafe or that the city was unsavory in any way. But watch out for those scooters!!!
@Ruth, you definitely need a Salerno in your life! Being the sole planner of these trips deserves another trip as a reward, right?? ;)

I remember a really mellow Sorrento from even further back--2003! It was kind of a drizzly day and we walked around the town and had lunch in a sidewalk café with hardly anyone around! We were spending a week on Capri and I think we were there on our way to or coming back from Pompeii.

Thank you for your trip report I enjoyed reading it!

Having just stayed in Trastevere for the first time this year it brought back memories.. It really is a different experience when you aren’t cramming it packed with trying to see all the major sight’s along with the crowds of all the tourists.

Really enjoyed hearing about your stays in Naples and Salerno, the latter is another on the list of future visits for me and with more reviews like yours, eventually Naples will get there haha!

Thanks again for taking me back to Italy with your report!

Crystal

By the way, I agree the temples at Paestum are well worth seeing!