Amalfi Coast

The SS163 Amalfitana – the road that runs along the Amalfi Coast – is a two-lane highway clinging to cliffs above the Tyrrhenian Sea, shared by buses, tourist coaches, delivery vans, motorcycles, and cars, all attempting to pass each other on corners where two vehicles barely fit side by side. In July and August, the road is at maximum capacity from early morning. The experience of driving it is simultaneously terrifying and magnificent. The experience of being on a bus while the driver executes the required manoeuvres is something else entirely.

This is worth knowing before you book, because the Amalfi Coast’s logistics significantly shape the visit. The towns don’t connect easily by land; the ferry services between them are faster and considerably less stressful. Boats run from Positano, Amalfi, and other villages through the season. Using them is the practical answer to the road problem.

The Towns

Positano is the most photographed: buildings stacked vertically on a cliff face, dominated by the dome of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in glazed ceramic tile. The beach at the bottom is pebbly and seasonal but the setting is extraordinary. June and September give you this at a fraction of July’s crowd density.

Ravello perches 365 metres above the sea and has been attracting serious visitors since at least the 13th century (Pope Hadrian IV was consecrated here). The gardens of Villa Rufolo – where Richard Wagner, inspired by the views, reportedly found his model for Klingsor’s magic garden in Parsifal – are open to visitors. The Ravello Music Festival runs from spring through autumn; the main concerts are staged in an outdoor auditorium on the villa terrace with the sea behind the performers.

Amalfi is the largest town and has the best transport connections; the Cathedral of Amalfi (free entry to the church, €3 for the cloisters) has Moorish-influenced arches in the Cloisters of Paradise that reflect the town’s medieval trade links with North Africa and the Arab world.

The Path of the Gods

The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) connects Praiano and Positano along a high-level path that gives continuous views of the coast below. About 7 kilometres, 2-3 hours, accessible from either end. The views are among the best available on foot anywhere in Campania and require no technical skill beyond reasonable fitness.

Eating

The Amalfi Coast’s Sfusato lemon, elongated and intensely aromatic, appears in everything from limoncello to pasta sauces. Scialatielli ai frutti di mare (thick, hand-rolled pasta with seafood) is the local pasta shape. Fresh mozzarella and burrata from the dairy farms in the hills above the coast are of a quality that makes whatever you’ve been buying in a supermarket feel like a different substance.

Getting There

The nearest airport is Naples (NAP). From Naples, train to Salerno (45 minutes) then ferry or SITA bus along the coast, or ferry directly from Naples to Positano (seasonal). Hiring a car allows access to the interior hill towns but imposes the road conditions described above. The ferry network gives the most relaxed access to the major towns.