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From Fishing Villages to Palatial Villas
The Amalfi Coast is justifiably famous for its good looks, charming ways, and relaxed demeanor. Its appeal does not wane but grows more robust with repeated visits. There is more to learn and experience —about the hundreds of varieties of lemons, about the staircase to Nocelle, about buying custom-made sandals in an hour.
Lying south of Naples, the Amalfi Coast comprises the southern flank of the Sorrento Peninsula, looking out on the Bay of Salerno. Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls, in their book Bay of Naples & Southern Italy (Cadogan Press), begin this way: “When confronted with something generally acclaimed to be the most beautiful stretch of scenery in the entire Mediterranean, the honest writer is at a loss. Few who have been there would argue the point, but describing it properly is another matter.”
The truth of their statement still stands. The fierce beauty and drama of this landscape are a magnet for travelers seeking the extraordinary. This same landscape, with no room for development and no possibility of an enlarged road, protects the Coast from hopeless exploitation and keeps it real for those of us fortunate to visit or to live here.
It is hard to believe—given the chic boutiques, Michelin-starred dining, and gleaming yachts—that this coastline has only become well known in the last 50 years. Sorrento became a popular resort in the 1700s and opened its first hotel in 1798, but strictly speaking, Sorrento is on the northern coast, part of the Bay of Naples.
The southern coast was, until less than a hundred years ago, only accessible by boat, with the villages tucked into coves between the jutting cliff faces alongside the pebbled shore. These simple, isolated fishing villages became an attraction for artists, writers, and adventurous travelers. The famous followed suit: Liza Minelli and Elizabeth Taylor visited as guests at Franco Zeffirelli’s villa; Gore Vidal decided to settle here; Giorgio Armani arrives by helicopter to dine.
For aficionados, the best way to see the Coast is still by boat. Hydrofoils serve as public transportation, linking various points of interest with fast, efficient service year-round. From Positano, perhaps the most important and chic town for tourists, you can rent a boat at the Spiaggia Grande, or main beach. Choose between simple rubber rafts you pilot yourself, modern powerboats, or the elegant, classic “Riva,” with its sleek wood hull and shallow profile. Skippers are available should you prefer.
The pebble beaches along the coast are all public, but most are accessible only by water. With a boat you can find a deserted cove for secluded swimming or sunning, or reach the various coastal villages for sightseeing, shopping, and dining without having to tangle with the traffic.
For some, however, the only way to approach the famed Amalfi Coast is from the equally famous Amalfi Drive, the road of “a thousand bends.” Any driver worth his or her gloves would prefer a roadster with the top down, but the road must accommodate all vehicles and in season is inhabited by fearless tour-bus drivers.
Fortunately, you do not have to drive yourself. Cordial, English-speaking drivers with well-tended Mercedes Benz automobiles are available for excursions all along the coast and ensure the day is relaxing for everyone.
The road was constructed in the early 1900s and was the catalyst for much of the tourism development still active today. And yet there are villages beyond the reach of the buses where local Neapolitan culture, transplanted to the beach, can still be discovered.
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