Tips and things to do in Amalfi Coast, Italy: The three-minute guide

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Tips and things to do in Amalfi Coast, Italy: The three-minute guide

By Brian Johnston
An evening view over Positano from the Villa Franca.

An evening view over Positano from the Villa Franca.

WHY

One of Europe's most stunning peninsulas, jutting into the Mediterranean just south of Naples, has enticed aristocrats, poets and romantics for centuries, turning its tumbling fishing villages into glamorous, cliff-perched resort towns renowned for the vertiginous views and chic hideaways. Though ever crowded, it's still worth battling shuffling crowds and the traffic on narrow roads to admire the steep medieval towns, shimmering emerald bays and sunset over islands.

VISIT

Mediterranean fine dining.

Mediterranean fine dining.Credit: Alamy

Handsome resort town Sorrento (sorrentotourism.com) dates from the days of the Grand Tour and sits atop impressive volcanic cliffs, with the original fishing harbour pretty in pastels below. Cobbled alleys with scruffy charm lead to ornate churches and unexpected squares filled with cafe chatter. Via San Cesareo and Piazza Tasso are lined with shops selling embroidery, jewellery, Murano glass and leather. Sorrento makes a good base for visiting the ruins of Pompeii and island of Capri just offshore.

EAT

Li Galli (ligallirestaurant.it) in Positano has the best sunset views in town, and tasty Campagna-region cuisine and an impressive wine collection to match. Sorrento's Scintilla (cocumella.com) has reimagined Mediterranean classics plated like works of art. In Ravello, Il Flauto di Pan (hotelvillacimbrone.com) provides contemporary Mediterranean fine dining with a hint of spice; views are stunning. Pasticceria Pansa (pasticceriapansa.it) opposite Amalfi's cathedral tempts with almond biscuits and chocolate-dipped fruit.

LOOK

Driving the Amalfi peninsula's southern shoreline is a white-knuckle experience but reveals dazzling views at every hairpin bend. Boutique hotels and cafe terraces cling to cliffs that end in hidden beaches and clear blue water. Above tower rocky crags covered in forest and lemon groves. Positano (positano.com) clings to the hillside in a tumble of alleys that finish at a tiny harbour; walk the coastal path to Spiaggia del Fornillo cove for delightful views.

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MUST

At the eastern end of the coast, Amalfi town (amalfitouristoffice.it) is ridiculously pretty: soak it up as you tuck into stuffed zucchini or a tomato-and-mozzarella salad. Its distinctive black-and-white striped cathedral and cloister are a superb example of Arab-Norman architecture. High above is Ravello (ravellotime.com), with another magnificent Romanesque cathedral and utterly entrancing Villa Rufolo (villarufolo.it), where flower gardens meet plunging vistas. A scenic, one-hour hike brings you to the Monastery of Saint Nicholas.

SLEEP

In Sorrento, antique-strewn Grand Hotel Cocumella (slh.com/hotels/grand-hotel-cocumella) occupies a former 16th-century Jesuit monastery on the edge of a cliff, gazing across the Bay of Naples to Mt Vesuvius. In Positano, Villa Franca (slh.com/hotels/villa-franca) is an airy, homely retreat shuttered from the brightness of the coast, cool against the heat, but open to glorious, plunging sea views. It has contemporary design chic and excellent service, with compact but finely-appointed rooms with beautiful en suites in grey marble.

TIP

Beyond the coast's more famous destinations, you can escape the tourist hordes in smaller towns and villages such as Atrani, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Furore and Scala, set in countryside of olive and lemon groves or flanked by emerald sea.

Brian Johnston travelled courtesy of Small Luxury Hotels of the World and DriveAway Holidays.

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