Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

The Amalfi Coast is a fifty-kilometre stretch of the Sorrento peninsula's southern shore where mountains drop straight into the sea and towns cling to every ledge. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, and its three most famous towns each deserve a visit. Positano is the postcard: a vertical cascade of pastel houses stacked from the beach of the Spiaggia Grande up the ravine, crowned by the majolica dome of Santa Maria Assunta, with steep lanes of linen boutiques, sandal-makers and lemon-everything. Amalfi, twenty minutes along the coast, was once the capital of a powerful maritime republic that rivalled Venice and Genoa; its cathedral of Sant'Andrea sits at the top of a grand flight of steps with a striped Arab-Norman façade and bronze doors cast in Constantinople, and its Cloister of Paradise is a quiet arcaded courtyard. Behind the town, the Valle dei Mulini recalls the paper mills that made Amalfi famous for handmade paper, still produced here. Ravello, a winding drive above Amalfi, is the coast's aristocratic retreat: at Villa Rufolo, terraced gardens and a Moorish tower frame the view that inspired Wagner, and the summer Ravello Festival stages concerts on a platform over the sea; at Villa Cimbrone, a long avenue leads to the Terrace of Infinity, a balustrade lined with marble busts hanging above the Gulf of Salerno, one of the most famous viewpoints in Italy. Between them runs the Amalfi Drive, the SS163, a spectacular cliff road of hairpins and blind bends, best left to bus drivers and professionals.

Getting around is the main challenge. From April to October, ferries link Salerno, Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento (and Capri), and travelling by sea is the most relaxing way to hop between towns while seeing the coast from its best angle. Outside that season, roughly November to March, there are no Amalfi Coast ferries, and the SITA buses along the coast road become the main public transport, linking Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello year-round. Buses are cheap but crowded in summer; buy tickets before boarding. Driving yourself is possible but stressful, with scarce, expensive parking and traffic restrictions in peak periods. The simplest solution from Naples is a guided day trip, such as the Tiqets Positano, Amalfi and Ravello day trip with roundtrip transport and a local guide, which uses a speedboat between Positano and Amalfi in summer and the bus in winter.

Seasonality matters more here than anywhere else in the region. From late spring to early autumn the coast is glorious but busy, and Positano's lanes can be shoulder to shoulder at midday. In November and through the winter, many hotels, beach clubs and restaurants close, ferries stop and the mood turns quiet and local; Amalfi and Ravello stay alive year-round, while Positano becomes very sleepy. Winter visits reward travellers who want the scenery without the crowds, but need planning around bus timetables and early dusk. Christmas lights and nativity scenes bring a gentle festive season to Amalfi and the other towns.

A good day in season: an early boat or bus to Positano for a walk down to the beach before the crowds, a ferry to Amalfi for the cathedral and lunch, and the bus up to Ravello for the gardens in the late-afternoon light, returning to Amalfi for the evening. Those based on the coast can add the Path of the Gods above Positano, a boat trip to the Emerald Grotto near Conca dei Marini, or simply a long lunch at a beach restaurant. Wear comfortable shoes: these towns are built on steps.