Amalfi Coast Vespa Tour: Sorrento, Positano & Emerald Grotto

5.00

(247 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect my heart to pound before we even left Sorrento — but there’s something about seeing those Vespas lined up, helmets waiting, that made it real. Our guide, Marco (who somehow remembered all our names), handed me a helmet and grinned, “Ready for la dolce vita?” The air smelled faintly of lemons and exhaust. We wobbled off through narrow streets, past old men arguing in doorways, then suddenly the blue of the Bay of Naples just opened up beside us. I tried to take a photo but gave up — you really can’t capture that first rush.

We stopped in Positano after maybe an hour? Hard to tell — time gets weird when you’re zipping along cliff roads. Marco led us down steps so steep my legs still ache thinking about them. There was this tiny café where he ordered us lemon cake and espresso (“trust me,” he said). I tried asking for directions in Italian; the barista laughed and corrected me gently. The houses here look like they’re stacked by someone who loves color but hates straight lines. After that we rode through Praiano — the sun was high now and the sea almost too bright to look at.

The Emerald Grotto was cooler than I thought (temperature-wise too). We climbed into a little boat — the guide inside pointed out how the light turns everything green under there. It smelled like salt and stone. Back in Amalfi, Marco showed us the cathedral square where kids were chasing pigeons and tourists were everywhere but somehow it didn’t feel crowded. Lunch was at a family place with a view that made me forget what I’d ordered (seafood something?). I still think about that lemon dessert — soft, tart, gone too fast. On the ride back I realized my face hurt from grinning so much.