Aussie tourist’s ‘overwhelming’ experience visiting Italy’s stunning Amalfi Coast – and says she will never go back: ‘A death wish’
An Australian traveler has shared her “honest review of the Amalfi Coast” and why the popular tourist destination is “not for the faint hearted.”
Isabella Highfield and her partner, from Sydney, visited the picturesque must-see Italian town in early August, but were left disappointed.
Although Isabella described the Amalfi Coast as “one of the most beautiful places she has ever been,” it was tainted by terrible experiences.
She claims that catching overcrowded buses felt like a “death wish,” that restaurants were charging “too much” for a bowl of pasta, and that the smell of body odor made her feel sick.
This experience made the couple want to flee and travel back home as soon as possible.
Isabella Highfield and her partner from Sydney visited Italy’s Amalfi Coast, but their trip didn’t go according to plan. She claims that catching overcrowded buses felt like a “death wish,” that restaurants were charging “too much” for a bowl of pasta, and that the smell of body odor made her feel sick
Isabella described her experience in a five minute TikTok video which has now been viewed more than 70,000 times.
‘Let’s start by getting here. We will stay in a small town called Minori, opposite Amalfi. Whichever town you’re staying in on the Amalfi Coast… you’ll need to get to Salerno first, the main station,’ she said.
It took the couple five hours to travel by train from Rome via Naples to Salerno, which she said was a hassle in itself.
But the bus ride to their hotel was perhaps the most terrifying experience of the entire trip.
‘We had to take the bus to Minoriā¦it took over an hour. To say I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life is no understatement,” she continued.
āI’m talking about a one-way street that somehow fits three to four lanes of cars, depending on whether there are people parked on the side of the road.
‘The buses literally travel at 100 kilometers per hour, whirling through the bends.’
She claims that two buses traveling in opposite directions appeared to be just “millimeters” apart.
‘It’s wild, and they just honk their horns around the corners for safety. I really thought I was going to die,ā Isabella recalls.
“Not to mention the other motorists or motorcyclists worth getting in and out of these cars, or walking along the side of the road.”
This experience made the couple want to flee and travel back home as soon as possible. Isabella described her experience in a five-minute TikTok video that has now been viewed over 70,000 times
This year in particular, thousands of Australians have traveled to Europe for the ultimate summer holiday, but Isabella said the sheer number of people visiting Amalfi was ‘overwhelming’.
“Not to mention I think people in general don’t know what deodorant is because the smellā¦ I mean, it’s hotā¦,ā she said.
“If the buses don’t make you sick, the smell of people will make you sick.”
Isabella also claims that the ferries and buses ‘don’t arrive on time’ based on the timetable – so plan ahead.
She added that the lines for the ferry are disorganized
“We had to take a ferry from Amalfi to Positano…but there’s one line, and hundreds and hundreds of people all waiting in line for many different ferries, just one line,” she said.
“So when your ferry arrives and you’re right at the end of the line, you have to push your way through people who don’t want to get on that ferry.” For example, why don’t we just have six different lines? It’s honestly not that hard, there’s definitely room for it.’
The whole ordeal left Isabella feeling “frustrated” and feeling the need to “rant about it.”
Overall, probably due to its huge popularity in recent years, Isabella found Amalfi an expensive place to visit.
She called the food “average” but “expensive” compared to other parts of Italy.
‘Some places charge ā¬36 for a plate of pasta. It’s bloody flour and water!’ she added.
This year in particular, thousands of Australians have traveled to Europe for the ultimate summer holiday, but Isabella said the sheer number of people visiting Amalfi (pictured) was ‘overwhelming’.
After watching Isabella’s video, opinions were divided and some agreed with her.
‘My sister HATE IT! Said the bus ride there was the scariest thing ever,” one commented.
“I agree it’s too expensive,” said another, a third added, “We were there last week and had almost the same experience.”
However, others felt that Isabella was overreacting.
āEpic dramatization,ā one wrote, another said, āThe train ride from Rome to Salerno takes an hour and a half. Logically, the cheapest is four hours.’
“The problem is that many people try to travel without information about the place they are visiting,” says a third.
Others recommended doing thorough research on a destination before traveling.
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