Map: Getting Around the Amalfi Coast
Map: Amalfi Coast & Paestum Area
With its stunning scenery, hill- and harbor-hugging towns, and historic ruins, Amalfi is Italy’s coast with the most. The bus trip from Sorrento to Salerno along the breathtaking Amalfi Coast is one of the world’s great bus rides. It will leave your mouth open and your camera’s memory card full. You’ll gain respect for the 19th-century Italian engineers who built the roads—and even more respect for the 21st-century bus drivers who drive it. Cantilevered garages, hotels, and villas cling to the vertical terrain, and beautiful sandy coves tease from far below and out of reach. As you hyperventilate, notice how the Mediterranean, a sheer 500-foot drop below, really twinkles. All this beautiful scenery apparently inspires local Romeos and Juliets, with the latex evidence of late-night romantic encounters littering the roadside turnouts. Over the centuries, the spectacular scenery and climate have been a siren call for the rich and famous, luring Roman emperor Tiberius, Richard Wagner, Sophia Loren, Gore Vidal, and others to the Amalfi Coast’s special brand of la dolce vita.
Amalfi Coast towns are pretty, but they’re generally touristy, congested, overpriced, and a long hike above tiny, pebbly beaches. (For that reason, many visitors prefer side-tripping in from Sorrento.) Most beaches here are private, and access is expensive. Check and understand your bills in this greedy region.
On a quick visit, use Sorrento (see previous chapter) as your home base and do the Amalfi Coast as a day trip. But for a small-town vacation from your vacation, spend a few more days on the coast, perhaps sleeping in Positano or Amalfi town.
Trying to decide between staying in Sorrento, Positano, or Amalfi? Sorrento is the largest of the three, with useful services and the best transportation connections and accommodations. Positano is the most chic and picturesque, with a decent beach, but it’s tiny and expensive. The town of Amalfi has the most actual sights and the best hiking opportunities, but lacks good-value places to stay.
The real thrill here is the scenic Amalfi drive. This is treacherous stuff—even if you have a car, you may want to take the bus or hire a taxi. Brave souls enjoy seeing the coast by scooter or motorbike (rent in Sorrento). The most logical springboard for this trip is Sorrento, but Positano and Amalfi work, too.
Below, I’ve outlined your options by bus, boat, and taxi. Many travelers do the Amalfi Coast as a round-trip by bus, but a good strategy is to go one way by bus and return by boat. For example, instead of busing from Sorrento to Salerno (end of the line) and back, consider taking the bus to Salerno, then catching the ferry back to Amalfi or Positano, and then, from either town, hopping another ferry to Sorrento. Perhaps the simplest option is to take the bus to Positano and boat from there back to Sorrento (or vice versa). Note that ferries run less often in spring and fall, and some don’t run at all off-season (mid-Oct-mid-April). Boats don’t run in stormy weather at any time of year.
Looking for exercise? Consider an Amalfi Coast hike (see “Hikes” on here). Numerous trails connect the main towns along the coast with villages on the hills. Get a good map and/or book before you venture out.
From Sorrento: SITA buses depart from Sorrento’s train station nearly hourly (in peak season, 20/day, marked Amalfi via Positano) and stop at all Amalfi Coast towns (Positano in 50 minutes; Amalfi in another 50 minutes). To reach Salerno (3 hours), at the far end of the coast, you have to transfer in Amalfi. Ticket prices vary with trip length (45-minute ride, good for short hops-€2.20; 1.5-hour ride, good from Sorrento to Positano-€3.40; 24-hour day pass, good to Amalfi and beyond-€6.80; 3-day ticket-€16). For most trips, you’ll want the 24-hour day pass.
In summer, buses start running as early as 6:30 and run as late as 22:00 (they stop running earlier off-season; check the schedule). Buy tickets at the tobacco shop or newsstand nearest any bus stop before boarding.
An info booth is across from the bus stop at the Sorrento train station (mid-April-Oct daily 8:30-13:30), but the newsstand at street level inside the station is more reliable (daily 7:00-13:30 & 14:30-20:00, also sells Circumvesuviana train tickets). If both are closed, try the appropriately named Snack Bar, upstairs in the station, or Bar Frisby, just down the hill.
Line up under the Bus Stop SITA sign (where a schedule is posted on the wall) across from the Sorrento train station (10 steps down). Carefully note the lettered codes that differentiate daily buses from weekend-only buses. Giornaliero means daily; Feriale denotes Monday-Saturday departures; and Festivo is for Sundays and holidays. Occasionally, after 19:30 and on Sundays (check the sign at the main bus stop), buses may leave from Via degli Aranci (with your back to the station, go left and wind around it; the bus stop is near Bar Paradise).
Leaving Sorrento, grab a seat on the right for the best views. If you return by bus, it’s fun to sit directly behind the driver for a box seat with a view over the twisting hairpin action. Sitting toward the front will also help minimize carsickness.
Avoiding Crowded Buses: Amalfi Coast buses are routinely unable to handle the demand during summer months and holidays. An extra bus is added sometimes to deal with the overflow. Generally, if you don’t get on one bus, you’re well-positioned to catch the next one (bring a book). Try to arrive early in the morning. Remember that buses start taking off as early as 6:30; beginning at 8:30, they leave about every 30 minutes. Departures between 9:00 and 11:00 are crowded and frustrating. Count the number of people in line: Buses pull into Sorrento empty and seat 48 (plus 25 standing). Remember that an eight-seater minibus and driver costs about €300 for the day—if you can organize a small group, €40 per person is a very good deal.
Returning to Sorrento: The congestion can be so bad in the summer—particularly July and August—that return buses don’t even stop in Positano (because they’ve been filled in Amalfi). Those trying to get back to Sorrento are stuck with taking an extortionist taxi or, if in Positano, hopping a boat...if one’s running. If touring the coast by bus, do Positano first and come home from Amalfi to avoid the problem of full buses.
Alternative Private Bus: From April through October, CitySightseeing Sorrento’s bright red buses travel between Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi (hourly departures), offering commentary along the way. This option is more expensive than the public bus (as much as €16 if you travel between all three towns), but it’s worth considering if the public buses are full (regardless of your destination, first trip is €8, and each subsequent trip is €4; buy tickets onboard, buses leave from Sorrento’s train station starting at 8:45 a.m., www.sorrento.city-sightseeing.it).
Several companies compete for passengers, and usually claim to know nothing about their rivals’ services. It’s wise to check posted schedules, pick up ferry schedules from the TI, and confirm times to figure out the best plan. Boats stop at Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Salerno, generally from mid-April through mid-October (pick up schedule at TI, buy ticket on dock). Few boats run off-season.
Given the hairy driving, impossible parking, congested buses, and potential fun, you might consider splurging to hire your own car and driver for the Amalfi day. (Don’t bother for Pompeii, as the Circumvesuviana train serves it conveniently and only licensed guides can take you into the site.)
The Monetti family car-and-driver service—Raffaele, brother-in-law Tony, and cousin Lorenzo—have long taken excellent care of my readers’ transit needs from Sorrento. Sample trips and rates: all-day Amalfi Coast (Positano, Amalfi, Ravello), eight hours, €280; Amalfi Coast and Paestum, 10 hours, €400; transfer to Naples airport or train station to Sorrento, €110 (these prices are for up to four people, more for a larger eight-seater van). Though Sorrento-based, they also do trips from Naples (more expensive). Payment is by cash only (as is the case with most of the car services listed). Their reservation system is simple and reliable (Raffaele’s mobile 335-602-9158 or 338-946-2860, “office” run by his English-speaking Finnish wife, Susanna, www.monettitaxi17.it, monettitaxi17@libero.it). Don’t just hop into any taxi claiming to be a Monetti—call first. If you get into any kind of a serious jam in the area, you can call Raffaele for help.
Francesco del Pizzo is another smooth and honest driver. A classy young man who speaks English well, Francesco enjoys explaining things as he drives (nine hours or so in a car with up to four passengers, €280; up to eight passengers in a minibus, €320; mobile 333-238-4144, francescodelpizzo@yahoo.it).
Umberto and Giovanni Benvenuto offer transport, narrated tours, and shore excursions throughout the Amalfi Coast, as well as to Rome, Naples, Pompeii, and more. They are based in Praiano (near Positano). While as friendly as the Monettis, they’re more upmarket and formal, with steeper rates explained on their website (tel. 081-007-2114, mobile 346-684-0226, US tel. 310-424-5640, www.benvenutolimos.com, info@benvenutolimos.com).
Sorrento Silver Star, with professional drivers and comfortable Mercedes cars and vans, offers custom trips throughout the area at prices between the Monettis’ and Benvenutos’ (tel. 081-877-1224, mobile 339-388-8143, www.sorrentosilverstar.com, luisa@sorrentosilverstar.com, Luisa).
Anthony Buonocore is based in Amalfi but does excursions and transfers anywhere in the region in his eight-person Mercedes van (rates vary depending on trip, tel. 349-441-0336, www.amalfitransfer.com, buonocoreanthony@yahoo.it).
Rides Only: If you’re hiring a cabbie off the street for a ride and not a tour, here are sample fares from Sorrento to Positano: up to four people one-way for about €80 in a car, or up to six people for €90 in a minibus. Figure on paying 50 percent more to Amalfi. While taxis must use a meter within a city, a fixed rate is OK otherwise. Negotiate—ask about a round-trip.
