Amalfi Coast: life on the edge

It is a coastline of superlatives, this glorious, glittering, glamorous bit of land running south from Naples. There’s sparkling Mediterranean on the right, complete with hidden coves, bays and beaches; and mountains to the left, festooned with lemon groves and terraces, and piled high with colourful towns, tiny villages and the occasional grand villa, all of which look as if they are hanging on for dear life, so steep is the incline.

The Amalfi coastline is so distinctive that it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape since 1997, but for centuries before, it was a magnet for writers, artists and musicians. It boasts some of the most luxurious hotels in Italy, a host of the prettiest towns and three of the most important archaeological sites: Herculaneum, Paestum and, of course, Pompeii. While the weather is at its hottest in July and August (that is also when the coast is most popular) it is still a stunning destination during the months of May, June and September when the sun is high, the sea is warm and the queues at major tourist sites are not as long.

There are two unforgettable ways to approach the main attractions of the coast, namely Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Sorrento and Maiori. Those of a gentle disposition will take the hydrofoil from Naples, which takes a mere 40 minutes and allows you to enjoy the view that unfolds before your eyes like a film set. The daring (or some might say the foolhardy) will take the road — 50 kilometres of twists and turns, surprises and the occasional alarm as the hairpin bends and the vertical drops assault the senses and the nerves.

It’s known as ‘the road of one thousand bends,’ although there are those who insist that there are many more. Avoid driving in the high season, when the coaches and charabancs are out in force, unless you start very early in the morning or conclude at sunset when the rose gold of the setting sun washes the whole coastline in a magic shade. Whatever time you choose to visit, you will experience one of the most unforgettable drives anywhere and see some of the most beautiful villages and vistas.

RAVELLO
Writer Gore Vidal, who lived in Ravello for many years, claimed that the view down to the coast from the gardens of the Villa Rufolo was the most beautiful in the world. Indeed, it was those same gardens that were the inspiration for German composer Wagner’s opera Parsifal, a century before.

In fact, Ravello is possibly the grandest of all the small towns, with its elegant villas, beautiful gardens and annual music festival. Stay at the uber-luxe Belmond Hotel Caruso, whose infinity pool allows some the most breathtaking views across the Sorrento peninsula. The hotel, which was once an 11th-century palace, has counted the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev and Franco Zeffirelli among its guests over the years.

Jackie and her sister Lee Radziwill were frequent visitors to the town when Gore Vidal lived there, and a couple of decades before them so was Greta Garbo, who hung out at the Villa Cimbrone during her lengthy dalliance with conductor, Leopold Stokowski. Villas Rufolo and Cimbrone have also welcomed writers like D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf as well as artists such as Miró, Picasso and Turner. In fact Turner’s sketches of Ravello now hang in Tate Britain in London.

As well as the gardens and the views, visitors should take time to see Ravello’s 11th-century Duomo and the ultra-modern New Energy Auditorium, Oscar Niemeyer’s futuristic glass and concrete structure that mimics the waves below, and where the many music events take place. It has a pretty cool bar, too.

AMALFI & POSITANO
Amalfi itself is larger and livelier with its great square, street market and plethora of cafés and restaurants. It also has its own magnificently restored Duomo; this one dates back to the 9th century and is dedicated to St. Andrew, whose remains are rumoured to be in the crypt.

For the most dedicated of beach bunnies, picturesque coastline awaits, studded with pale sandy beaches and state-of-the-art harbours, where many of the most luxurious yachts in the Mediterranean — belonging to the likes of Roberto Cavalli, Roman Abramovich and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen — are moored for a while alongside other, smaller pleasure craft.

The towns of Minori and Maiori both have great beach scenes, fantastic fish markets and restaurants, and are particularly popular with Italian families, while Positano is without doubt the sexiest town along the coast. Once a tiny fishing village, now the first stop for the glitterati who come to the coast for sun, fun and shopping. Stay at Le Sirenuse, a family owned property where John Steinbeck came to write and where romance blossomed for the lead characters in the movie, Only You, played
by Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr.

SET SAIL

Glorious though it is to tour the coastline by land, it is worth also seeing its awesome heights, manicured terraces and brightly painted towns from the sea. Boats with skippers can be hired all along the coast, and it does truly make a great day excursion. Not only will you discover tiny beaches, hidden caves and coves, but you’ll also be able to visit tiny islets like Li Galli (‘The Cockerels’). Close to these is where Ulysses was said to have put wax in his ears to prevent him hearing the songs of the Sirens, while on Gallo Lungo, one of the larger islands, Rudolf Nureyev had a house for many years.

If looking for something more adventurous, take the ferry across to Capri from Positano or Salerno and spend a day exploring this jewel of the Mediterranean. On arrival, leave the port and head for the heights where you will have some of the best views of the Bay of Naples and discover hidden alleyways, tiny churches and the most chic boutiques on the Med.

Stop in at Canfora on via Camerelle, the most famous shop on the island where everybody from Jackie O to Carla Bruni have bought sandals. Head on up to Anacapri, to the heights and delights of the Villa Jovis from which the emperor Tiberius, sated with his orgies, would fling those who bored him off the rocks into the sea. Thankfully these days, all is calm.

Villa San Michele is also worth a visit. Built up high
on the site of one of Tiberius’ villas by Swedish physician, Axel Munthe, it features some glorious gardens. If the walk is too strenuous, fear not — there is a chairlift you can take right to the island’s peak, Monte Solaro. If you have time, head back down to the sea and hire a little
boat and a rower to take you to the Blue Grotto. Dark navy as you enter, the cave becomes the most brilliant blue when the sun shines through.

SORRENTO
And then there is Sorrento — queen of all it surveys, high on a peninsula with commanding views across the Bay of Naples and Capri. It’s another gorgeous little town with a gentle scent of limoncello everywhere; they make the fruity liquor here and no meal is complete without a

glass to savour. And while limoncello might be the spirit of the town, the voice is that of Enrico Caruso, who was born there and whose songs can be heard in every corner — in restaurants, homes and cafes.

Stay at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, a Belle Époque masterpiece with the best views of Naples, Capri, and the mountains from its terrace. It is here where everyone from Sophia Loren to Winston Churchill to Princess Margaret and of course Caruso himself have based themselves when in the area.

Best of all best, Sorrento is the gateway to what everyone needs to see of the Amalfi coast; it is just a few kilometres to Amalfi, Ravello and Positano, and a mere 13 by sea, to Capri, while Pompeii and Herculaneum are a short train ride away. To visit these historical sites, the train is best option since it means no parking problems and a frequent service.

And while there are any number of guided tours around the ancient sites, my advice would be to buy a good guide book (before you leave home) study it and do your own tour. That way you will see everything you want to rather than wherever the hackneyed guided tour takes you. Of course, you will see much of what they show because you have to see the baths, the amphitheatre, the forum, the bakers and the naughty frescos, but you do it in your own time and at your own pace. However, there is so much to see that you won’t want to rush it, for it is unbelievable that this entire city was destroyed by an eruption and then was hidden for almost 1,700 years. Little wonder parts of it are so beautifully preserved.

If you have time (and energy), there is always Mount Vesuvius to climb. It’s not difficult, and if you start early in the day, you can be back in time to enjoy lunch and a well-deserved glass of Lacryma Christi, the delicious wine made from the vines grown on the volcanic slopes. Enthralling and beautiful though the Amalfi Coast is, there is far too much to see, absorb and enjoy in just one visit, which is why it constantly seduces visitors to return again and again.