Intriguing Escapes • Boutique Cruises • Captivating Hotels
Martiniak Travel
THE AMALFI Coast - Classic Resort Area
The Amalfi Coast is a gorgeous and historic area with ancient towns, such as Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, clinging to the steep hillside and presenting breathtaking views. The area is surrounded by lovely islands including the famous Isle of Capri.
POSITANO
Positano hangs on the steep mountainside along the Amalfi coast. This town is just an 8 euro, 20 minute ferry ride from Capri and is even closer to the other Amalfi coast towns. When arriving by ferry as we did, you see this amazing city on the face of a mountain.
The beaches in town were lovely and lively with music, masseuses, bars and restaurants. I swam around the point at one end of the beach (guarded against the Saracen invaders by a tower), to discover another nice cove, beach and waterfront hotel. We got massages from this lovely German woman named Silke.
There are boats you can take to private beaches. We took a little boat to the nearby Arienza private beach club
On our last night we dined at another of the lovely sea-view restaurants. After dinner we had our treat at a tiny shop that sells gelato, alcoholic drinks, and espresso. What a great combo! .
Compared to Positano, Amalfi is easier to get around in, with a relatively flat town center having lots of traffic-free lanes with monuments, shops, fountains, restaurants and more to explore.
AMALFI
A short distance from Positano is the town of Amalfi. Another gorgeous hillside town, with a bigger walkable town.
Some nice beaches in Amalfi also. In addition to the main beach shown above, here are two more – a big one and a smaller one
We visited a very special hotel, the “Convento di Amalfi”, which was once, you guessed it, a convent. Here are pix of the pool and beautiful view. Not too shabby for a convent!
RAVELLO
You can take an open air bus, as we did, up to Revello which is pretty far up the mountainside, and looks down the lush valley whose hillsides are terraced for grape vines. The main square is very charming.
The town is embedded in the remains of ancient ruins.
This is the Villa Rufolo Gardens - beautiful gardens amidst the ruins of a once-luxe villa, dating back to the 13th century.
SORRENTO
A lovely town on the north side of the Amalfi peninsula, Sorrento is a great launching point for exploiring the Amalfi area.
COASTLINE
The drive along the coast from Pompeii to Sorrento is simply beautiful.
The Amalfi Coast is an absolutely unforgettable, romantic getaway. On your visit you might do what we did - immediately book a visit for the following September - the best time to travel there.
That’s our report on our visit to the Amalfi Coast. Capri. You may also like to see our Capri report and our Naples and Pompei report. Also take a look at the Northern Italy report - covering Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence and Bellagio/Lake Como. Finally, check out our Sicily and Panarea reports.