While hiring your own driver is convenient, it’s also expensive. To bring the cost down, split the trip—and the bill—with other travelers using this book. Naples-based Mondo Tours offers an all-day, nine-hour, lightly guided minibus trip that departs from Sorrento and heads down the Amalfi Coast, with stops in Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, before returning to Sorrento (€50/person). They also offer Rick Steves readers shared tours in Pompeii and in Naples. For details, see here.
The bus trip from Sorrento to Salerno is one of the all-time great white-knuckle rides. Gasp from the right side of the bus as you go out and from the left as you return to Sorrento. (Those on the wrong side really miss out.) Traffic is so heavy that private tour buses are only allowed to go in one direction (southbound from Sorrento)—summer traffic is infuriating. Fluorescent-vested policemen are posted at tough bends during peak hours to help fold in side-view mirrors and keep things moving.
Here’s a loosely self-guided tour of what you’re seeing, from west to east (note that many of these towns are described in greater detail later in this chapter):
Leaving Sorrento, the road winds up into the hills past lemon groves and hidden houses. Traveling the coast, you’ll see several watchtowers placed within sight of each other, so that a relay of rooftop bonfires could spread word of a Saracen (Turkish pirate) attack. The gray-green trees are olives. Dark, green-leafed trees planted in dense groves are the source of the region’s lemons—many destined to become limoncello liqueur. The black nets over the orange and lemon groves create a greenhouse effect, trapping warmth and humidity for maximum tastiness, while offering protection from extreme weather (preserving the peels used for limoncello).
Atop the ridge outside of Sorrento, look to your right: The two small islands after Sorrento are the Li Galli Islands; the bigger one, on the left, is Ulysses Island (see here for the ancient connection). These islands, once owned by the famed ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, mark the boundary between the Bay of Naples and the Bay of Salerno. Technically, the Amalfi Coast drive begins here.
The limestone cliffs that plunge into the sea were traversed by an ancient trail that became a modern road in the mid-19th century. Fruit stands sell produce from farms and orchards just over the hill. Limestone absorbs the heat and rainwater, making this south-facing coastline a fertile suntrap, with temperatures as much as 10 degrees higher than in nearby Sorrento. Bougainvillea and geraniums grow like weeds here in the summer. Notice the nets—they’re designed to catch rocks that often tumble loose after absorbing heavy rains.
As you approach the exotic-looking town of Positano, you know you’ve reached the scenic heart of the Amalfi Coast. Views of Positano, the main stop along the coast, are dramatic on either side of town. Just south of Positano, St. Peter’s Hotel (Il San Pietro di Positano, camouflaged below the tiny St. Peter’s church) is just about the most posh stop on the coast. Notice the elevator to the beach and dock. Praiano is notable for its cathedral, with the characteristic majolica-tiled roof and dome—a reminder of this region’s respected ceramics industry. It’s a spindly town, with most of its homes accessible only by tiny footpaths and staircases. Just past the tunnel stands another Saracen watchtower.
Marina di Praiano is a tiny and unique fishing hamlet wedged into a tight ravine with a couple of restaurants and some small hotels.
The next Saracen tower guarded the harbor of the Amalfi navy until the fleet was destroyed in 1343 by a tsunami caused by an earthquake.
The most striking stretch of coastline ends at Amalfi and Atrani. As you leave Amalfi, look up to the left. The white house that clings to a cliff (Villa Rondinaia) was home for many years to the writer Gore Vidal. Atop the cliff is the town of Ravello. From here, the western half of the Amalfi Coast is mostly wild and unpopulated until you hit Salerno, and, farther south, the striking Greek temples at Paestum.
According to legend, the Greek god Poseidon created Positano for Pasitea, a nymph he lusted after. History says the town was founded when ancient Greeks at Paestum decided to move out of the swamp (to escape the malaria carried by its mosquitoes). Specializing in scenery and sand, Positano hangs halfway between Sorrento and Amalfi town on the most spectacular stretch of the coast.
In antiquity, Positano was famed for its bold sailors and hearty fleet. But after a big 1343 tsunami and the pirate raids of the Middle Ages, its wealth and power declined. It flourished again as a favorite under the Bourbon royal family in the 1700s, when many of its fine mansions were built. Until the late 1800s, the only access was by donkey path or by sea. In the 20th century, Positano became a haven for artists and writers escaping Communist Russia or Nazi Germany. In 1953, American writer John Steinbeck’s essay on the town popularized Positano among tourists, and soon after it became a trendy Riviera stop. That was when the town gave the world “Moda Positano”—a leisurely dolce vita lifestyle of walking barefoot; wearing bright, happy, colorful clothes; and sporting skimpy bikinis.
Today, the village, a breathtaking sight from a distance, is a pleasant gathering of cafés and expensive stores, with a good but pebbly beach. Positano is famous for its fashions—90 percent of its shops are women’s clothing boutiques.
The “skyline” looks like it did a century ago. Notice the town’s characteristic Saracen-inspired rooftop domes. Filled with sand, these provide low-tech insulation—to help buildings in the days before air-conditioning stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Traditionally, they were painted white in summer and black in winter.
It’s been practically impossible to get a building permit in Positano for over 25 years now, and landowners who want to renovate can’t make external changes. The steep stairs are a way of life for the 4,000 hardy locals. Only one street in Positano allows motorized traffic; the rest are steep pedestrian lanes. Because hotels don’t take large groups (bus access is too difficult), this town—unlike Sorrento—has been spared the ravages of big-bus tourism.
Consider seeing Positano as a day trip from Sorrento: Take the bus out and the afternoon ferry home, but be sure to check the boat schedules when you arrive—the last ferry often leaves before 18:00, and doesn’t always run in spring and fall. Or spend the night to enjoy the magic of Positano. The town has a local flavor at night, when the grown-ups stroll and the kids play soccer on the church porch.
Squished into a ravine, with narrow alleys that cascade down to the harbor, Positano requires you to stroll, whether you’re going up or heading down. The center of town has no main square (unless you count the beach). There’s little to do here but eat, window-shop, and enjoy the beach and views...hence the town’s popularity.
The TI is a block from the beach, in the red building a half-block beyond the bottom of the church steps (April-Sept Mon-Sat 8:30-19:00, Sun 9:00-14:00; Oct-March Mon-Sat 9:00-16:30, closed Sun; Via Trara Genoino, tel. 089-875-067, www.aziendaturismopositano.it).
The main coast highway winds above the town. Regional SITA buses (often red or green-and-white) stop at two scheduled bus stops located at either end of town: Chiesa Nuova (at Bar Internazionale, near the Sorrento end of town; use this one only if you’re staying at Brikette Hostel) and Sponda (nearer Amalfi town). Although both stops are near roads leading downhill through the town to the beach, Sponda is closer and less steep; from this stop, it’s a 20-minute downhill stroll/shop/munch to the beach (and TI).
Neither bus stop has baggage storage, which makes it hard to visit Positano on the way (for example, between overnights in Sorrento and Amalfi). Your best bet is to get off at Chiesa Nuova and head for the Brikette Hostel, which offers day privileges for €10, including luggage storage, Wi-Fi, and showers. A last resort would be to get off at the Sponda stop and roll your bags all the way down to Piazza dei Mulini, where Positano’s porters tend to hang out. They’re usually willing to mind your luggage for €5/bag.
If you’re catching the SITA bus back to Sorrento, be aware that it may leave from the Sponda stop up to five minutes before the printed departure. There’s simply no room for the bus to wait, so in case the driver is early, you should be, too (€3.40, departures about hourly, daily 7:00-22:00, until 20:00 off-season). Buy tickets from the tobacco shop in the town center (on Piazza dei Mulini), or just below the Sponda bus stop at the Li Galli Bar or Total gas station (across from Hotel Marincanto).
If the walk up to the stop is too tough, take the dizzy little local red-and-white shuttle bus (marked Interno Positano), which constantly loops through Positano, connecting the lower town with the highway’s two bus stops (2/hour, €1.30 at tobacco shop on Piazza dei Mulini or €1.70 on board, catch it at convenient stop at the corner of Via Colombo and Via dei Mulini, heads up to Sponda). Collina Bakery, located off Piazza dei Mulini (as close as cars, taxis, and the shuttle bus can get to the beach), is just across from the shuttle bus stop, with a fine, breezy terrace you can enjoy if you’re waiting.
Drivers must go with the one-way flow, entering the town only at the Chiesa Nuova bus stop (closest to Sorrento) and exiting at Sponda. Driving is a headache here. Parking is even worse.
(See “Postiano” map, here.)
While there’s no real sightseeing in Positano, this short, self-guided stroll downhill will help you get your bearings from top to bottom.
• Start at...
Piazza dei Mulini: This is the upper-town meeting point—as close to the beach as vehicles can get—and is also the lower stop for the little red-and-white shuttle bus (2/hour, departs on the hour and half-hour). Collina Bakery is a local hangout—older people tend to gather inside, while the younger crowd congregates on the wisteria-draped terrace across the street. In this small town, gossiping is a big pastime.
Positano’s ceramic and linen industries boomed when tourists discovered the place in the 1970s. The beach-inspired Moda Positano fashion label was first created as a break from the rigid dress code of the ’50s. On this piazza, and throughout town, you’ll find lots of ceramic and linen shops (and an abundance of ATMs), along with galleries featuring the work of local artists.
• Wander downhill to the “fork” in the road (stairs to the left, road to the right). You’ve reached...
