Italy’s Amalfi Coast has long been a top tourist haven, and for good reason. This small section of southwest Italian coastline has attracted vacationers for millennia. Indeed, the island of Capri was a notable resort location even during the Roman Republic. Numerous emperors, governors, and important senators had estates there. Tiberius even moved permanently to Capri and ran the empire from his villas until his death more than a decade later.
The island of Capri and the famous Blue Grotto make an excellent starting point for a thorough investigation of the region. Popular trips with limited time usually start in the city of Naples, from which visitors can take a hydrofoil directly to Capri. After a few days on Capri, a shorter ferry can take you directly to the mainland, to the quaint town of Sorrento. I absolutely fell in love with this town when I visited as a teenager. Rome was too large, Naples was smaller but still a bit too large, Capri was too small and isolated because of its island nature, but Sorrento was just right. A quiet place on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sorrento is replete with dramatic sea cliffs, luxurious hotels, and innumerable varieties of Limoncello. If you are prone to wandering, you can also find fantastic little isolated hole-in-the-wall eateries where you will have the best food you’ve ever had in your entire life.
Mid-way between Naples and Sorrento are the famous ruins of Herculaneum, Pompeii, and the impressive Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD the volcano had a catastrophic eruption, and these neighboring areas were destroyed and completely buried in over 60 feet of ash. The entire process took only 2 days. The towns remained untouched and completely buried until their accidental discovery in the 1700s. Because of the rapid and complete ash burial, the entire site is remarkably well preserved. Pompeii offer the visitor a snapshot into what life might have been like in a Roman coastal town at the height of Rome’s grandeur. I remember that the colors on the wall mosaics were still very vivid. The town merely seems 100-200 years old, not the 2000 years old that it actually is. Yet the plaster casts of victims fleeing the town, who were trapped and engulfed in ash and flame, are sobering reminders of the human tragedy that occurred. Pompeii had a population of 20,000 at the time, and Herculaneum had nearly 4000. With little warning, and little chance of escape, many people lost their lives in the ensuing disaster.
The coastline itself is another highlight of the Amalfi Coast. The tiny, winding roads are frequented by absurdly large coach busses. The drivers seem to know every centimeter of the road, and they take advantage of this fact, piloting their vehicles at high speed with centimeters to spare on either side. During my first visit to the Amalfi Coast, I became quite impressed with both their finely honed driving skills and their obvious lack of fear. The jagged cliffs drop hundreds of feet to the sea, but they were not bothered in the slightest. Thankfully, as a tourist you are too often blown away by the scenery to stop and think about the ramifications if the driver strays one meter to the right.
From the coast, many
Italy tours will send you via bus to points north, most likely Rome. You can see the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, explore the Colosseum in the city center, and walk the numerous piazzas. You will have just experienced the quintessential trip to southern Italy, and seen the sunny coastline in all its glory. Chances are, you will be back for more.
George likes to travel. Generally, the more exotic, the better, but George is equally comfortable sampling fine wines in the Piedmont of Italy and hiking 25 miles a day in the Western Saharan sun.
Travel Guides, Tours, & Tour Reviews!
