Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Coast, Italy

The SS163 coastal road between Positano and Vietri sul Mare is 50 kilometres of two-lane mountain road cut into cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea, with buses that cannot pass each other without one reversing to a passing point. In July and August, the traffic can stop entirely for an hour. This is the defining practical reality of the Amalfi Coast: the scenery is extraordinary and the logistics are genuinely challenging in peak season.

Go in May or October. The water is warm enough for swimming (the sea temperature doesn’t peak until August but reaches the mid-20s Celsius in late May), the light is excellent for photography, the flowers are either blooming or the lemon groves are heavy with fruit, and the SITA buses are running rather than gridlocked.

The Towns

Positano is the most photographed: pastel-coloured houses stacked vertically on a cliff face above a beach, the kind of place that looks like a postcard and then confirms the postcard when you arrive. It is expensive, crowded in summer, and genuinely beautiful. The beach at Fornillo, a 10-minute walk west of the main Spiaggia Grande beach, is less crowded and more pleasant for swimming.

Ravello perches at 365 metres above the sea and is worth the climb for the Villa Cimbrone gardens (entry EUR 8), which have a terrace called the Terrazza dell’Infinito that looks directly out over the coast. Go early morning; the terrace is famous and the crowds reflect that. The Ravello Festival runs classical music performances in the villa gardens in summer.

Amalfi town is smaller than most visitors expect. The Duomo di Amalfi on the main piazza has Arab-Norman architecture from the 9th century with a striking striped facade. The Valley of Mills (Valle dei Mulini) above the town preserves the ruins of the paper mills that made Amalfi wealthy in the medieval period; accessible by a trail starting just north of the town.

Getting Around

The SITA bus system connects the coast towns along the SS163 and is affordable and reliable outside peak season. Ferries connect Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno from April through October; the sea approach to Positano shows the cliff architecture at its best. During July and August, arrive early at ferry points and book return journeys.

Hiring a private driver for a day (around EUR 200-250) gives flexibility and eliminates the bus stress. This is the luxury option but also the sensible option if you have a specific itinerary.

The Path of the Gods

The Sentiero degli Dei connects Praiano to Positano along a clifftop trail with views of the coast and sea that are among the best in Italy. About 8 kilometres, 3 hours, mostly downhill from Praiano to Positano. The name is not an exaggeration. Start early (before 9am) to avoid the afternoon heat and to have the trail with fewer people. Take the bus back from Positano to your base.

Eating

Limoncello in the Amalfi coast uses Sfusato amalfitano lemons, the local variety that grows here because of the particular microclimate. The genuine article tastes different from the commercial product. Buy from any producer with a terrace of lemon trees rather than a tourist shop.

Colatura di alici (anchovy colatura, a fermented fish sauce made in Cetara, the small fishing village east of Amalfi) is one of the most distinctive condiments in Italian cooking and worth buying directly from a shop in Cetara.

Restaurants directly on the main beaches in Positano are expensive; walk a few streets back from the shore for better prices and equivalent quality.

Where to Stay

The Monastero Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini is a former Dominican monastery converted to a hotel with a swimming pool carved into the cliff above the sea. The most expensive option on the coast by some margin and the most extraordinary. For something accessible to most budgets, small guesthouses and B&Bs in Ravello and Praiano are significantly cheaper than Positano.