Midtown: At Enoteca Cuomo (#3), butchers Pasquale and Rosario stock fine local red wines and are happy to explain their virtues. They also make homemade sausages, salami, and panini—good for a quick lunch. The smaller set of stairs leads to the recommended Delicatessen grocery store, where Emilia can fix you a good picnic (see “Eating in Positano,” later). Their downstairs café (enter past the stairs, on the left at #13) sells an array of tempting lemon candies and other edible souvenirs.
La Zagara (across the lane at #10) is a pricey pastry shop by day and a piano bar by night. Tempting pastries such as the rum-drenched babà (a southern Italian favorite) fill the window display. After hours, it’s filled with traditional Neapolitan music and dancing. A bit farther downhill, Brunella (#24) is respected for traditional, quality, and locally made linens.
Across the street, Hotel Palazzo Murat fills what was once a grand Benedictine monastery. Step into the plush courtyard to enjoy the scene. Continuing on, under a fragrant bougainvillea trellis, you’ll come to “street merchants’ gulch,” where artisans display their goodies.
• Continue under the bougainvillea trellis, turning right at the church, and go downstairs to Piazza Flavio Gioia, with the big...
Church of Santa Maria Assunta: This church originated as the abbey of Positano’s 12th-century Benedictine monastery. Originally Romanesque, it was eventually abandoned (along with the entire lower town) out of fear of pirate attacks. When the coast was clear in the 18th century, the church was given an extreme Baroque makeover. Its dome is covered in colorful majolica tiles.
Inside (first chapel on left) is a fine manger scene (presepe). Its original 18th-century figurines give you an idea of the folk costumes of the age. Above the main altar is the Black Madonna, an icon-like Byzantine painting, which was likely brought here in the 12th century by Benedictine monks. But locals prefer the romantic legend: Saracen pirates had it on their ship as plunder. A violent storm hit—sure to sink the evil ship. The painting of Mary spoke, saying, “Posa, posa” (lay me down), and the ship glided safely to this harbor. The pirates were so stricken they became Christians. Locals kept the painting, and the town became known as Posa-tano (recalling Mary’s command). To the right of the altar, a small chapel holds a silver and copper bust of St. Vitus—the town patron who brought Christianity here in about A.D. 300 (this may be displayed nearby in a freestanding wooden altar). In the adjacent niche (on the right) is a rare 1599 painting by Fabrizio Santafede of Baby Jesus being circumcised, considered the finest historic painting in town.
Back outside, you’ll see the bell tower, dating from 1707. Above the door, it sports a Romanesque relief scavenged from the original church. The scene—a wolf mermaid with seven little fish—was a reminder to worshippers of how integral the sea was to their livelihood. Notice the characteristic shallow, white “insulation domes” on rooftops in front of the church.
• Backtrack up the steps, circling around the church until you see an information board labeled Villa Romana.
The information board describes, in English, how this spot once held a Roman villa, buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79. Only a few minor rooms have been excavated (a photograph shows one of the preserved frescoes). The rest await discovery—digging has ceased until there are enough funds to do it properly. The stairs lead down to two glass doors that would (if this very rich town could afford to keep them open) offer a peek into the church’s crypt—originally the early church’s altar. According to local legend, the Benedictines sat their dead brothers on the stone choir chairs here to decompose and remind all of their mortality.
• Continue climbing down the steps arcing to the right. You’ll eventually come to the little square, with concrete benches, facing the beach.
Piazzetta: This is the local gathering point in the evening, as local boys hustle tourist girls into the nearby nightclub. Residents traded their historic baptistery font with Amalfi town for the two iron lions you see facing the beach. From here, you can look up and admire the colorful majolica tiles so typical of church domes in this region. Positano was once a notable naval power, with many shipyards along this beach. These eventually became fishermen’s quarters and storehouses, and later, today’s tourist restaurants. The Positano beach, called Spiaggia Grande, is half public (with WC and €1 shower) and half private.
• On the far left side of the beach is...
Music on the Rocks: This chic, recommended club (below the Ristorante e Terrazze) is all that’s left of the 1970s scene, when Positano really rocked. While it’s dead until about 23:00, if you just want to stop for a drink, the cool troglo-disco interior opens at 21:00.
• Wander across the beach. Behind the kiosks that sell boat tickets, a path climbs up and over, past a 13th-century lookout fort from Saracen pirate days, to the next beach. It’s a worthwhile little five-minute walk to...
Fornillo Beach: This is where locals go for better swimming and to escape some of the tourist crowds. The walk over offers a welcome change of scene, as the path winds through a shady ravine.
• Our walk is over. Time to relax.
Positano’s pebbly and sandy primary beach, Spiaggia Grande, is colorful with umbrellas as it stretches wide around the cove. It’s mostly private (€10-15/person, April-Oct, cost includes drink service and use of lounge chair and umbrella), with a free section near the middle, close to where the boats take off. The nearest WC is beneath the steps to the right (as you face the water).
Fornillo Beach, a less-crowded option just around the bend (to the west) of Spiaggia Grande, is favored by residents, with more affordable chair and umbrella rentals. This beach has a few humble snack bars and lunch eateries.
At the west end of Spiaggia Grande (to the right as you face the sea), booths sell tickets to a number of destinations. Consider renting a rowboat or taking a boat tour to a nearby cave (La Grotta dello Smeraldo—Emerald Cave), fishing village (Nerano), or small islands.
Ferries run to Amalfi, Capri, and Sorrento; see “Positano Connections,” here.
Locally produced linens and ceramics can be found at shops and galleries throughout town. Ceramica Assunta, one of the oldest ceramics stores in Positano, carries colorful Solimene dinnerware and more at two locations (Via Colombo 97 and Via Colombo 137, tel. 089-875-008). Two popular, high-priced fashion boutiques are Brunella (Via Pasitea 72, tel. 089-875-228) and Pepito’s (Via Pasitea 39, tel. 089-875-446).
The big-time action in the old town center is the impressive club Music on the Rocks, literally carved into the rocks on the beach (opens at 21:00 mid-April-Oct but party starts about 23:30, on summer weekends often a €10-20 cover charge that includes a drink, go to dance or just check out the scene, Via Grotte Dell’Incanto 51, tel. 089-875-874, www.musicontherocks.it). For a more low-key atmosphere, café/pastry shop La Zagara hosts music nightly in summer (June-Sept, starts around 21:00, Via dei Mulini 10, tel. 089-875-964).
These hotels (with the exceptions of the hostel and Hotel Pupetto) are all on or near Via Colombo, which leads from the SITA Sponda bus stop down into the village. Prices given are for the highest season (May-Sept)—at other times, they become soft. Most places close in the winter (Dec-Feb or longer). Expect to pay more than €20 a day to park, except at Albergo California.
$$$ Hotel Marincanto is a recently restored, somewhat impersonal four-star hotel with 34 beautiful rooms and a bright breakfast terrace practically teetering on a cliff. Suites seem to be designed for a luna di miele—honeymoon (Db-€220, more expensive superior rooms and suites, extra bed-€70, air-con, elevator, guest computer, Wi-Fi, pool, private stairs to beach, parking-€27/day, closed Nov-March, 50 yards below Sponda bus stop at Via Colombo 50, reception on bottom floor, tel. 089-875-130, www.marincanto.it, info@marincanto.it).
$$ Hotel Savoia, run by the friendly D’Aiello family, has 39 sizeable, breezy, bright, simple rooms with tiles and older furnishings (viewless Db-€120, view Db-€170, deluxe Db with balcony or terrace-€200, mention Rick Steves when you book directly with the hotel for the best rate, extra bed-€50, air-con, elevator, free Wi-Fi in common areas, closed Nov-Feb, Via Colombo 73, tel. 089-875-003, www.savoiapositano.it, info@savoiapositano.it).
$$ Hotel Bougainville rents 16 comfortable rooms, half with balconies. Everything’s bright, modern, and tasteful (small-windowed viewless economy Db-€119, regular viewless Db-€145, view Db-€185, 5 percent off these rates in 2015 if you book directly with the hotel and show this book, check website for specials, air-con, guest computer, Wi-Fi, closed Nov-March, Via Colombo 25, tel. 089-875-047, www.bougainville.it, info@bougainville.it, friendly Marella).
$$ Albergo California has 15 spacious rooms (all with lofty views), a grand terrace draped with vines, and full breakfasts. The Cinque family—including Maria, Bronx-born son John, and grandchildren Giuseppe and Maria—will welcome you (view Db-€170 June-Sept, €10 less April-May and Oct, these prices promised with this book through 2015, air-con, Wi-Fi, free parking, closed Nov-Easter, Via Colombo 141, tel. 089-875-382, www.hotelcaliforniapositano.it, info@hotelcaliforniapositano.it).
$ Residence la Tavolozza is an attractive six-room hotel, warmly run by Celeste (cheh-LEHS-tay) and daughters Francesca (who speaks English) and Paola. Each cheerily tiled room comes with a view, a terrace, and silence. This is a good value (Db-€95-120 depending on size, doesn’t include breakfast, these prices promised through 2015 with this book, families can ask for sprawling “Royal Apartment”—price varies with number of people, call to confirm if arriving late, extra for lavish à la carte breakfast, air-con, Wi-Fi, closed Dec-Feb, Via Colombo 10, tel. 089-875-040, www.latavolozzapositano.it, info@latavolozzapositano.it).
