March 26, 2003
The Amalfi Coast, a ribbon of a coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in Italy is a popular tourist destination, which attracts thousands of visitors annually. It is indeed a beautiful region, with verdant lemon groves on steep hills, breathtaking vistas if you are in the right spots, whitewashed villas with colorful accents, and a dark blue sea; heck, it will captivate even ye basic professional curmudgeon. In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape.
Because of the relatively steep southern shore of the peninsula there is little space for towns, rural and agricultural activities.The only land route in the Amalfi Coast proper is the 40 kilometres (25 mi) long curvy Strada Statale 163 which runs along the coastline from the town of Vietri sul Mare in the east to Positano in the west, which is rather hairy to negotiate because many Italians believe this stretch of the road is part of the Italian Grand Prix. Traffic is here so heavy that in the summer local cars may only drive on this stretch of the road on alternate days of the week, even-numbered license plates one day, odd-numbered plates the next day. Buses, as well as tourist cars, are exempt from this system.
left: Map of the Amalfi Coast (courtesy GraphicMaps.com)
The Amalfi Coast starts at Sorrento and runs along the Gulf of Salerno to Salerno. The area is mountainous, so the villages are on the coast on the steep flanks of the mountains.
The area is named after the town of Amalfi, which used to be a maritime superpower from the 9th to the 12th century. But those days are long gone by and because the isolated villages in this stretch of land were regular victims of foreign incursions, earthquakes and landslides, they were poor.
But because of this isolation visitors started coming here in the early 1900’s to enjoy the superb scenery in blissful solitude. Of course the word got around and nowadays the Amalfi Coast is one of Italy’s top tourist destinations, although you must be somewhat of a masochist to visit this area in the summer. The roads are clogged; so are the hotels, even with their inflated prices. The best time to visit this area is in the spring or autumn. Winter can be nice, because the tourists are gone and things are quiet, but then everything else is also shut down. You may have a hard time finding a place to get some shelter and decent food, which is very uncomfortable in the cold drizzly rain.
The first thing well-wishing friends and acquaintances advise you when make the mistake of telling them that you plan to go to the Amalfi Coast is NOT to drive. The coastal road is narrow and curved and the posted speed limits do not apply to the regular Italian driver. I remember that I was driving on a straight stretch of road (does not happen very often) on a section of the Amalfi Coast, where the posted speed limit was 50 kms/hr. We were driving at 95 kms/hr and there were still cars overtaking us on this narrow road, with the drivers probably cursing us under their breath for driving so slow and impeding traffic flow.
right: The winding Strada Statale 163 road hugging the coastline of he Amalfi Coast. High mountains on the right; deep drops on the right.
There are buses and ferries along the Amalfi Coast. The bus drivers are experienced and very good. And that is what everybody advises you to do. Take the bus, leave the driving to the experienced drivers, and enjoy the scenery. Hold tight when you see the 500-feet drops right a few feet away from the bus.
And if the view from the water is what you desire, there are possibilities for boat excursions from Positano and Amalfi. But then, nothing beats the convenience of your own rental car, with which you can stop anywhere, anytime you want to hopefully immortalize that evanescent scene which will bring fame and glory to you in all eternity.
What is the Amalfi Coast exactly? To describe the Amalfi Coast succinctly, I don’t think I cannot do much better than quote from Rick Steves.
“Naples Bay rounds out any trip to Italy with an antipasto misto of travel thrills. Serene Sorrento, an hour south of Naples' urban intensity, is a great home base and the gateway to the much-drooled-over Amalfi Coast. From the jet-setting island of Capri to the stunning Amalfi towns, from ancient Pompeii to even more ancient Paestum, this is Italy's coast with the most. Naples is Italy in the extreme — its best (birthplace of pizza and Sophia Loren) and its worst (home of the Camorra, Naples' "family" of organized crime).
On a quick trip, give the entire area — including Sorrento and Naples — a minimum of three days. With Sorrento as your sunny springboard, spend a day in Naples, a day exploring the Amalfi Coast, and a day split between Pompeii and the town of Sorrento. While Paestum (Greek temples), Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum (an ancient Roman site like Pompeii), and the island of Capri are decent options, they are worthwhile only if you give the area more time.”
