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Amalfi: Italy's Coast With The Most
Italy’s Amalfi Coast, running from about the cliffside and song-celebrated Sorrento to ruins-filled Paestum, is best known for stunning scenery, historic buildings and brilliant beaches. In the summer, it’s expensive and crowded, not only with locals, but with romance-minded couples from all over the world, perhaps humming that famous "Come Back to Sorrento" song.
If you read the guidebooks, the majority of the attractions along the coast involve mostly private beaches and ancient buildings, so it’s never going to be Number 1 on the wish-list for family travelers. But, it should not be ruled out as an attractive place where you might want to spend a few days.
Visitors on aimless strolls find narrow alleys and always interesting churches. Views of the bay reveal small boats tucked into sandy coves in the shadow of rocky cliffs that erosion has contorted into strange shapes. It’s not just one of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy, but also in all of Europe.
Getting the Most from Amalfi
The main tourist season runs from April to mid-October, which is probably when you don’t want to go because it’s not only at its most expensive, it’s also crowded. The low season, from fall to early spring, is cooler and rainier, and Italian schoolchildren often crowd the beaches from March to May. August is also crowded, but you should consider late May and early June, as well as September. As always, experts will tell you the “shoulder season” is the most economical.
Something to consider about visiting the fabled Amalfi Coast is transportation. You probably don’t want to drive because the twisting roads are scary. But you can easily get around by train or bus or even ferryboat, though the latter service is sometimes only available during the tourist season.
The Amalfi Coast itself is named for the town of Amalfi, which has become the best known of the region’s cities. Parents can impress the children by noting that the towering statue of Flavio Giola is a tribute to the hometown boy who invented the magnetic compass back in 1832. Amalfi itself is sometimes derided as a tourist trap (there are a lot of trendy shops), but the best family site to visit is the Duomo, a cathedral built in 937 with Moorish influences. Next to the cathedral is the Paradise Cloister, built in the 1200s as a burial ground for the city’s elite.
There’s also a paper museum worth seeing. Amalfi is known for producing hand-made paper called bambagina, used throughout Italy and the world. An even better family activity are the well-marked hiking trails that remain rustic enough to make visitors forget how increasingly Americanized Amalfi is getting to be, to the point where it has acquired the nickname “Italy’s Rodeo Drive.”
Lodging & Dining in Amalfi
Avoiding summer travel is probably a good idea. Restaurant prices probably won’t change much, but off-season is when you’ll have the best chance to get a room for US$100 or so. Families will find there are reasonable places to stay overnight and to eat, particularly, of course, if you miss the main tourist season.
Hotel La Bussola Amalfi has a rooftop garden and a good restaurant in a direct seaside location. All rooms are air-conditioned. Perhaps because it’s not really in Amalfi, rates are reasonable at the Villa Felice Relais which is a former country home set high above the city overlooking the sea. Another more deluxe option is Hotel Raito, a half-century-old villa that's been done up with designer linens and contemporary decor. Up above the coast between Naples and Salerno at Vietri sul Mare, many of the 77 guest rooms and suites offer balconies and terraces with stunning views of the Bay of Salerno.
It’s very difficult to eat cheaply here, but for more than 150 years, Da Gemma has printed its daily-changing menu on local paper. There’s oven-baked fish with lemon peel and capers, mussels and prawns.
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