$ Hotel Pupetto is a family-run hotel for beach lovers. This secluded waterfront spot is a 10-minute walk from Positano’s bustling harbor (Db-€95-125, air-con, Wi-Fi, Via Fornillo 37, tel. 089-875-087, www.hotelpupetto.it, info@hotelpupetto.it).
$ Brikette Hostel offers your best cheap dorm-bed option in this otherwise ritzy town. Renting 35 beds and offering a great sun and breakfast terrace, it has a loose, youthful, rough-around-the-edges ambience (bunk in humble 10-bed dorm-€27, bunk in 8-bed dorm-€32, bunk in 5-bed dorm with air-con and WC-€42, Db-€90, nicer Db-€120, bigger family rooms; breakfast-€5, €5-7 dinners; air-con in a few rooms, Wi-Fi; day privileges for day-trippers, including luggage storage-€10; leave bus at Chiesa Nuova/Bar Internazionale stop and backtrack uphill 500 feet to Via G. Marconi 358, www.hostel-positano.com, hostelpositano@gmail.com). The hostel isn’t available by phone; email instead.
Positano is an expensive place to dine. At the waterfront, several interchangeable restaurants with view terraces leave people fat and happy, albeit with skinnier wallets (figure €15-20 pastas and secondi, plus pricey drinks and sides, and a cover charge). Little distinguishes one place from the next; all are pleasant, convenient, and overpriced.
Lo Guarrancino, hidden on the path to Fornillo beach, is a local favorite for its great views and good food at prices similar to other places on the waterfront (€12 pizza, €12-22 pasta and secondi, daily 12:00-15:30 & 19:00-23:00, closed Nov-Easter, follow path behind the boat-ticket kiosks 5 minutes to Via Positanesi d’America 12, tel. 089-875-794).
“Uptown”: The unassuming, family-run Ristorante Bruno is handy to my listed hotels. Consider it if you want an expensive meal without hiking down into the town center for dinner (€12-16 pastas, €16-22 secondi, daily 12:00-23:00, closed Nov-Easter, near the top of Via Colombo at #157, tel. 089-875-179).
Less Expensive Pizza & Pasta: Capricci, near the TI, is budget-priced (for Positano). An informal café and tavola calda serve up €7.50 pizza and €8.50 main courses that you can eat on the spot or take away. If you sit down at their white-tablecloth restaurant across the street, you get the same food—but the pizza price jumps to €10, with a €2 cover (daily 9:00-23:00, Via Regina Giovanna 12, tel. 089-812-145). They deliver anywhere in Positano during slow hours for €3 (Tue-Sun 9:00-11:30 & 16:00-19:00, no delivery at other times or on Mon, menu at www.capriccipositano.it).
Picnics: If a picnic dinner on your balcony or the beach sounds good, sunny Emilia at the Delicatessen grocery store can supply the ingredients (antipasto misto to go at €1.40/100 grams, pasta for €1/100 grams, sandwiches made and sold by weight—about €4, she microwaves food and includes all the picnic ware, come early for best selection; daily March-Oct 7:00-22:00, Nov-Feb 8:00-20:00, just below car park at Via del Mulini 5, tel. 089-875-489).
Vini e Panini, another small grocery, is a block from the beach a few steps above the TI. Daniela, the fifth-generation owner, speaks English and happily makes sandwiches to order. Choose from the “Caprese” (mozzarella and tomato), the “Positano” (mozzarella, tomato, and ham), or create your own (priced by weight, around €4 each). They also have a nice selection of well-priced regional wines (daily 8:00-20:00, until 22:00 in summer, closed mid-Nov-mid-March, just off church steps, tel. 089-875-175).
Always check boat schedules, since the last boats often leave Positano before 18:00. The schedule varies drastically according to time of year; it’s more reliable in summer than off-season, but be sure to check it with the TI. There’s no real dock, so stormy weather can disrupt schedules. If you’re thinking of taking a Capri trip from Positano, consider a boat that goes directly to the Blue Grotto (rather than dropping you in the port to catch another boat from there).
From Positano by Boat to: Amalfi (4-6/day, 30 minutes, TravelMar), Capri (mid-April-mid-Oct, 2-4/day, 30-60 minutes; fewer off-season, Gescab), Sorrento (mid-April-mid-Oct only, 2-4/day, 35 minutes, Alicost), Salerno (mid-April-Sept only, 4-6/day, 70 minutes, TravelMar). Check schedules carefully as most boats run only mid-April to mid-October; few run off-season. Note that the specific companies operating each route change frequently. Direct boats to Naples run several times a day in the summer (check with the TI); you can also change boats in Sorrento or Capri.
By Bus: See “Getting Around the Amalfi Coast—By Bus,” on here.
After Rome fell, the Amalfi Coast’s namesake town was one of the first to trade goods—coffee, carpets, and paper—between Europe and points east. Its heyday was the 10th and 11th centuries, when it was a powerful maritime republic—a trading power with a fleet that controlled this region and rivaled Pisa, Genoa, and Venice. The Republic of Amalfi founded a hospital in Jerusalem and claims to have founded the Knights of Malta order—even giving them the Amalfi cross, which became the famous Maltese cross. Amalfi minted its own coins and established “rules of the sea”—the basics of which survive today.
In 1343, this little powerhouse was suddenly destroyed by a tsunami caused by an undersea earthquake. That disaster, compounded by devastating plagues, left Amalfi a humble backwater. Today its 5,000 residents live off tourism. Amalfi is not as picturesque as Positano or as well-connected as Sorrento, but take some time to explore the town.
Amalfi’s one main street runs up from the waterfront through a deep valley, with stairways to courtyards and houses on either side. It’s worth walking uphill to the workaday upper end of town. If you hear water under a grate in the main street, it’s the creek that runs through the ravine—a reminder that, originally, the town straddled the stream, and later paved over it to create a main drag. As you return downhill, be sure to explore up the winding and narrow lanes and arcaded passages on either side of the main street.
Though less touristy than Positano, Amalfi is packed during the day with big-bus tours (whose drivers pay €50 an hour to park while their groups shop for limoncello and ceramics). Amalfi’s charms reveal themselves early and late in the day, when the tourist crowds dissipate.
Amalfi’s waterfront is the coast’s biggest transport hub. The bus station, ferry docks, and a parking lot (€5/hour; if the lot is full, there’s a garage just beyond town, before Atrani) are next to each other. A statue of local boy Flavio Gioia—the purported inventor of the compass (see sidebar)—overlooks them, and Amalfi’s TI is just beyond, across the street.
Before you enter the town, notice the colorful tile above the Porta della Marina gateway, showing off the trading domain of the maritime Republic of Amalfi. Just to the left, along the busy road, is a series of arches that indicate the long, narrow, vaulted halls of its arsenal—where ships were built in the 11th century. One of these is now the fine little Arsenal Museum (described later).
Venture into the town and you’ll quickly come to Piazza Duomo, the main square, sporting a spring water-spewing statue of St. Andrew, and the cathedral—the town’s most important sight.
The farther you get away from the water, the more traditional Amalfi becomes. The Paper Museum is a 10-minute walk up Via Lorenzo d’Amalfi, the main drag. From here, the road narrows and you can turn off onto a path leading to the shaded Valle dei Mulini; it’s full of paper-mill ruins that recall this once proud and prosperous industry. The ruined castle clinging to the rocky ridge above Amalfi is Torre dello Ziro, a good lookout point for intrepid hikers (see “Hikes” on here).
The TI is about 100 yards from the bus station and ferry dock, next to the post office; facing the sea, it’s to the left (April-Oct Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-13:00; Nov-March Mon-Sat 9:00-13:00; closed Sun year-round; Corso della Repubbliche Marinare 27, tel. 089-871-107, www.amalfitouristoffice.it).
Don’t Get Stranded: Be warned—most of the year, the last bus back to Sorrento leaves at 20:00 (at 22:00 in June-July, at 23:00 in Aug, at 21:00 in April-May and Sept—but confirm times locally) and can be full. Without a public bus, your only option is a €100 taxi ride.
Internet Access: The travel agency L’Altra Costiera, on the main drag a block up from the church, has Wi-Fi and computers for use (€5/hour, daily 9:00-21:00, closed Jan-Feb, Via Lorenzo d’Amalfi 34, tel. 089-873-6082).
Baggage Storage: You can store your bag safely for €4 at the Divina Costiera Travel Office facing the waterfront square, across from the bus parking area (daily 8:00-13:00 & 14:00-19:00, closed mid-Nov-March, tel. 089-872-467).
Speedboat Charters: To hire your own boat for a tour of the coastline from Amalfi (or to Capri), consider Charter La Dolce Vita (mobile 335-549-9365, www.amalficoastyacht.it).
This church is “Amalfi Romanesque” (a mix of Moorish and Byzantine flavors, built c. 1000-1300), with a fanciful Neo-Byzantine facade from the 19th century. Climb the imposing stairway, which functions as a handy outdoor theater for town events. The 1,000-year-old bronze door at the top was given to Amalfi by a wealthy local merchant who had it made in Constantinople.
Cost and Hours: €3, daily 10:00-17:00, open only for prayer 7:30-10:00 & 17:00-19:30, tel. 089-871-324. There’s a fine, free WC at the top of the steps (through unmarked green door, just a few steps before ticket booth, ask for key at desk).
Visiting the Cathedral: Pick up the English flier as you enter. Visitors are directed on a one-way circuit through the cathedral complex with four stops.
This courtyard of 120 graceful columns—the “Cloister of Paradise”—was the cemetery for local nobles in the 13th century (note their stone sarcophagi). Don’t miss the fine view of the bell tower and its majolica tiles.
