The Sorrentine Peninsula, commonly known as “The Amalfi Coast,” or simply “Amalfi,” after its headlining town, has been a top-tier destination for centuries. Its guestbook of A-Listers reads like a mononymous who’s who since Renaissance times: Boccaccio. Goethe. Wagner. Dickens. Grieg. Byron. Lawrence. Nietzsche. Woolf. Garbo. Bogart. Callas. Bardot. Jackie O. Bernstein. Mariah. Jordan. Beyoncé. And countless others. The entire Coast has a UNESCO World Heritage designation for good reason, and yet its ever-growing popularity can tarnish the experience for some. Follow these tips to avoid misery and ensure magic.
- Avoid June, July and especially August. April, May and September offer plenty of sun yet milder temperatures, and you won’t miss anything except the heat, the crowds, and the Ravello Music Festival. (And for you financial wizards out there, you’ll avoid surge pricing that in August can be as much as 5x — yes, that’s five times — the off-season rates for everything from hotel rooms to beach umbrellas.) The ubiquitous lemon trees will be flowering in May, but their fragrance will remain in the breeze until October, and of course you can buy local limoncello year-round – or, put differently, at no point during the year can you avoid buying limoncello.
- The best way to get around the Peninsula is inarguably by Vespa (or “motorino”), which can be rented from several shops in Sorrento. Just be sure you really do know how to ride one and then give everyone else ample clearance, so you don’t come home with road rash (I’m hoping Italian cyclists call this “pancetta”) like my friends who ate some Asfalto Amalfitano on their honeymoon. If you must go by car, allow yourself a lot of extra time and many deep breaths to deal with parking. Bus is also an option, as the public line runs all along the Coast from early morning to late evening (with extended hours on weekends), seven days a week, all year long. If you board the bus in Sorrento, sit at a window on the passenger’s side to maximize your thrills as the bus navigates impossible hairpin turns along the cliffs.
- On your way south from Naples, the presumed starting point for your visit, stop for a few hours to visit the fascinating ruins at Pompeii or its more condensed neighbor, Herculaneum. Don’t drag your bags through the archaeological site – large bags aren’t allowed anyway; instead, leave them at the family-run restaurant at the little train station, where one of the uncles will watch (i.e., literally sit and watch) them in a secure room. And after your walk through antiquity has built up your appetite, Bruno, the establishment’s young heir-apparent, will command his team to make you one of the best Neapolitan pizzas you’ll ever eat, responding to your every request with an enthusiastic, “No problem!” Be aware of closing times at Pompeii. Depending on which nook of the complex you’re exploring when the hour arrives, the guards may not necessarily signal you toward the gate and – speaking from experience – you’ll risk getting locked inside and having to scale an outer wall after dusk. Also, unless you have extra time, don’t feel bad about skipping Vesuvius, which is not as geologically interesting as it is historically significant.
- SS163, aka “Amalfi Drive,” is probably Italy’s most scenic coastal road, and truly one of the great drives in all of Europe, so every itinerary will include the “essential” stretch between the SS145 intersection at the west and Amalfi Town at the east. And yet there’s so much more to explore in the immediate vicinity. On the Peninsula’s tip, drive the Nastro d’Oro (Golden Ribbon) loop through Marciano, Termini and Punta Lagno, maybe stopping for a hike and a swim at much-better-than-it-sounds Fiordo di Crapolla. Marking the Peninsula’s east end, Salerno might be described as “a lot of what you want from Naples, with a lot less of what you don’t.” Tucked behind this ancient city’s uncharming port and mediocre esplanade are delights such as lush gardens, spectacular views from a hilltop castle, interesting museums, and a cathedral hiding a Rococo fever-dream behind its stark Norman façade, all bound in a maze of rustic vicoli (small streets or alleyways). And in the middle of everything, when you head back north, take in an entirely different perspective on the Peninsula by cutting directly over the hilltop on SS366 at Conca dei Marini.
- The Peninsula’s larger towns vie for the most attention and traffic. They should of course be visited, but with well-calibrated expectations regarding ideas of “quaintness” and “unsullied authenticity.” Sorrento’s waterfront and centro storico (historic center; don’t miss the magnificent trompe l’oeil at the Sedil Dominova patio) have been immortalized in song, while achingly picturesque Positano and Amalfi went viral via canvas and card centuries before Instagram. That acknowledged, do not ignore the smaller villages along the way. Minori, for example, is criss-crossed by fantastic pedonale (pedestrian-only streets) and its 100-meter pier is perfect for morning views and evening kisses. While Maiori’s modern waterfront seems to spurn the Coast’s HOA guidelines, right around the bend are a pair of real cuties, Erchie and Cetara, with the cheerful storefronts of the region’s ceramics capital, Vietri, just beyond. And stay alert for fantastic pullouts along the way, often near (or under) bridges and requiring quick thinking and quicker reflexes, such as Fiordo di Furore, just east of Praino, a cliff-lined cove featuring a gem of a beach by day and lively restaurants by night.
- My favorite town on the Amalfi Coast doesn’t actually sit on the coast. Tucked into the hillside just above Amalfi Town is Ravello, tranquil home to a premier summer music festival, the famous gardens of Villa Rufolo, and unmatched views of the Peninsula’s southern edge winding along the Tyrrhenian Sea. On my most recent visit, the fine restaurants and bars near the steps of the Duomo on Piazza Centrale had already closed their kitchens for the evening, but the late-night menu at nearby Cucina di Sofi (a few steps from the Duomo on Via Roma) offered superb paccheri with an exquisitely simple fresh-tomato sauce, which I savored al fresco next to a wall of dense jasmine. If you’re up for a splurge, Hotel Caruso dates back to the 11th century and is on numerous lists of the world’s best hotels.
- A short drive south of Salerno is Paestum, the vast remains of a Greek colony dating from the 6th century BCE. This UNESCO designee includes three temples in outstanding condition, a well-preserved amphitheater and fortress walls, streets with stretches of original paving intact, and a fine museum housing artifacts from the site. Paestum was also the location of the successful landing of a U.S. infantry division during World War II, which shrewdly set up its Red Cross tents in and around the temples whose bombing had been forbidden by both the Allies and the Axis. While technically not on the Amalfi Coast, half a day in Paestum will enhance any visit to the Sorrentine Peninsula.
- P.S. Don’t forget legendary Capri, conveniently accessible by regular ferries from most of the larger ports between Naples and Salerno.
QUESTIONS FOR READERS
- What else would you recommend for visitors to Amalfi?
- If you’ve ever been here during winter, what was it like?
- What do you consider some of the other most scenic drives in Italy?
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