Europe is finally opening up again after serious lock downs over the spring. The Coronavirus pandemic hit Italy hard, in illness but also economically, so when we heard the all-clear in Denmark for travel to some European countries, visiting Italy to try to support them, while getting to enjoy a small vacation, seemed like a good plan.
Covid-acation? Love in the Time of Corona?
Traveling made our family feel closer to a lot of those around the world who have been facing Covid-19 very differently than we have in Copenhagen. Although we did social distance, with schools, shops, and employers closed for quite a while, we never had to stay only in our homes, or wear masks in public. Thus, traveling to Italy, where some of these measures are still in place, was our first encounter with the more extreme measures to try to slow the Covid-19 spread. We were required to wear masks upon entering the Copenhagen airport, for the entirety of the flight, and also at any indoor public places in Italy. Additionally, temperature checks were performed on everyone entering a restaurant or tourist site, and hand sanitizer was available at all entrances. Upon returning to Denmark, Coronavirus testing was available at the airport, which only took us an extra 20 minutes and put to rest any lingering concerns we had (and very happily we were negative – no Covid-19).
Now on to the trip.
Amalfi Coast
If you’ve never been to the Amalfi Coast, arriving feels a bit like entering an old-timey European romance novel, where a young wine maker crosses paths with an elegant city girl with a secret, and he teaches her to slow down and move on with her life and she inspires him to create some new hybrid grape. Or something, I don’t know, it’s not like I’ve already started the first few chapters or anything…
And that’s the beauty of it; the reason so many are willing to drive, white-knuckled, amidst nausea-inducing hairpin turns you must brave to experience it (for real, one daughter puked and the other dry-heaved on the side of the road during this drive).
To reach Amalfi, we flew into Naples and rented a car. We selected Conchi dei Marini, a small coastal town of about 600 residents located between Positano and Amalfi as home base. Our rental was all blues and yellows, with a fabulous view of the sea and a required climbing of 10,000 stairs to reach the entrance and help keep us in shape.
We spent our days at the local private beaches, snorkeling in the clear, aquamarine water, sunbathing, and searching the beach for interesting pieces of broken tiles and sea glass. 
It took a LONG time for us to get from our Airbnb to the beach and back again, down and then up so many steps. I was a sweaty mess every time. And there wasn’t a parking lot or anything at the beach, so you do what you have to. But it was worth it.
For a short break from swimming, we caught a ride on a speedboat for a look inside the famous Grotto dello Smeraldo, the Emerald Grotto. Named for the colors filtering in from an underground opening, the day we visited the grotto was more luminous turquoise than emerald; lovely nonetheless. Additionally, the cavern is filled with stalagmites and stalactites, appealing a lot to my kids. The tour is short, about 15 minutes, but the boat ride was thrilling and we all enjoyed seeing the cave immensely.
Our evenings were spent visiting the local restaurants, eating more seafood than we have in ages and catching every sunset. Nights, we sat on the balcony, stargazing. In Conchi dei Marini, we ate at Trattoria Pizzeria La Piazza, also called Nino’s (that’s where the fabulous seafood pizza came from), and Le Bontà del Capo; you can see the heart-studded view, below.
We spent a little time in the other towns of Amalfi and Praiano. Amalfi was incredibly busy and crowded, so we picked up what we needed (a snorkle and some sunglasses), ate gelato, and escaped back to our little slice of Conchi dei Marini heaven.
In Praiano, we ate an exceptional meal at the restaurant where our Airbnb owner works as a chef, restaurant La Strada. We also had an impromptu photo shoot since the light was as delicious as the food.
thecloudsarelowerhere 