Capri / Anacapri

Things I’ve learned so far about letting go:

- It’s hard

- The control freak in me is scared to unclench that tight grip

- It’s uncomfortable...kind of like the feeling you get when you first let go of those training wheels: I really want to embrace the thrill but the fear of falling is there

- It’s a process that shouldn’t be rushed (but often is)

- Then one day (out of nowhere), you wake up and realize you did it...you. let. go (!!!)

I wrote that note while sitting on a train headed away from perhaps one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. I remember smiling to myself when I wrote that last bullet point. All of this to say, everything you're about to read/see contributed to that moment. And looking back, I see why :) 

HUMBLE THYSELF!

So today, you, my family and I have landed on the gorgeous island of Capri/Anacapri! After a few days of getting myself adjusted to the time difference while in Positano, we arrived by boat to Capri!

My uncle, two brothers and I decided to begin our first day with a hike down to the beach. We were staying in Anacapri, a town situated at the top of the Island. And although I feel so cool typing this out, the good Lord knows how to humble me...I actually managed to fall at the beginning of the hike HAHAHA. I remember hearing a small pop followed by lightheadedness and shortness of breath. I thought Oh shit, there goes the rest of my trip! The more you get to know me, the more you'll notice stuff like this happens to me quite often--Like the whole Positano bloody ankle situation! Is there a cure for clumsiness or freak accidents? If so, please leave a comment below or call me so that we can discuss.

Anyways, after elevating my foot (thank you, Alan, for being so chill/helpful) for a few minutes and internally calming myself down, I got up, applied some pressure to the ankle and felt okay to continue on our trek.

After we made it down to Capri, Lauro and my Tio decided to hike back up while Alan and I opted to take the bus (I was not about to test my luck with that ankle). 

Once back in Anacapri, we filled our bellies up with carbs, hopped on a chairlift and found ourselves taking in a 360 view of the island. 

It's easy to find ourselves running around trying to tackle whatever city we're in, but that can quickly lead to burning out (and aren't we supposed to be on vacation?!). Whether you have a few hours, days or weeks, it's always good to find a moment to stop and look at your surroundings. It's a nice way to remind yourself where you are and narrow down where you could go!

In our case, we recognized the route we followed to reach the beach earlier that day and we planned to find a way to see the big rock formations (last photo in this section) up close. With more of a plan in place, we were ready to explore even more!

CASUAL DINNER NEXT TO A CELEB

When my Tio told us we were going to have dinner under lemon trees, I was expecting a few intentionally placed trees scattered around the property. I was in no way prepared for what Da Paolino held... the moment we turned the corner and found this restaurant, we were greeted by a CANOPY of lemon trees. Lemons that grew up to be the size of melon were hanging off these trees. We sat down, ordered our meals and who should unexpectedly walk in? Actor Timothee Chalamet with Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny Depp's daughter), a small entourage of friends and their bodyguard! I made eye contact with Timothee and Lily-Rose (yes, I feel like that TINY moment entitled me to be on a first-name basis with them) and as I connected that I was indeed seeing them in the flesh, I quickly turned my head to my table. OMG! OMG! OMG! ACT. CASUAL. AMANDA. THEY'RE HUMAN BEINGS LIKE YOU ARE. I made eye-contact with my brother, Lauro, who I knew would be equally as freaked out. 

I motioned with my eyes and mouthed Look. Over. There. Timothee. Chalamet. As I tried to be discreet about it, my family questioned me. Lauro quickly made the connection and blurted out OMG THAT'S ELIO FROM CALL ME BY YOUR NAME! Shoot...well now things are about to get not-so-discreet. My family made it so awkwardly evident we knew who they were that I began to plead with them to stop and forget about it but that only fueled them. Later on, when we were walking out of the restaurant my dad ran back in to take a photo of them at their table and the bodyguard quickly followed him out of the dining area (YES, are you cringing like we were?!). My dad tends to do the exact opposite of what he's asked, which I'm not going to lie is frustrating haha! 

Once we got into our taxi, Lauro, my Tio and I unleashed a collective fan-girl yell! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!?! WE JUST SAW TIMOTHEE FREAKING CHALAMET! Yeah... we had zero chill once we left that restaurant.  

I mean, out of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world... ;P

WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE?!

You know what I wrote at the very beginning about letting go? If I could trace back where and when that occurred, I think it was right around this time.

I don't really have much to say about this day because it mostly involved us quietly gazing at every detail our eyes could get a hold of.

Continue scrolling for the visual recap!

LAST DINNER

For our last dinner, we dressed in our newly-bought linen, ordered some obscure cocktails and laughed about stupid stuff!

And as we closed out our family trip, I couldn't stop thinking how filled with joy I was. I'm sappy, I know that, but I'm not going to pretend this is normal. This season has been a massive breath of fresh air for my entire family, and I'm overwhelmingly thankful for it.

UP NEXT: SOLO TRAVEL TO LUCCA, ITALY

Stay tuned...