Destination No. 08 — Campania, Italy
Amalfi Coast
A road hung on the rock, and terraces full of lemons.
The Amalfi Coast is steep, narrow and busy in summer — and still one of the coasts people return to. The reason is vertical: villages built above one another, stairs instead of streets, gardens working their way down to the water in terraces.
Ravello sits high and cool above it all and is silent at night; Positano is stage and movement; Amalfi itself is the everyday in between. The sensible journey picks one address and travels by boat rather than by car.
Why we like this place
Three reasons
01
Because the paths above the coast — the Sentiero degli Dei above all — show the region from overhead.
02
Because the lemons really do shape everything: the cooking, the gardens, the air after rain.
03
Because a day on the water towards Capri or Li Galli gives you the view back at the coast.
For planning
- Best time to visit
- May, June and late September to October
- May is green and mild, October warm and calm. July and August bring heat and full roads; many houses close from November to March.
- Suggested length
- Four to five nights
- Four nights at one address allow two days on the water, one walk and a day in Pompeii or Naples.
When is the Amalfi Coast most rewarding?
Mid-May to mid-June and September. The sea is warm enough, the coast road still drivable, the restaurants open. In July and August the traffic stands still and Positano to Ravello can take an hour. If you travel in high summer, plan boats instead of cars and dinner after nine.
Noted by Pure Voyage
Pure Voyage Atlas
Where this leads
The Atlas connects what belongs together: the region, the collections, the right season and the houses that sit within the same story.
Within These Collections
When to Go
The Region
Where we stay
Addresses in this region
On this coast we recommend houses in Ravello and Positano; which suits depends on whether you want stillness or movement.
Continue through Pure Voyage
Where to go from here
Not a catalogue, but a next step: the houses, routes, countries and essays we would mention at this point in a conversation.
Hotels
Addresses that belong beside this page.
Journeys
Routes that open up this region.
Recommendations
What we suggest for this occasion.
Journal
Further reading before you decide.
An Invitation
Once a month: hotels, new openings and travel ideas
One hotel that convinced us, with our advice on suite and season. The openings that actually matter. And a destination at its best right now. No offers, no advertising.