Visit the Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast is situated on the western side of Italy, just south of Sorrento and facing the Mediterranean Sea.
It is one of the great scenic routes of Europe, with dramatic cliffs and mountains plunging into the turquoise waters below, backed by the tree covered mountains of the Sorrentine Peninsula.
A road winds its way for fifty kilometres along this spectacular coastline from Positano in the east and almost to Salerno on the west, offering magnificent panoramas around every corner.
As well as the scenery there are also several attractive harbour towns to discover along the route. Among the most popular of these are Positano, Amalfi and Ravello although many of the others also deserve exploration.
Positano is well known for its luxury villas, quaint pastel coloured houses. The town clings perilously to the side of a very steep hillside, leading eventually down to a small beach below. It is a favourite with the jet-set and is quite an upmarket small town.
Amalfi town is larger and is dominated by a very ornate cathedral. Although now a small town, Amalfi in the 12th century was one of the most important trading ports in Italy. Much of the original town was swept into the sea by a terrible storm in the 14th century, and the Amalfi we see today is a quiet (except for tourists) and very pretty town. There are also two beaches in Amalfi, although large sections of the beaches make an admission charge.
Unlike most of the towns along the Amalfi coast, Ravello (slightly further west) is not on the seafront, but rather on top of a mountain that overlooks the sea. It is also a very pleasant place to explore, with views along the Aalfi coast that are stunning and attract visitors from all over Europe. These are best appreciated from the formal gardens of the two gran old villas that dominate the town and have balustrades on top of the cliff with views that have long attracted artists, poets and writers, from Richard Wagner to Gore Vidal and from D H Lawrence to Virginia Woolf.
There are many other locations along this stretch of coast to enjoy, small churches and villages to discover, and chances to hike into the mountains that stand behind the coast. Exploring the Amalfi Coast should feature high on any visit to this part of western Italy. If you do not stay in the villages along the coast itself, Sorrento is very close, less expensive, and provides easy access by car or by public transport.
