The Best Cafés Around The World
For me, whenever I travel to a new place, more important than discovering any museum, landmark, church, or even restaurant, is finding my perfect café. It’s my number one on the agenda. It’s my Holy Grail. Because finding your “happy place” café will be the most quintessential moment that will define your entire visit to that destination.
The café holds the key to the city. Like a bottle of perfume, It embodies its essence, it captures those special moments, and it’s a place you can revisit in your mind over and over again after you leave it. It’s also a window into the world of that specific location, offering plenty of people-watching as well as the opportunity to chat it up with the stranger sitting next to you. I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve met sitting at a café.
POSITANO, Campania, Italy
Sure, Positano is full of tourists. Always. And mainly, they go there for the shops and restaurants — and of course, the views. I’ve been to Positano so many times, and not once did I hang out at the beach. So I was so grateful to have done so this summer. Because when you sit on it and stare up at the staircases of villas and restaurants, you can see Positano in a completely different light. The main one being: Relaxation.
Getting in and out of Positano is extremely hectic, winding up and down and backwards on those teeny weeny roads. In fact, this time I was the driver and I was the one honking at buses and narrowly missing trees. So when we finally wound our way down to the city center, all I wanted to do was plop myself on one of those orange lawn chairs and sip some Aperol.
Positano Beach
PRAIANO, Campania, Italy
The Praiano beach is so small (even for the Amalfi Coast standards), that you may hastily drive past in whilst driving to-and-fro from Positano to Amalfi. We nearly made that mistake and yet miraculously, we found an chance opening in the traffic to make a U-turn and head back.
Once known for producing silk, today it is known mainly as a beach and it is in fact a commune of 2,000 people. The beach is quiet and difficult to access (note: steep, shallow stairs), but well worth it.
Praiano Beach
AMALFI, Salerno, Italy
Famed for its production of limoncello (yes, I know, most of Italy makes it too, but Amalfi sort of “owns” it), Amalfi is a former maritime power dating back to the 6th century between Egypt and Syria. Believe it or not, at some point they had as many as 80,00o people living in this little village, nestled between two major cliffs (today there are about 5,000 inhabitants). This is why you will find some incredible Byzantine architecture, including the Domi di Amalfi, and those typical winding, curly, teeny streets.
In terms of the beach, its pretty much everything you see in the photos. Picturesque, quiet, chic. We had a fabulous meal at the Stella Maris which we will never forget. And we loved climbing up through the hill-side streets and visiting all of those little ceramic shops.
Amalfi Beach
TROPEA, Calabria, Italy
Tropea is a quiet cliff-top village that is decaying before your very eyes. If you even so much as touch a building, it will likely start crumbling between your fingers. But the town enjoys a lot of tourism, and so the restaurants and bars are pretty chic and reminded us slightly of Mykonos (slightly).
Legend has it that the town’s protector, the Madonna of Romania, once saved the town by appearing in the dreams of the town’s Bishop — so many times that finally on March 27, 1638, he ordered the entire village to do a procession. Thanks to this, the entire town avoided harm from a massive earthquake that day. And it was reported that the town was subsequently saved from future and more destructive earthquakes in centuries to come.
Tropea Beach
CEFALU, Sicily, Italy
Cefalu! I know it’s not fair to declare favorites…. But can I? Ok, then I will. So, I love Cefalu. It was love at first beach. When I walked onto the beach, I knew it was meant to be. We were lost souls, finally united. With the town’s buildings forming the barrier of the water, it doesn’t get more beautiful than this. The water is so shallow and so warm, you can skip walking through the town and just walk along the water’s edge — or even in it.
This Sicilian town is located less than 1 hour by train from Palermo. Full of amazing shops and yummy cafes, Cefalu is small and chill and glam all at the same time.
Cefalu Beach
MONDELLO, Sicily, Italy
Known for its shallow, pastel beach and paddle boats, Mondello is considered to be a suburb of Palermo. The beach lies between two cliffs — Mount Gallo and Mount Pelligrino — and is where all of the Palermetani go to bake their skin on the weekend.
The beach vibe is very chill and family oriented, with ice cream shops and sushi bars lining the boardwalk that spans nearly 2 km. Originally a small fishing village situated on marshland, at the end of the 19th century it grew into a favorite tourist spot and retirement haven.
Mondello Beach
SAN VITO LO CAPO, Sicily, Italy
With the careful watch of Mount Monaco, San Vito Lo Capo is long sandy beach with crystal blue, shallow water perfect for families or someone who wants to temporarily disconnect with mainstream life. Three kilometers of golden beach with lots of water toys, bars, street food and seafront restaurants and live music.
Mondello Beach
SCALA DEI TURCHI, Sicily, Italy
A rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, the origine of the name “Turkish Steps” comes from the many invasions of Turkish pirates and the “stairs” are formed by eroded Marl, clay and silt similar to calcite and limestone.
The wet Marl (muddy) is seen as being beneficial to your skin, so don’t be surprised to see many people bathing in it. Otherwise, lots of beach-goers will be jumping off the steepest of stairs or climbing to the top for an amazing Mediterranean sunset.
Mondello Beach
