Amalfi Coast Bucket List
Pastel-colored villages perched on cliffs which drop straight down into the sea. One spectacular, terrifying road which connects the whole thing. Lemons the size of your head. This coastline deserves every bit of its reputation.
Why the Amalfi Coast belongs on your bucket list
Well, you can see why the Romans built their holiday homes around here. Two thousand years later, and nobody's managed to find anywhere better. The lemon groves look like they've been planted on the side of the hill because the owner was feeling generous. Medieval churches which appear to be balancing on the edge of the cliff, as if the owner of the local monastery dared them to do it. And the villages, from the sea, look as if they're about to slide off the edge. The food is southern Italian in its purest form. Pasta with clams which were picked from the sea an hour ago. Pizza cooked in a real wood-fired oven, with the dough cooked to perfection. Mozzarella which was liquid an hour ago. Limoncello which is made from lemons which wouldn't fit in your hand. And around every corner, there's a view which makes you gasp in surprise and hold onto the door handle at the same time.
When to go
May-June and September-October. Just those two sets of months. Warm enough to swim, clear enough to hike, and you can be sure you won't be stuck behind a coach on a road which is barely wide enough for one car. July and August? Complete and utter chaos. All the day trippers from Naples and the surrounding areas come and visit these lovely villages, and the magic is destroyed by the exhaust fumes. September is the best time to visit. The crowds die down, the sea is still warm, and the light is this amazing golden color which starts at about 5 o'clock. Most things shut down in November and March. The coastline is beautiful in the winter, but you can forget about eating anywhere.
Must-visit places on the Amalfi Coast
Positano
You've probably seen this village a thousand times on Instagram. The truth? It looks just like that. Pink and peach-colored buildings stacked up on the side of a cliff, bougainvillea cascading over railings, the whole shebang leading down to a grey sand beach. Best spot in the village? From the ferry as it approaches the shore. The entire village opens up like a painting that can't possibly be real. Skip Spiaggia Grande if you can and head to Fornillo Beach on the west side of the island. It's smaller and quieter and better.
Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei)
Three hours of hiking 600 meters above the sea. Repeat that to yourself. The path winds its way through Mediterranean scrubland, old farmhouses, abandoned vineyards. The coastline stretches out endlessly in front of you. Capri sits serenely in the distance as if it's not even trying. It's 7.8 kilometers, moderately challenging, and every step is worth it. Start in Bomerano and head towards Nocelle. The views get better the further you go, and the final descent down to Positano is the way a hike should end.
Ravello
350 meters above the water, Ravello is the quiet cultured one. It doesn't have a beach and doesn't care. The gardens of Villa Rufolo are supposed to have inspired Wagner's Parsifal, and every summer there's a music festival with the stage literally hanging over the coastline. Villa Cimbrone has its "Terrace of Infinity" with marble busts on a balcony with nothing but sea and sky behind them. Too much and too magnificent. Ravello lives at half the speed of the towns below it. Which, after a few days of bus rides along the cliffs, was welcome.
Amalfi Cathedral
There's a grand staircase at the top of which the cathedral is perched, which also functions as the town's living room because everyone hangs out here on the steps. The Arab-Norman stripes on the facade date back to the 9th century, and they're wild, unlike any of the cathedrals you've seen anywhere else in Italy. Inside, the Cloister of Paradise has some Moorish arches and ancient stone coffins in the coolest spot in the cathedral. Amalfi town was once a rival of Venice as a sea power, and you can still find medieval paper mills and secret gardens hidden away in the streets behind the cathedral.
Chez Black
On the beach since 1949. Not much change in the decor, but that's part of the charm, really. The spaghetti alle vongole is the house speciality, and it's exactly as good as you want it to be - briny, garlicky, al dente. The wood-fired pizzas are pretty good too. To be honest, though, half the reason for coming here is the beachside tables. The waiters are over-the-top in the best Italian style, the Peroni is ice cold, and the waves are lapping away at the sand while you eat - this is the Amalfi Coast lunch of your dreams.
