Positively Positano: The Amalfi Coast Will Take Your Breath Away

The views along the Amalfi Coast are literally breathtaking. The landscape consists of a series of steep rock outcroppings plunging into the Tyrrhenian Sea, and getting around involves a lot of up and down, as the coastal towns quickly climb up from the waterfront into the towering hills behind. Climbing up along the roads and paths will have even fit young people breathing hard, especially if they are coming from Southwest Florida, where there are no hills to negotiate in preparation. So a regimen of walking and preferably some stair climbing is well-advised before your arrival. 

A payoff for your exertions is the great hiking along the coastal hills on trails like the “Path of the Gods,” where your footsteps provide scenic vistas away from the traffic and the bustle of the coast.

Your arrival is likely to come through the Italian city of Naples, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento and the isle of Capri. Hearing we had come from “Naples to Naples,” our driver was quick to correct the name of the Italian city – “this is Napoli.” Driving down the coast you have a good view of Mt. Vesuvius, site of the notorious 79 AD eruption that annihilated Pompeii. The volcano is still classified as active, even overdue for an eruption, so no guarantees.

Before the tunnel blasted through the mountains between *Napoli* and the Amalfi Coast linked the two by road, travel between them was most practicable by water, and ferries and water taxis still regularly move passengers from point to point. Traveling along the coast roads will show you why.

If walking on the Amalfi Coast is tough on the legs, riding in a car might cause white knuckles and awe, even palpitations. Rather than renting a car to drive yourself, leave the driving to someone who is used to the skinny roads and hairpin turns. And leave plenty of time, especially during the summer high season, when the roads are packed. Seeing two tourist buses pass each other is a sight in itself. 

But it is the sights that bring the throngs to Positano, the town of Amalfi, Ravello, Minori and the rest of the Amalfi Coast. There are things to do and see, and places to eat and drink delicious foods and wines, but gazing in wonder at the amazing landscapes the region presents is still the principal attraction. 

There are destinations such as the Cosmolena pottery works and the Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo in Ravello – but even in these historic villas, the most outstanding feature is the vistas down the coast to the water far below. 

In Positano, the top attraction, apart from the views and perhaps the dining, is the historic duomo or cathedral, which has young couples coming from great distances to pledge their vows there every weekend during the season, and likely posing along the beach afterwards for photos. For those spoiled by the uncrowded sugar sand expanse of the Marco Island beaches, the tightly packed, roped off and rocky strand along the Amalfi Coast is something to spend minimal time on – a reminder, perhaps, that we also live in a destination that people love and sacrifice to visit. 

That leaves more time to spend gazing in wonder at the sights above the waterline, or perhaps indulging in the Italian passion of fine dining, finished off by a gelato or perhaps a lemon granita. And speaking of delicious, the delizia al limone is to die for, and you can enjoy it in the Pasticceria Sal De Riso, the famous bakery across from the beach in Minori where this citrusy cake was invented. The area is also home to limoncello, the refreshing Italian liqueur made from the massive lemons that dot the landscape and are featured in endless blue and yellow pottery that fills the gift stores. 

From Positano, you can take the ferry to Capri, and enjoy the sight of the land from the sea, unless the waves are too rough for the boat to land at the exposed concrete jetty. As an alternative, drive across the ridges and down the peninsula to Sorrento, where there is regular ferry service with larger vessels from a protected harbor. 

Capri has been a renowned tourist destination since the tourists were Roman emperors. The Giardini di Augusto allows even plebeians to wander the grounds of the island getaway of Caesar Augustus, who had the whole known world to pick from for his vacation home. The flowering trees frame views of the almost impossibly picturesque Isole Faraglioni, three limestone rocks jutting out from the sapphire blue sea, one with a hole through it attracting a succession of small tour boats cruising through. Looking the other way, you are overlooking an almost equally scenic and quite impressive switchback path down to the water of Marina Piccola, the hairpin turns of the Via Krupp.

Augustus’ garden is in Capri Town, a funicular or cog railway ride up from the ferry terminus at Marina Grande. Stroll the Piazza Umberto or visit the Certosa di San Giacomo, a monastery dating from 1363, then head further up and into Anacapri. You are following in the footsteps of many notables after Augustus, from Vladimir Lenin to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and more recently, Mariah Carey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lindsay Lohan. 

In Anacapri, admire – but don’t walk on – the 18th-century mosaic floor of the Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo church, then take the chair lift to the top of the island, 1,932-foot Monte Solaro, for more memorable views, thick fog, or both. 

There is nowhere else in the world that replicates the sights, the topography and the atmosphere of the Amalfi Coast. Having seen it once, you will want to get back there again – and even if you don’t, the memories will stay with you for a lifetime.