The original ninth-century church, known as the Basilica of the Crucifix, is now a museum filled with the art treasures of the cathedral. The Angevin Mitre (Mitra Angioina), with a “pavement of tiny pearls” setting off its gold and gems, has been worn by bishops since the 14th century. Also on display is a carved wooden decoration from a Saracen pirate ship that wrecked just outside of town in 1544 during a freak storm. Believers credit St. Andrew with causing the storm that saved the town from certain Turkish pillage and plunder.
Just as Venice needed Mark to get on the pilgrimage map, Amalfi needed St. Andrew—one of the apostles who, along with his brother (St. Peter), left their fishing nets to become the original “fishers of men.” What are believed to be his remains (in the Crypt of St. Andrew, under the huge bronze statue) were brought here from Constantinople in 1206 during the Crusades—an indication of the wealth and importance of Amalfi back then.
The cathedral interior is notable for its fine 13th-century wooden crucifix. The painting behind it shows St. Andrew martyred on an X-shaped cross flanked by two Egyptian granite columns supporting a triumphal arch. Before leaving, check out the delicate mother-of-pearl crucifix (right of door in back).
Paper has been a vital industry here since Amalfi’s glory days in the Middle Ages. They’d pound rags into pulp in a big vat, pull it up using a screen, and air-dry it to create paper (the same technique used to make the paper sold today in Amalfi shops). At this cavernous, cool 13th-century paper mill-turned-museum, a multilingual guide collects groups at the entrance (no particular times) for a 25-minute tour. The guide recounts the history and process of papermaking, a longtime industry for the town of Amalfi, and turns on the museum’s vintage water-powered machinery. Kids can dip a screen into the rag pool and make a sheet for themselves.
Cost and Hours: €4; March-Oct daily 10:00-18:30; Nov-Feb usually Tue-Sun 10:00-15:30, closed Mon; a 10-minute walk up the main street from the cathedral, look for signs to Museo della Carta; tel. 089-830-4561, www.museodellacarta.it. On the way up to the museum, don’t miss the huge, outdoor presepi (Nativity scenes) on your left.
This small, underground museum just across the road from the bus station tells the history of Amalfi’s maritime glory years. Stepping into the single long room under the dramatic vaulted stone ceiling, it sinks in: A thousand years ago, they made ships here. The collection (which is well-described in English) is small, but there are plenty of historic artifacts from Amalfi’s city-state days of independence (839-1135). You’ll learn about the early compass “invented” here in 1302, which ultimately opened up exploration of the New World. In 1080, it was written, “This city appears opulent and popular; no other city is as rich in silver, garments, and gold. Here dwells navigators very expert at pointing out the ways of the sea and the sphere of the heavens.”
Cost and Hours: €2, Tue-Sun 10:00-13:30 & 15:30-19:00, closed Mon, shorter hours off-season, Piazza Flavio Gioia, tel. 089-871-170, www.museoarsenaleamalfi.it.
Amalfi is the starting point for several fine hikes, two of which I’ve described here. The TI hands out photocopies of Giovanni Visetti’s trail maps (or you can download them yourself at www.giovis.com). If you can find it, the best book on hiking is Julian Tippett’s Sorrento Amalfi Capri Car Tours and Walks. It has useful color-coded maps and info on public transportation to the trailheads.
This loop trail leads up the valley past paper-mill ruins, ending in the tiny town of Pontone; you can get lunch there, and head back down to the town of Amalfi (allow 3 hours total). Bring a good map, since it’s easy to veer off the main route. Start your hike by following the main road (Via Lorenzo d’Amalfi) away from the sea.
After the Paper Museum, jog right, then left to join the trail, which runs through the shaded woods along a babbling stream. Heed the signs that warn people to stay away from the ruins of paper mills (no matter how tempting they look), since many are ready to collapse on unwary hikers. Continue up to Pontone, where Trattoria l’Antico Borgo offers wonderful cuisine and a great view (Via Noce 4, tel. 089-871-469). After lunch, return to Amalfi via a steep stairway.
If you’re feeling ambitious, before you head back to Amalfi, add a one-hour detour (30 minutes each way) to visit the ridge-hugging Torre dello Ziro (ask a local how to find the trail to this tower). You’ll be rewarded with a spectacular view.
For an easier stroll, head to the nearby town of Atrani. This village, just a 15-minute stroll beyond Amalfi town, is a world apart; its 1,500 residents consider themselves definitely not from Amalfi. Leave Amalfi via the main road, and stay on the water side until the sidewalk ends. Cross the street and head up the stairs; the paved route takes you over the hill, and drops you into Atrani in about 15 minutes. Piazza Umberto is the core of town, with cafés and a little grocery store that makes sandwiches. Atrani has none of the trendy resort feel of Amalfi, with relatively few tourists, a delightful town square, and a free, sandy beach (if you drive here, pay for parking at harbor). This town also has some recommended accommodations.
From Atrani, you can theoretically continue up to Ravello (see here). But be warned: Unless you’re part mountain goat, you’ll probably prefer catching the bus to Ravello from Amalfi town instead.
Sleeps are much better in Positano (nicer views) or Sorrento (lower prices), but if you’re marooned in Amalfi, here are some options. Prices listed are for high season (roughly April-Oct), but can spike in August and drop in spring and fall.
$$$ Hotel Aurora is a tranquil, bright, and cheery respite from Amalfi crowds just a 10-minute walk from the Duomo (Db-€169-240, family apartments available, air-con, Wi-Fi, Piazzale dei Protonini, tel. 089-871-209, www.aurora-hotel.it, info@aurora-hotel.it).
$$ Hotel Floridiana, just off the main drag and five minutes by foot from the harbor, is only three short flights of steps up from the street. Though lacking views, the 13 rooms are attractive and newly furnished and come with free garage parking—very unusual here (Db-€130-140, extra bed-€30, air-con, Wi-Fi, closed Nov-March; pass the Duomo, then take the next right through tiny arch—Salita Brancia—and up 30 steps to Via Brancia 1; tel. 089-873-6373, www.hotelfloridiana.it, info@hotelfloridiana.it, Agnese).
$$ Hotel Lidomare’s 18 rooms are decorated in traditional majolica tiles and rich antique furnishings just a few steps from the Duomo (Db-€90-140, air-con, Wi-Fi, Largo Piccolomini 9, tel. 089-871-332, www.lidomare.it, info@lidomare.it).
$ Hotel Centrale has incredible views of the cathedral in a handy, central, but noisy location (Db-€70-140, air-con, Wi-Fi, Largo Piccolomini 1, tel. 089-872-608, www.amalfihotelcentrale.it, info@amalfihotelcentrale.it).
$ Residenza del Duca is a little seven-room B&B with no views, up many flights of stairs in the heart of this touristy enclave (one minuscule Sb-€50, Db-€90—or €130-160 in Aug-Sept, 5 percent discount with this book and cash if you reserve directly with the hotel, air-con, Wi-Fi, no views but glimpses of ocean through the rooftops; 25 yards uphill from Piazza Duomo, take the first left, go up the stairs and follow the signs, then go up more stairs—over 70 total—to Via Mastalo II Duca 3; call for free luggage service—available April-Oct 9:00-19:00, tel. 089-873-6365, www.residencedelduca.it, info@residencedelduca.it, Andrea).
Atrani is a small-town hideaway without the glitz of Positano or the bustle of Amalfi. Atrani is a 15-minute hike from Amalfi (described under “Hike #2,” earlier); Amalfi-Salerno buses also stop here.
$ L’Argine Fiorito, which stands like a little castle overlooking a ravine at the top of town, rents five tidy and tiled rooms (Db-€80-€105, these prices for July-Sept, extra bed-€35, Wi-Fi, tel. 089-873-6309, mobile 347-531-1158, www.larginefiorito.it, info@larginefiorito.it).
$ A’Scalinatella is a dingy, informal backpackers’ hostel, with a honeycomb of cramped 3- to 10-bed dorms, way-overpriced private rooms, and a communal kitchen (dorm bed-€30, D-€70, Db-€90, prices very soft—10 percent discount if you book directly with hotel and mention Rick Steves, Wi-Fi in common areas, 100 yards up from main square at #5 on Scalinatella Piazza Umberto I, tel. 089-871-492, www.hostelscalinatella.com, info@hostelscalinatella.com). It’s run by English-speaking owners Filippo and Gabriele, who also rent rooms scattered all over town.
Amalfi, like Positano, has expensive, interchangeable restaurants along the waterfront. For a cheaper sit-down meal without a sea view, Bar La Piazzetta has €8-9 pasta, pizza, and salads at a dozen tables in a small, quiet square, reached through an archway directly across the main street from the cathedral steps (long hours daily, Piazza dei Dogi 5, tel. 089-871-585). Five minutes’ walk up the main drag on the right (past the first archway) is Pizza Express, with honest €4-6 pies to go (Mon-Sat 9:00-21:00, closed Sun, Via Capuano 46, mobile 339-581-2336). The Decò supermarket, up an alley to the right off the main drag (by #34), is small but has a good selection (Mon-Sat 8:00-13:30 & 16:30-20:00, closed Sun, Via Dei Curiali 6).
Ravello sits atop a lofty perch 1,000 feet above the sea. It offers an interesting church, two villas, and breathtaking views that have attracted celebrities for generations. Gore Vidal, Richard Wagner, D. H. Lawrence, M. C. Escher, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Greta Garbo all have succumbed to Ravello’s charms and called it home.
