Amalfi Coast Towns You Shouldn’t Miss
When deciding where to stay on the Amalfi Coast, you’ll be spoilt for choice. There are some truly stunning luxury Amalfi Coast hotels.The only difficulty is deciding which ones to stay in. We turned to Classic Collection Holidays, the personalized luxury holiday specialists for advice. They’d previously arranged a wonderful Verona weekend break also in Italy for us, so we knew we were in safe hands.
They suggested a twin centre trip, staying at the stunning Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi in Amalfi itself and the equally impressive Grand Hotel La Favorita in Sorrento. They seamlessly organised the whole trip for us, from the hotel bookings to the plane tickets and car hire. They sent us our e-tickets in a handy travel pack together with luggage tags and a Berlitz Italy Pocket Guide. It was good to know that we could call their 24 hour emergency helpline in case of any problems, but everything ran smoothly.
Amalfi
Any good Amalfi Coast itinerary should include a visit to Amalfi, the town that gives the whole coast its name. The Cathedral is an unmissable sight but there’s plenty more to see here. Parts of the Duomo, as Amalfi Cathedral is known, date from the 11th century. The superb marble and stone exterior dates from 1891 and has a distinctive Arab-Norman style.
Head behind the cathedral and up via Pietro Capuano, where you’ll find La Fontana De Cape E Ciucci. Nativity scenes are normally located indoors but unusually, this one is outdoors in the fountain. Next to the fountain you’ll notice stairs leading to Pizzeria Donna Stella. This charming Amalfi pizza restaurant has a shady terrace under lemon trees. Staff are very friendly and the food is delicious. About ten minutes from the fountain on the outskirts of the town, the Museo della Carta, the Amalfi Paper Museum. It’s the last working paper mill in Amalfi. Visitors see how paper used to be made and get the opportunity to make it themselves. For panoramic views over the coast, take the elevator at Sottoportico S. Andrea to the Cimitero Monumentale.
Back at the port, you can take a boat to nearby Positano or Capri. Whilst the latter is not actually part of the Amalfi Coast, being an island in its own right, it’s an easy day trip from Amalfi to Capri by boat that takes around 1 hour.
We’d recommend staying a couple of nights in Amalfi as it’s a great base from which to explore the whole coast. Grand Hotel Convento di Monastero has a perfect location ten minutes walk from the centre but away from any noise. It’s situated on a clifftop at 80 metres above sea level. This former monastery dates from the 12th century. There are stunning cloisters and a church that’s popular for weddings. Part of the luxurious NH Hotel group, it has contemporary rooms and a stylish restaurant. We’ll be writing about it in detail soon.
Atrani
Less visited than some of the other Amalfi Coast towns, Atrani nevertheless has a certain charm. It’s popular with locals who take a foot tunnel from Amalfi to walk through to the beach. As a general rule, Amalfi Coast beaches are quite pebbly but in Atrani the beach has a dark sand.
Driving along the Amalfi Coast over Atrani’s arched bridge, you can’t miss the main church, Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria Maddalena with its distinctive green and yellow dome. Piazza Umberto I is a nice square in which to enjoy a coffee or aperitivo.
Positano
One of the most picturesque towns on the Amalfi Coast, Positano is renowned for its colourful buildings. The town has just 4,000 inhabitants yet it has an influx of visitors during the Summer months. There are some lovely boutiques along the pedestrianized streets, in particular on Viale Pasitea. In fact the Positano look is quite famous, with a boho chic vibe generally involving cotton and linen materials in free flowing styles. The town is also known for its custom-made leather sandals.
Art lovers should not miss the Liquid Art System Gallery. From 1 August, it will be displaying hyper-realistic swimmer sculptures by American artist Carole Feuerman. Amalfi Coast hiking is second to none and the iconic Path of the Gods or Il sentiero degli Dei starts in Nocelle on the outskirts of Positano and finishes near Bomerano.
Praiano
This small town on the Amalfi Coast is located between Amalfi and Positano. Ristorante Franchino is a great place to stop for lunch, with spectacular views over the cape of Conca dei Marini and beautifully presented dishes. Steps lead down to the Marina di Praia, a small beach where you can rent boats.
