Not all the beautiful places in the world are easily accessible, but in most cases, they're definitely worth the effort. I've had the pleasure of visiting two of my favorite places in Italy, the Amalfi Coast and Lake Como. Lake Como (northern Italy) and the Amalfi Coast (near Naples) are only accessible by taking a bus or car through narrow, winding roads on hills or cliffs.

In Amalfi, the pastel houses and hotels are built into the cliffs, and I definitely recommend driving down during the day so you can appreciate the beauty. As you wind into Sorrento, you'll see the houses, the cliffs with the fog/clouds hovering above, and the gorgeous beaches. One of the funniest memories from my study abroad experience (the first time I went to Amalfi) was when our bus got wedged next to another bus going the opposite way. We were literally stuck, with the drivers backing out and backing back in dozens of times to squeeze through. Meanwhile, Italians were honking their horns and shouting behind us (their anger was well-understood).

When I went to Lake Como with a friend last year, we took an hour-long bus ride from Como up to Bellagio, the center of the lake. (The lake is shaped like an upside-down Y). We were both still really jet lagged so being on a bus definitely didn't feel the best for our queasy stomachs, however the view driving up was absolutely incredible. I will never forget the adorable houses lining the water from looking out the window on our way up. It was one of the highlights from the trip and I'm glad we went up to Bellagio instead of staying at the bottom of the lake in Como.