life on the amalfi
your guide to visiting one of Italy's biggest treasures
The Amalfi Coast is the opposite of Napoli. Where Amalfi is grandiose and expansive, Napoli is smothering. Where Amalfi is lush and green, Napoli is intoxicating. Where Amalfi is solitude, Napoli is crowded. Sometimes I feel like one more moped throttle will send me over the edge. Luckily, the Amalfi coast is only an hour away. What is so interesting about this place is how difficult it is to get there due to the topography. The Amalfi was a port city dating back to Ancient Roman times. In Amalfi there are little villages tucked into the hills, glittered with terraced gardens and terraced farms, as the locals take advantage of the excellent weather to grow lemons, tomatoes, eggplants, and much more! I learned that this terraced garden structure dates back to medieval times.
The rugged stone buildings and bridges hug the coast and blend in with nature’s surroundings. The wide open sea makes you feel adventurous and insignificant all at the same time. The water is also really salty! You can swim and float very easily. Living along the Amalfi must have it’s ups and downs - literally. There are thousands of grueling steps to get from point A to point B. You’ll see dads walking home with their Sunday pastries and grocery items, hiking up the hundreds of steps to their perched homes.
Sorrento and Salerno make good starting places for exploring the areas - there are tons of ferries from these cities that take you into the more remote areas of the coast. As you can tell from the map, the mountains lead right up to the cliffs of the water, making for gorgeous views but also making it tricky to get here and get around.
Another challenge in Amalfi is that there are not many public, free, beaches. I did now know about this! I thought most beaches in Italy were public beaches were anyone could swim. However, along the Amalfi coast you have a lot of “lidos” (beach clubs), where you pay to rent an umbrella and chairs, and they usually have access to bathrooms, changing stations, and cafes. As a tourist it’s very convenient, you don’t need to shlep your beach gear, however they do drive a hard bargain if you haven’t reserved a spot in advance (meaning you might have to bribe them with cash). Reserve your spot in advance to avoid a hassle.
How to get to Amalfi:
By train to Sorrento - From Napoli, you can take the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Warning, on weekends and during rush hour this train is very crowded and very hot. There is even a hysterical facebook group and book written about the “unresolved mysteries” of the Circumvesuviana. However, it does get you to Sorrento from Napoli for a very cheap price and about 1.5 hours.
By car - you can drive along the little, one-lane road from Sorrento all the way to Salerno. I wouldn’t recommend doing this in the summer months due to traffic and parking, however it is indeed possible, if you are courageous and feel confident in those tiny roads bending along the cliffs! We took this cooking class in a village up in the mountains over the summer. It was easy to drive to because you don’t descend into the towns along the ocean. However, you still get the beauty of the terraced summer gardens lush with fresh produce.
By moped - this seems like the way to go! Have a tour guide moped you to all the cute little towns along the coast. I haven’t done this, but I think it looks fun. You can rent mopeds in Sorrento and many other towns along the coast.
By boat - this is the most luxurious way to get to the Amalfi. There are tons of private ferry companies that offer direct routes to the tiny villages (download the app Direct Ferries to compare time tables and pricing). Are they on time? Probably not. But the wind is at your back and the views from the sea are incredible. There are also tons of private boat charters, usually very expensive ones, that will take you around for the day. This is useful if you only have a day and want to see a lot! Especially if you want to visit Capri and a few other towns, this is the fastest way to see it all!
By dinghy - We rented a dinghy from Salerno last weekend, and used the cost saving tip of “being our own skipper”. Despite the rough seas, wow, this was a breathtaking way to see the Amalfi without any other boats (due to the roughness of the sea) or tourists. I felt like we had the place to ourselves. It is also such a different experience to see the coast from the sea. Here is a link to the Noleggio website.
By foot through the coast - this is the cheapest way to see Amalfi and the most exquisite. Hard work reaps big rewards! So far I’ve done four different trails along the coast. You can park in Bomerano, in the hills, and then hike down along the Path of the Gods. We also hiked from Maiori to Minori and back again along the much more tame Sentiero dei Limoni, or Lemon trail! Finally, we hiked up to the beautiful town of Ravello. One hour of stairs ain’t nothing! It’s amazing to think about people who walk up these stairs everyday. Their hearts must be in super good shape. You will pass donkeys, people selling homemade lemonade from the tons of lemons that adorn the trail, smell jasmine and lavender and pass tons of animals. Donkeys provide a great way for tourists to have their luggage transported if their hotel is up in the foothills. Be sure to pack lots of water, because even in October it was hot!
In sum, I recommend coming to the Amalfi in late September through October, and possibly May, leaving no trace, and respecting the locals :) Amalfi definitely suffers from overtourism, with multiple cruise ships entering Sorrento and Napoli daily. They will charge you double or even triple the price of Napoli because they have a shorter season. Try to reserve things in advance (especially beach clubs, that’s a necessity) and embrace the good life. Bring hiking shoes to hit the trails. Eat lemon pasta. Ride on the back of a Vespa. Pretend you are Sophia Loren.