Ravello
Perched high on a hill at 365 metres above sea level, Ravello commands fantastic views over the glittering sea. There are two stunning gardens to visit, Villa Ruffolo and Villa Cimbrone. The writer Gore Vidal said that the view from the belvedere at Villa Cimbrone was the most beautiful place he had ever seen.
The town has an attractive cathedral which dates in part to 1086 although the facade is from the 16th century. Ravello also has a famous auditorium designed by the architect Oscar Neimeyer. The town’s opera festival is extremely popular and runs from end of June to the last week of August.
Sorrento
Sorrento is officially on the Bay of Sorrento yet it’s usually considered to be one of the Amalfi Coast towns. It’s another excellent choice as a base, since you can travel by boat to Amalfi, Capri and Positano. The town’s main street, Corso Italia, is now pedestrianized and lined with many fashionable boutiques. You’ll find Sorrento Cathedral just off the main street on Via Santa Maria della Pietà. It has an impressive three tiered bell tower and an ornate marble altar. Back on Corso Italia, Fondazione Sorrento is housed in the beautiful Villa Fiorentino. When we visited, local art students were on hand to explain the meaning behind the paintings. In the basement there’s the Enrico Salierno collection of music boxes and gramophones.
Museo Correale di Terranova on Via Correale is also very impressive, with a European art collection spread over 4 floors. Another lovely place to visit in Sorrento is Chiostro di San Francesco. The Arabic style cloisters date from the 14th century and are a great spot to escape the heat. Upstairs, Gallery Celentano is an exhibition space with an outdoor swing and a cut-out Fiat 500 from which to admire the coastline. The permanent exhibition features the work of talented local photographer, Raffaele Celentano. There are also frequent temporary exhibitions such as one on Sofia Loren when we visited.
Marina Grande is the old port in Sorrento and still a working fishing port. There are some charming restaurants along the water’s edge. Back in the centre, one of the best places to eat in Sorrento is O’Parrucchiano. The iconic Italian food dish, cannelloni, was invented here over 100 years ago. The restaurant is still owned by the same family and has a series of gorgeous outdoor terraces bedecked with flowers and lemon trees.
Hotel La Favorita is also owned by the same family and is located a few minutes away. The lovely rooftop pool and terrace is just one reason why it’s among the top rated Sorrento hotels on TripAdvisor. The bedrooms and bathrooms have traditional ceramic tiles that are real works of art. For more things to do in Sorrento, see Classic’s post.
Vietri sul Mare
Vietri sul Mare is renowned for its colourful ceramics. There are many ceramic stores in the town and also a ceramic museum in the nearby village of Raito. One of the most unusual buildings in Vietri sul Mare is Ceramica Artistica Solimene. This ceramic factory has a spectacular ceramic facade designed in the 1930s by Paoli Soleri who later worked with Frank Lloyd Wright. It produces a huge range of handmade tiles which are also painted by hand.
Also worth seeing is the church of San Giovanni Battista, which has a dome made from coloured majolica pottery and an 11th century crucifix.
Getting to the Amalfi Coast
The closest airport to the Amalfi Coast is Naples International Airport, 74 kilometres from Amalfi. Getting from Naples to the Amalfi Coast takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes if there’s no traffic. In high season and depending on which town you’re going to then it may take 3 hours. The main roads are not as intimidating as you might have heard, although Strada Statale 163 is known as the road of 1000 bends! There are barriers and walls along the coastal sections and the roads themselves are well maintained. However, if you’ll be driving around quite a bit then we recommend opting for a small hire car. In some towns the streets in the centre are quite narrow. Once you’ve arrived at your destination then you can also get around by boat. There are regular boat services to and from Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento, Capri and Ischia.
It’s a good idea to stay in 2 Amalfi Coast hotels as there’s so much to see in the area. Both Amalfi and Sorrento make great bases and we recommend Convento di Amalfi and the Grand Hotel La Favorita in Sorrento.
As you can see, the Amalfi Coast has some spectacular scenery and beautiful towns to explore. It’s an area that you’ll want to return to time after time for a taste of la dolce vita.
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In association with Classic Collection Holidays
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