The town is like a lush and peaceful garden floating above it all. Wandering around, it seems there’s nothing but tourists, cafés, stones, old villas-turned-luxury hotels, and grand views. It’s one big place to convalesce. To me, it’s more famous than enjoyable.
Ravello can make for a half-day outing from Amalfi, or a full day from Positano with a stop in Amalfi. The views from the bus ride up and back are every bit as stunning as those along the coastal route.
To see the sights listed here, start at the bus stop and walk through the tunnel to the main square, where you’ll find the Villa Rufolo on the left, the church on the right, and the TI down the street past the church (TI open daily May-Oct 10:00-18:00, usually daily Nov-April 10:00-15:00, 100 yards from the square—follow signs to Via Roma 18, tel. 089-857-096, www.ravellotime.it). Villa Cimbrone is a 10-minute walk from the square (follow the signs).
Picnicking isn’t allowed at the two villas, but there are benches with a view by the bus stop and on the main square.
The town’s entry tunnel deposits you on the main square. Though perfectly peaceful today, the watchtower of Villa Rufolo—which used to keep an eye out for fires and invasions—is a reminder that it wasn’t always postcards and limoncello. The facade of the cathedral is plain because the earlier, fancy west portal was destroyed in a 1364 earthquake. The front door is locked; to enter, you need to go through the museum on Viale Wagner, around the left side (described next). The fine pines on the square are pruned to look like umbrellas and provide a shady meeting place for strollers ending up here on the piazza. Opposite the church is a fine view of the terraced hillside and the community of Scala (which means “steps”—historically a way of life there). The terraces—supporting grapevines and lemon trees—mostly date from the 16th century. Viale Wagner climbs to the top of town for sea views and ruined villas that are now luxury hotels. The town is essentially traffic-free.
Ravello’s cathedral, overlooking the main square, is most memorable because its floor slopes upward. The key features of this church are its 12th-century bronze doors, with 54 Biblical scenes (from Constantinople); the carved marble pulpit supported by six lions; and the chance to climb behind the altar (left of the main altar) for a close-up look at the relic of holy blood. The geometric designs show Arabic influence. The humble cathedral museum, through which you’ll enter, is two rooms of well-described carved marble that evoke the historical importance of the town.
Cost and Hours: €3 for the museum—which also gets you into the church, daily May-Oct 9:00-19:00, Nov-April 9:00-18:00, enter through the museum around the left side of the cathedral.
The villa, built in the 13th-century ruins of a noble family’s palace, presents wistful gardens among stony walls, with oh-my-God views. The Arabic/Norman gardens seem designed to frame commanding coastline vistas (you can enjoy the same view, without the entry fee, from the bus parking lot just below the villa). It’s also one of the venues for Ravello’s annual arts festival (July-Sept, www.ravellofestival.com) and music society performances (April-June and Sept-Oct, www.ravelloarts.org). Concertgoers perch on a bandstand on the edge of the cliff for a combination of wonderful music and dizzying views. Wagner visited here and was impressed enough to set the second act of his opera Parsifal in the villa’s magical gardens. By all accounts, the concert on the cliff is a sublime experience.
Cost and Hours: €5, daily May-Sept 9:00-20:00, Oct-April 9:00 until sunset, may close earlier if hosting a concert, tel. 089-857-621, www.villarufolo.it.
This villa provides another romantic garden, this one built upon the ruins of an old convent. Located at the opposite end of Ravello, it was created in the 20th century by Englishman William Beckett. His mansion is now a five-star hotel. It’s a longish walk to the end of town, where you explore a bluff dreamily landscaped around the villa. At the far end, above a sublime café on the lawn, “the Terrace of Infinity” dangles high above the sea.
Cost and Hours: €7, daily 9:00-sunset, tel. 089-858-072, www.villacimbrone.com.
To walk downhill from Ravello’s Villa Cimbrone to the town of Amalfi (a path for hardy hikers only—follow the TI’s map), retrace your steps back toward town. Take the first left, which turns into a stepped path winding its way below the cliff. Pause here to look back up at the rock with a big white mansion—Villa La Rondinaia, where Gore Vidal lived for many years. Continue down the fairly steep path about 40 minutes to the town of Atrani, where several bars on the main square offer well-deserved refreshment. From here, it’s about a 15-minute walk back to Amalfi (see “Hike #2” on here).
Ristorante Da Salvatore serves a serious sit-down lunch that takes full advantage of the views that make a trip to Ravello worthwhile. Pino, the English-speaking owner of this formal restaurant, serves nicely presented, traditional Amalfi cuisine from a fun-if-pricey menu. Be adventurous when ordering and share dishes. Pato, the parakeet, is learning English (€17 pastas, €20 secondi, Tue-Sun 12:30-15:00 & 19:30-22:00, closed Mon, located at the spot where buses and taxis drop those visiting town, Via della Repubblica 2, tel. 089-857-227, reservations smart).
Ravello and the town of Amalfi are connected by a winding road and a bus. Coming from Amalfi town, buy your ticket at the bar on the waterfront, and ask where the bus stop is (normally by the statue on the waterfront, just to the statue’s left as you face the water). In Ravello, line up early, since the buses are often crowded (2/hour, 25 minutes, €2.50, buy ticket in tobacco shop; catch bus 100 yards off main square, at other end of tunnel).
You can also reach Ravello from Naples via Salerno. Take the train from Naples to Salerno (2/hour, 35-60 minutes), and then go by bus or boat to Amalfi town, where you can catch the bus to Ravello described above. Salerno’s TI has bus, ferry, and train schedules; see “Paestum Connections,” later, for details.
The ruins at Paestum (PASTE-oom) include one of the best collections of Greek temples anywhere—and certainly the most accessible to Western Europe. Serenely situated, Paestum is surrounded by fields and wildflowers. It also has a functional zone that includes a bus stop, train station, church, and a straggle of houses and cafés that you could barely call a village.
This town was founded as Poseidonia by Greeks in the sixth century B.C., and became a key stop on an important trade route. In the fifth century B.C., the Lucanians, a barbarous inland tribe, conquered Poseidonia and tried to adopt the cultured ways of the Greeks. By the time of the Romans, who took over in the third century B.C., the name Poseidonia had been simplified to Paestum. The final conquerors of Paestum, malaria-carrying mosquitoes, kept the site wonderfully deserted for nearly a thousand years. The temples were never buried—just ignored. Rediscovered in the 18th century, Paestum today offers the only well-preserved Greek ruins north of Sicily.
While most visitors do Paestum as a day trip, it’s not a bad place to stay overnight. Accommodations offer great value, and though it’s a bit far, you could use Paestum as a base for day-tripping to Naples or the Amalfi Coast. There’s a beach nearby, and hotels can help arrange visits to local buffalo-milk dairies.
While Naples has direct connections to Paestum, from elsewhere you’ll likely have to transfer in Salerno (see map).
The simplest way to reach Paestum is by direct train from Naples’ Centrale Station (10/day, 1.5 hours, €5.50; no round-trip discount). Buy tickets from the ticket windows or machines at the station (stamp before boarding). For a morning visit from Naples, it’s wise to get an early start—especially in warm weather; check the schedule at stations or www.trenitalia.it.
From Amalfi or Positano, you can take either a bus or boat to Salerno, where you pick up the same train to Paestum on its way from Naples (30-40 minutes, €2.90). Buy your train ticket at the ticket office or the Il Globo Celeste travel agency in the Salerno train station (stamp before boarding). Buses from Amalfi terminate at the Salerno train station, but if you arrive in Salerno from the Amalfi Coast by boat, you will have to walk from the boat dock several blocks up to the train station (see the Salerno Connections map). Alternatively, local CSTP bus #34 leaves from Piazza della Concordia in Salerno, by the base of the boat dock, for Paestum roughly every hour (1-hour trip, €2.90). This Salerno-Paestum bus is slower than the train, and the stop is unmarked, with no posted schedule and no nearby ticket office. But it can be an option, especially during midday hours when trains are sparse. The bus brings you only slightly closer to the ruins at Paestum.
While it’s technically possible to day-trip from Sorrento to Paestum by public transport, it makes for a very long day marred by worry about making connections back. Consider renting a car or hiring a taxi for the day. While the Amalfi Coast is a thrill to drive off-season, summer traffic is miserable. From Sorrento, Paestum is 60 miles and 3 hours via the coast, but a much smoother 2 hours by autostrada. To reach Paestum from Sorrento via the autostrada, drive toward Naples, catch the autostrada (direction: Salerno), skirt Salerno (direction: Reggio), exit at Battipaglia, and drive straight through the roundabout. During your ride, you’ll see many signs for mozzarella di bufala, cheese made from the milk of water buffalo. Try it here—it can’t be any fresher.
Allow two hours to see the ruins and the museum. Which one you see first depends on your interest and the heat. You’ll enjoy the best light and smallest crowds late in the day.
Tourist Information: At the TI, next to the Paestum Archaeological Museum, pick up a free info booklet of the site (TI open daily 9:00-13:00 & 15:00-17:00, tel. 0828-811-016, www.infopaestum.it).
Arrival at Paestum: If you’re arriving by train, exit the tiny station and walk through the old city gate; the ruins are an eight-minute walk straight ahead. (The station has no luggage storage, and its WC is usually locked.) Buses from Salerno (see “Getting to Paestum,” earlier) stop near a corner of the ruins (at a little bar/café).