Atrani
Just ten minutes' walking distance from Amalfi, and it's a different world. Atrani is the smallest town in southern Italy, and it doesn't care about impressing tourists. It's got a small square, a small beach, and some small trattorias with the owner probably being the chef and the waiter too. No boutique hotels, no linen shops, just a real fishing village doing its thing. The fact that it's this close to Positano and it's not is, in a way, a miracle. Take the coastal path from Amalfi or go through the tunnel. Either way, you can't help but wonder why it isn't more famous.
Capri Island Day Trip
Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it's crowded in the summer. Go anyway. Take the hydrofoil from Amalfi or Positano, and in 25 minutes you're on an island that's been captivating people since the Roman Emperors. The Blue Grotto, where sunlight filters through an underwater cave and the sea turns electric blue, is a hassle to visit (tiny rowing boat, tourist queue, shouting at the boatmen), but it's worth it. The Gardens of Augustus give you cliff views over the Faraglioni rocks. If the marina is too much, head to the hills and visit the town of Anacapri, which is quieter and has even better views.
Furore Fjord
A narrow slot canyon carved between two massive rock faces, with turquoise water at the bottom and a stone bridge arching high above. Most people drive past it without ever knowing it's there. The road above looks over the canyon, and you'd never know it was there. Stairs down to a small beach at the bottom. Every year, divers leap off the bridge into the fjord, which looks utterly insane and draws a huge crowd. Just one of those places where it pays to stop and explore, and not drive from one famous place to the next.
O'Parrucchiano
Open since 1868. Boasts that it invented the dish called cannelloni. Whether this is fact or fiction, the garden dining room, with its canopy of actual lemon trees, its lighting by lanterns, and its vines everywhere, is perhaps the most romantic dining spot anywhere on the coast. It's like a parody of an Italian restaurant, but it's entirely for real. Gnocchi alla sorrentina, fresh fish, house-made limoncello made with lemons grown on the terraces just above your table... have dinner here and arrive before sundown. You will thank me.
Emerald Grotto (Grotta dello Smeraldo)
Not quite as famous as the Blue Grotto on the island of Capri, but equally wonderful in its own way – and with far fewer people waiting in line. This is a good thing, since it's a tie-in with the fact that it's just as surreal. Sunlight filters through an underwater cave entrance and everything is illuminated in a lovely shade of emerald green. A small boat takes you through the cave past stalagmites... and my favorite touch – a nativity scene submerged in the water by local divers. It's a ten-minute trip but it stays with you. It's accessible by elevator or stairs from the road or by boat from Amalfi town.
Amalfi Coast insider tips
- How to get around: Don't even think about driving – it's a white-knuckle ride on the edge of cliffs. Take the SITA bus or the ferry between towns. The ferries run frequently between Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno. And honestly, they're half the fun – the coast is even more beautiful from the water.
- Base town: Amalfi town has the best ferry connections and the most central location. Positano is the glamorous one but everything is twice the price. Minori and Maiori are the local secret: good beaches, good restaurants, and no price shock.
- Hiking shoes: Yes, hiking shoes. Not fashion shoes. Not flip-flops. There are hundreds of stone steps on the Path of the Gods, the stairways between the towns, and even in Positano itself. Your flip-flops are for the beach only.
- Lemons: The lemons in the Amalfi coast are gigantic – softball-sized – and a regional specialty. Eat them in the form of granita, delizia al limone cake, and fresh limoncello. Just make sure to eat them in places that actually make their own products. The mass-produced stuff in the souvenir shops tastes like sugar water.
- Budget strategy: Eat the big meal of the day at lunchtime. There are many restaurants that offer fixed-price lunches at a fraction of the price of dinner. Buy picnic stuff at the local alimentari (deli) and eat on the beach. No restaurant view can compete with that.
- Getting there: Fly to Naples Airport. Take the Circumvesuviana railway to Sorrento (it's slow and packed, fair warning). From there, take the SITA bus down the coast. Or pay a little more for a taxi transfer. There are also ferries direct from Naples and Salerno to the coastal towns.
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