Ciao! I'm Laura.
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Ciao Amalfi

About

A little bit about Laura

Ciao! I’m Laura, a writer, art historian, and photographer. I live on the Amalfi Coast, and I’m passionate about sharing an insider view of my home to help travelers discover and enjoy the most beautiful experiences on the Amalfi Coast.

The road to expat life in Italy for me was as twisty as the Amalfi Coast road. I was born right smack in the middle of America. Although I’ve had many adventures in my life, none was as big as moving to Italy. Fourteen years ago, I visited the Amalfi Coast and fell in love immediately – with the natural beauty … and my tour guide! I’m now married to that tour guide and a proud dual American and Italian citizen.

Ever since I set foot on the Amalfi Coast, I’ve been exploring every nook, cranny, and ancient stone pathway. I love my home and am passionate about sharing the beauty of the Amalfi Coast through my writing and photography.

I’ve shared all my local tips and more in Moon Amalfi Coast: with Capri, Naples & Pompeii published by Moon Travel Guides. Watch for the second edition and Moon Southern Italy coming soon!

About Ciao Amalfi

Ciao Amalfi started its journey as a personal blog for me to share my new life in Italy with family and friends. What I quickly discovered, however, is that there are many people around the world who love the Amalfi Coast just as much as me. Perhaps that’s you, too! Travelers come from across the globe to visit this very special place. And it is a place that bites deep, as John Steinbeck described Positano back in the 1950s. Once you’ve been bitten by the Amalfi Coast bug, it’s hard to recover.

That’s where Ciao Amalfi comes in! This website has transformed over the years to reflect my experiences living on the Amalfi Coast. From a personal blog it has become a trusted source of insider travel tips and a view into daily life. Here you’ll find inspiration for planning your holiday on the Amalfi Coast and beautiful moments throughout the year to keep you dreaming until you can return!

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The Ciao Amalfi Newsletter

Need a little bit of Amalfi Coast sunshine and beauty delivered to your inbox? That’s surely better than yet another work email! The Ciao Amalfi Newsletter brings the best of the Amalfi Coast right to your email in monthly doses of insider travel tips, local experiences and more. Be the first to find out about upcoming events, new openings and all there is to see and do.

The Ciao Amalfi Newsletter is also the place to sign up to be the first to hear about new Amalfi Coast book and photography projects I have in the works. If you love the Amalfi Coast and believe there’s no such thing as too much Amalfi Coast, this is the newsletter for you!

Find out more and sign up for the Ciao Amalfi Newsletter here.

Can’t Get Enough of the Amalfi Coast?

I know how you feel! If you need a daily dose of Amalfi Coast beauty, you’ll find me online posting regular updates via Ciao Amalfi on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Please do comment and share since I enjoy hearing about what you love about the Amalfi Coast and your favorite travel memories!

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Ciao!

My name is Laura and the Amalfi Coast is my passion and my home. I’m a writer and photographer who is endlessly inspired by the incredible beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Welcome to Ciao Amalfi!

Ciao Amalfi

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This morning was a little cloudy when I went out f This morning was a little cloudy when I went out for my morning walk like I do most mornings in Amalfi. Down the coast, across the Gulf of Salerno, rays of light were shining right on the city of Salerno. I had set out with Salerno on my mind because it was there that 82 years ago today—on September 9, 1943—the Landing of Salerno began during WWII. My Grandpa was in the Army during the war - a lot of it in Italy. Yet he would never speak of where he was or what he did, and certainly had no desire to ever see Italy again after the war. While he probably wasn’t in that first landing in Salerno, he would have been somewhere in Italy, perhaps further south in Calabria or in Sicily. I always think of him during these days and wonder about those hard experiences he must have had in Italy. And very grateful for what he and so many fought for and endured. 

If you ever visit Salerno, south of the city there’s an Allied War Cemetery that is a moving and important place to visit. 🤍
Have I ever shared one of my favorite poems about Have I ever shared one of my favorite poems about Amalfi? It’s by the American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). It’s simple and it’s heartbreaking - like first loves so often are. But I think about it often, especially on night walks in Amalfi. 

Night Song At Amalfi

I asked the heaven of stars
What I should give my love —
It answered me with silence,
Silence above.

I asked the darkened sea
Down where the fishers go —
It answered me with silence,
Silence below.

Oh, I could give him weeping,
Or I could give him song —
But how can I give silence,
My whole life long?
The best kind of mail day! Just received a package The best kind of mail day! Just received a package of the books I ordered from @papexbookshop in Florence. Looking forward to reading the latest books by @nickypellegrino and @phaedrapatrick set in Italy (comp research is so fun!) plus a book I’ve been eager to read about Dorothy L. Sayers, who was a wildly fascinating woman. Just putting this here as a little encouragement for all of us to support our local bookshops - even when they’re not that local! 📚
Juggling but make it medieval and add more flags! Juggling but make it medieval and add more flags! 💙 Amalfi celebrated the historic Byzantine New Year yesterday with a grand parade, including this impressive performance by the Sbandieratori e Musici della Città Regia from Cava de’ Tirreni. Even better, this year for the 25th anniversary of the event, they celebrated our beloved local historian Professor Giuseppe Gargano, who inspired the creation of this historic event in the 1980s celebrating Amalfi’s history. Congratulation to Prof. Gargano - the new Magister do Civiltà Amalfitana! 🎉
I’ve been spending some time lately with my fait I’ve been spending some time lately with my faithful old companion Longfellow. It’s been such a glorious reminder that my work with him has only just begun. Head over to Substack (link in bio) to read more about Longfellow’s time in Rome in 1828, the Piazza Navona lake, and the unexpected fun of traveling with poets. Bibliotourism at its best! 📚
It was a surprise to me to find such a brilliant g It was a surprise to me to find such a brilliant green sign of life on the top of Mt. Vesuvius on a cold spring day hiking up to the Gran Cono back in March this year. In the freezing wind with steam rising from the crater, there was this moss growing bright green and happy like a summer day. While we were in awe of the overwhelming bigness that is a volcano, it’s the moss there at the edge that I’ve found myself thinking of since that day. Especially while listening to “Gathering Moss: A Natural & Cultural History of Mosses” by Robin Wall Kimmerer. And, likely not by chance, it was recommended by my friend Amber who was there on top of Vesuvius that day too. It turns out that the first plants to grow on a volcano after eruption are called pioneer species and are most often mosses and lichen. Thank you to Amber who is constantly reminding me that there is so much more to the world than meets the eye. 💚
Blue and white skies over Amalfi. ☁️ Blue and white skies over Amalfi. ☁️
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