Cost: €10, includes site and museum.
Hours: Both museum and site are open daily at 8:30 (except the first and third Mon of each month, when the museum is closed). Year-round, the museum closes at 19:15 (last ticket sold at 18:45). The site closes one hour before sunset (as late as 19:30 June-July, as early as 15:30 in mid-Dec, last site ticket sold one hour before closing, tel. 0828-811-023).
Information: While there are scant descriptions at the site itself, this book provides all the information you need for both the site and the museum. The museum bookshop sells several mediocre guidebooks, including a €15 past-and-present guide. Dull €5 audioguides are available to rent at the museum or at site entrances (ID required). The €1.50 booklet, sold at the ticket desk, gives only general information and is more souvenir than guide.
Local Guide: Silvia Braggio is a good guide who gives a fine two-hour walk of the site and museum (special rate with this book-€100, must arrange in advance, mobile 347-643-2307, www.silviaguide.it, silvia@silviaguide.it). She also offers walking tours of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Eating: La Basilica Café, between the parking lot and TI, is the most straightforward and reasonable option, with good €5-8 pizzas and other lunch fare, and free Wi-Fi (June-Sept daily 8:00-24:00, until 20:00 off-season, closed Jan-Feb, Via Magna Grecia 881, tel. 0828-811-301). Ristorante Nettuno, with quality food and good temple views, is more expensive and upscale (by the south entrance to the ruins).
Entry: The site and museum have separate entrances. The museum, just outside the ruins, is in a cluster with the TI and a small early-Christian basilica. Most visitors buy tickets at the museum and use the entrance across the street, but another ticket office and entrance is near the recommended Ristorante Nettuno (at the south end of the site). On days when the museum is closed (first and third Monday of each month), you have to buy tickets at the site entrances.
(See “ Paestum” map, here.)
This tour starts at the entrance by the museum, visits the Temple of Ceres, goes through the center of the Roman town past the Greek Memorial Tomb, circles around the other two Greek temples, and then leaves the site to walk down the modern road to the Ekklesiasterion (which faces the museum).
Background: While Paestum is famous for its marvelous Greek temples, most of the structures you see are Roman. Five elements of Greek Paestum survive: three misnamed temples, a memorial tomb, and a circular meeting place (or Ekklesiasterion). The rest, including the wall that defines the site, is Roman.
Paestum was once a seaport (the ocean is now about a mile away—the wall in the distance, which stretches about three miles, is about halfway to today’s coastline). Only about a fifth of the site has been excavated. The Greek city, which archaeologists figure had a population of about 13,000, was first conquered by Lucanians (distant relatives of the Romans, who spoke a language related to Latin), and then by the Romans (who completely made it over and built the wall you see today).
The remaining Greek structures survive because the Romans were superstitious—they respected sacred areas, and didn’t mess with temples and tombs. While most old Christian churches are built upon Roman temples (it’s just what people do when they conquer another culture), no Roman temple is built upon a Greek temple. Romans appreciated how religion could function as the opiate of the masses. As long as people paid their taxes and obeyed the emperor’s dictates, the practical Romans had no problem with any religion. The three Greek temples that you’ll see here today have stood for about 2,500 years.
• Buy your ticket at the museum, then head to the right to find the site’s north entrance. Once inside, stand in front of the...
Temple of Ceres: All three Paestum temples have inaccurate names, coined by 19th-century archaeologists who based their “discoveries” on wishful thinking. (While the Romans made things easy by leaving lots of inscriptions, the Greeks did not.) Those 1800s archaeologists wanted this temple to be devoted to Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. However, all the little votive statues found later, when modern archaeologists dug here, instead depicted a woman with a big helmet: Athena, goddess of wisdom and war. (The Greeks’ female war goddess was also the goddess of wisdom—thinking...strategy...female. The Romans’ masculine war god was Mars—just fighting.) Each temple is part of a sanctuary—an open, sacred space around the temple. Because regular people couldn’t go into the temple, the altar logically stood outside.
The Temple of Ceres dates from 500 B.C. It’s made of locally quarried limestone blocks. Good roads and shipping didn’t come along until the Romans, so the Greeks’ buildings were limited to local materials. The wooden roof is long gone. Like the other two temples, this one was once painted white, black, and red, and has an east-west orientation—facing the rising sun. This temple’s cella (interior room) is gone, cleared out when it was used as a Christian church in the sixth century. In medieval times, Normans scavenged stones from here; chunks of these temples can be found in Amalfi’s cathedral.
Walk around to the back side of the Temple of Ceres. The capitals broke in a modern earthquake, so a steel bar provides necessary support. Each of the Paestum temples is Doric style—with three stairs, columns without a base, and shafts that narrow at the top to a simple capital of a round then a square block. While there were no carved reliefs, colorful frescoes once decorated the pediments.
As you walk away, look back at the temple. Traditionally, Greeks would build a sanctuary of Athena on a city’s highest spot (like the Parthenon in Athens, on the Acropolis). Paestum had no hill, so the Greeks created a mound. The hill was more impressive in its time because the level of the Greek city was substantially lower than the Roman pavement stones you’ll walk on today.
• From here, walk about 100 yards down the paving stones of Via Sacra toward the other Greek temples. To the left of the road, you’ll see a little half-buried house with a tiled roof.
Greek Memorial Tomb (Heroon): This tomb (from 500 B.C.) also survived because the Romans respected religious buildings. But the tomb was most inconveniently located, right in the middle of their growing city. So the practical Romans built a perimeter wall around it (visible today), added a fine tiled roof, and then buried the tomb.
There’s a mystery here. Greeks generally buried their dead outside the city (as did Romans)—there are over a thousand ancient tombs outside Paestum’s walls—yet this tomb was parked smack-dab in the center of town. When it was uncovered in 1952, no bodies were found inside. The tomb instead held nine perfectly preserved vases (now in the museum). Archaeologists aren’t sure of the tomb’s purpose. Perhaps it was a memorial dedicated to some great hero (like a city founder). Or perhaps it was a memorial to those lost when a neighboring community had to evacuate and settle as refugees here.
• Continue walking down Via Sacra, the main drag of...
Roman Paestum: Roman towns were garrison towns: rectangular with a grid street plan and two main streets cutting north-south and east-west, dividing the town into four equal sections. They were built by military engineers with a no-nonsense standard design. New excavations (on the left) have uncovered Roman-era lead piping. City administration buildings were on the left, and residential buildings were on the right.
Shortly after the road turns into a dirt path, you’ll come to a big Roman pool that archaeologists believe was a sanctuary dedicated to Fortuna Virilis, goddess of luck and fertility. The strange stones likely supported a wooden platform for priests and statues of gods. Imagine young women walking down the ramp at the far end and through the pool, hoping to conceive a child.
The next big square was the Roman forum and ancient Paestum’s main intersection. The road on the right led directly (and very practically) to the port. It made sense to have a direct connection to move freight between the sea and the center of town.
Until 2007, the vast field of ruins between the forum and the next temple (on the right) was covered in vegetation. It’s since been cleared and cleaned of harmful lichen, which produce acids that dissolve limestone. Study the rocks: Yellow lichen is alive, black is dead. Even the great temples of Paestum were covered in this destructive lichen until 2000, when a two-year-long project cleaned them for the first time.
• Ahead on the left are the so-called...
Temples of Neptune and Hera: The Temple of Neptune dates from 450 B.C. and employs the Greek architectural trick where the base line is curved up just a tad, to overcome the illusion of sagging caused by a straight base. The Athenians built their Parthenon (with a similar bowed-up base line) just 30 years after this. Many think this temple could have been their inspiration.
The adjacent Temple of Hera, dating from 550 B.C., is the oldest of Paestum’s three temples and one of the oldest Greek temples still standing anywhere. Notice the change 100 years makes in the architectural styles: Archaic Doric in 550 B.C. versus Classic Doric in 450 B.C.
Archaeologists now believe the “Temple of Neptune” was actually devoted to a different god. Votive statues uncovered here suggest that Hera was the focus (perhaps this was a new and improved version of the adjacent, simpler, and older Temple of Hera). Or perhaps it was a temple to Zeus, Hera’s husband, to honor the couple together.
Together, the two temples formed a single huge sanctuary with altars on the far (east) side. Walk around to the front. Notice how overbuilt the Temple of Hera appears. Its columns and capitals are closer together than necessary, as if the builders lacked confidence in their ability to span the distance between supports. Square pillars mark the corners of the cella inside. Temples with an odd number of columns (here, nine) had a single colonnade crossing in the center inside to support the wooden roof. More modern temples (such as the Temple of Neptune) had six columns, with two colonnades passing through the cella. This left a line of vision open through the middle so that worshippers could see the big statue of the god.
By the way, in 1943, Allied paratroopers dropped in near here during the famous “Landing of Salerno,” when the Allies (who had already taken Sicily) invaded mainland Italy. Paestum was part of their first beachhead. The Temple of Hera served as an Allied military tent hospital. From here, the Allies pushed back the Nazis, marching to Naples, Cassino, and finally to Rome.
• Leave the site and turn left on the modern road, Via Magna Grecia. The king of Naples had this Naples-to-Paestum road built in 1829 to inspire his people with ancient temples. While he was modern in his appreciation of antiquity, his road project destroyed a swath of the ancient city, as you’ll see as you pass by half of the small amphitheater. Just past the amphitheater, you’ll find the...
Ekklesiasterion: Immediately across the street from the museum is what looks like a sunken circular theater. This rare bit of ancient Greek ruins was the Ekklesiasterion, a meeting place where the Greeks would get together to discuss things and vote. Archaeologists believe that the agora (market) would also have been located here.
• Across the street is the...
Paestum’s museum offers the rare opportunity to see artifacts—dating from prehistoric to Greek to Roman times—at the site where they were discovered. These beautifully crafted works (with good English descriptions throughout) help bring Paestum to life. Not everything you see here is from Paestum, though, as the museum also collects artifacts from other nearby sites.
Before stepping into the museum, notice the proud fascist architecture. Though the building dates from 1954, it was designed in 1938. It seems to command that you will enjoy this history lesson.
The exhibit is on several levels. You’ll find mostly Greek pieces on the ground floor (artifacts from the Temple of Hera in front, frescoes from tombs in the back), Paleolithic to Iron Age artifacts on the mezzanine level, and Roman art on the top floor (statues, busts, and inscriptions dating from the time of the Roman occupation). While Roman art is not unique to Paestum, the Greek collection is—so that’s what you should focus on. Here are the highlights:
Temple Reliefs: The museum’s first room is designed like a Greek temple, with an inner cella that is used for temporary exhibitions. The large carvings overhead that wrap around this inner sanctum once adorned a sanctuary of the goddess Hera (wife of Zeus) five miles away. This sanctuary, called Heraion del Sele, was discovered and excavated in 1934. Some of the carvings show scenes from the life of Hercules. To the left side, displays tell the story of the excavation of both Heraion del Sele and Paestum.
• Along the back wall of this room, find the glass case holding nine perfectly preserved...
Vases: One ceramic and eight bronze, with artistic handles, these vases were found in Paestum’s Greek Memorial Tomb (described earlier). Greek bronzes are rare because Romans often melted them down to make armor. These were discovered in 1952, filled with still-liquid honey and sealed with beeswax. The honey (as you can see in the display cases below) has since crystallized. Honey was a standard part of a funeral because, to ancient Greeks, honey symbolized immortality...it lasts forever.
• The next room is filled with ancient Greek...
Votive Offerings: These were dug up at Heraion del Sele (not at Paestum). Such offerings are a huge help to modern archaeologists, since the figures worshippers brought to a temple are clues as to which god the temple honored. These votives depict a woman with a crown on a throne—clearly Hera. The clay votives were simple, affordable, and accessible to regular people.
• Now enter the large room (broken up by pillars and interior walls) that holds...
Relics from the Temples at Paestum: This room displays smaller pieces that have been dug up at the site. Paestum’s three temples were once adorned with decorations, such as ornamental spouts that spurted rainwater out of lions’ mouths. Notice the bits of the surviving black, red, and white paint, and the reconstructions showing archaeologists’ best guesses as to how the original decorations might have looked.
Displays (mostly in Italian) tell in which temple each relic was found. The Temple of Ceres is often referred to as the Temple of Athena or as the northern (settentrionale) sanctuary. The Temples of Neptune and Hera are spoken of as the southern (meridionale) sanctuaries. A fine drawing by Piranesi is on display, showing his visit to Paestum in 1777.
• In a glass case nearby, find the statue of...
Zeus: This painted clay statue of Zeus dates from 520 B.C. The king of the gods was so lusty with his antics, he’s still smirking.
• Look out the museum’s back window for a good...
View of Paestum’s Walls: The walls of ancient Paestum reach halfway to the mountain—a reminder that most of the site is still private property and yet to be excavated. The town up on the mountainside is Capaccio, established in the eighth century when inhabitants of the original city of Paestum were driven out by malaria and the city was abandoned.
• Walk along the corridor at the back of the museum, which shows...
Objects from Tombs: Over 1,000 tombs have been identified outside of the ancient city’s wall. About 100 were found decorated with frescoes or containing objects such as these.
• At the far end of the corridor, turn left to see...
The Tomb of the Diver: This is the museum’s treasure and the most precious Paestum find. Dating from 480 B.C., it’s not only the sole ancient Greek tomb fresco in the museum—it’s the only one ever found in southern Italy. Discovered in 1968, it has five frescoed slabs (four sides and a lid; the bottom wasn’t decorated). The Greeks saw death as a passage: diving from mortality into immortality...into an unknown world. Archaeologists believe that the pillars shown on the fresco represent the Pillars of Hercules at Gibraltar, which in ancient times defined the known world. The ocean beyond the Mediterranean was the great unknown...like the afterlife. The Greek banquet makes it clear that this was an aristocratic man.
• After the Tomb of the Diver, the next room displays...
Lucanian Tomb Frescoes: The many other painted slabs in the museum date from a later time, around 350 B.C., when Paestum fell under Lucanian rule. These frescoes are cruder than their earlier Greek counterpart. The people who conquered the Greeks tried to appropriate their art and style, but they lacked the Greeks’ distinctive light touch. Still, these offer fascinating glimpses into ancient life here at Paestum.
• Beyond this room, you’ll find yourself back at the entrance. Before you leave, go up the stairs by the bookshop for a glimpse at the mezzanine level, which focuses on prehistoric archaeology. The exhibit here has much better English translations than the ground floor. At the very least, check out the...
Film Footage from WWII: A 10-minute continuous film loop, subtitled in English, tells the story of Allied soldiers’ encounters with the ruins in 1943. You’ll see footage of soldiers hanging up their laundry and shaving in the temples, which they actually safeguarded well. Part of the film focuses on excavations directed by a British archaeologist who was attached to the invading forces.
Paestum at night, with views of the floodlit ruins, is magic. Accommodations here offer great value. You can sleep in a mansion for the same price you’d pay for a closet in Positano. The prices listed are for high season (which rise further in August). All have free parking.
$ Il Granaio dei Casabella, a converted old granary with 14 attractive, reasonably priced rooms, is a 10-minute walk from the ruins. It has a beautiful garden and pretty common areas, and four rooms have views of one of the ancient temples (Sb-€70, Db-€90, Tb-€110, Qb-€125, about €20 more per room mid-July-Aug, 10 percent discount for Rick Steves readers, air-con, Wi-Fi, just west of the bus stop closest to Salerno at Via Tavernelle 84, tel. 0828-721-014, www.ilgranaiodeicasabella.com, info@ilgranaiodeicasabella.com, hospitable Celardo family).
$ Hotel Villa Rita is a tidy, quiet country hotel set on two acres within walking distance of the beach and the temples. It has 22 rooms, a kid-friendly swimming pool, and attractive grounds with grassy lawns and a little soccer field (Sb-€70, Db-€90-100, €130 in Aug, third bed-€15, lunch or dinner-€20, Luigi promises a 10 percent discount with this book and cash in 2015, air-con, Wi-Fi, closed Nov-March, Via Nettuno 9, tel. 0828-811-081, www.hotelvillarita.it, info@hotelvillarita.it). The hotel is a 10-minute walk west of the Hera entrance and public bus stop, and a 20-minute walk from the train station (they can usually pick you up, if you’re arriving with luggage).
$ Hotel delle Rose, with 10 small, basic rooms with minuscule bathrooms, is near the Neptune entrance on the street bordering the ruins. It’s an acceptable choice for those on a budget and is also the option closest to the ruins and the train station (Sb-€35, Db-€60, Tb-€70, Qb-€85, Luigi promises these prices in 2015 if you mention this book and reserve directly with the hotel, air-con, Wi-Fi, Via Magna Grecia 943, tel. 0828-199-0692, www.hotelristorantedellerose.com, info@hotelristorantedellerose.com).
$ Agriturismo Seliano is a great option for drivers only. It offers plush public spaces, a pool, and 14 grand, spacious rooms on a peaceful, once-elegant farm estate that’s been in the same family for 300 years (Db-€70-90, €110 in Aug, air-con, guest computer, Wi-Fi, closed Nov-March; one mile north of ruins on main road—Via Magna Grecia—a small Azienda Agrituristica Seliano sign directs you down long dirt driveway; Via Seliano, tel. 0828-723-634, www.agriturismoseliano.it, seliano@agriturismoseliano.it). They serve a fine lunch or dinner with produce fresh from the garden (€20 for guests or €25 for non-guests, price includes all your drinks) and can also organize cooking classes. The place is run by Cecilia, an English-speaking baroness, and her family—including about a dozen dogs.
By Train: Ten slow, milk-run trains a day head to Salerno (30-40 minutes, €2.90) and Naples (1.5 hours, €5.50). In Salerno, you can change for the bus to Amalfi, or walk down to the harbor to catch an Amalfi- or Positano-bound boat. Buy your train ticket at the bar-café near the Paestum TI or various souvenir shops—the station is not staffed. The last train out is at 21:51 (recheck times at station).
By Bus to Salerno: Buses from Paestum to Salerno run roughly every hour (1 hour, last departure about 20:00, €3.40). Buy a ticket from one of the bars in Paestum, then go to either of the intersections that flank the ruins (see map on here), flag down any northbound bus, and ask, “Salerno?” From Salerno, you can continue on to Amalfi or Positano by boat, or walk up to the train station to catch an Amalfi-bound SITA bus or a train. Salerno’s TI has bus, ferry, and train schedules (Mon-Sat 9:00-13:00 & 15:00-19:00, closed Sun, shorter hours off-season, on Piazza Veneto, just outside train station, tel. 089-231-432, www.turismoinsalerno.it).
