AMALFI COAST

Amalfi Coast

We continue to debate whether the most beautiful place we have been is the California coast from Big Sur to Carmel or the Amalfi Coast. Herewith, an argument for the Amalfi Coast.

Positano

Perhaps the most photographed of Mediterranean towns, Positano is the gateway to the stunning Amalfi Coast. As you can see in Places to Stay - Positano or Places to Eat - Positano, it offers a full spectrum of lodging, food, and shopping. It's best seen in May and very early June or in September and early October, although we are hoping to be there at Christmastime some year for the way its residents light their homes and its relatively balmy weather, similar to Santa Monica in the U.S.

If you're planning a stay anywhere on the coast, Positano will be the most convenient from your hotel. There are splendid places to stay along the coast (listed for convenience under Places to Stay - Positano), but most require a hotel coach or shuttle to reach town and are inhabited by folks who want to get away from it all, and we do mean all. If that's your desire, choose one; even Sirenuse is in the middle of Positano, and you will hear the sounds of relaxation (and scooters) throughout the day and evening.

(One travel web site describes Positano as "a shanty bazaar on a hillside." With San Pietro and Le Sirenuse, the Emporio Le Sirenuse that is Suzy Gershman's favorite shop in Italy, and some spectacular ceramics for those willing to walk a bit - with Da Gemma, Donna Rosa and Don Alfonso restaurants (the latter one of only 3 3-star restaurants in Italy), and the Amalfi coast drive, we reckon the webmaster of that site should stick to photography - gee, 2.1 megapixels - and pretentious food presentations.)

Your walk from the Eden Roc or Le Sirenuse to the main part of Positano will pass these sights (and the ones in Places to Stay - Positano).

You'll also pass shop items set out on the sidewalk walls to catch your attention, and you'll pose for pictures with the town in the background (even if, in direct contradiction of your Italian friends who say the weather is perfect the last week of May, it's raining that day).

Ravello

Ravello is where the rich, or at least self-rewarding, folk go when they don't stay at Sirenuse or San Pietro or Santa Caterina (this last where Angelina and Brad stayed while filming Mr. and Mrs. Smith), the stop for those who do not want the crowds of Amalfi or Positano. Its elevation far above the sea gives it a reasonable climate in the brutal summers; so it's the only reasonable choice if you're forced to be there in July or August. However, with the tourist diesel buses pouring in from the rest of Europe. you'll want to stay firmly in your hotel and the piazza and not venture out.

For budget travelers, there is another reason not to stay here - the single public bus in and out, in which, according to one guide, 500 people vie for space on a bus seating a tenth that.

Above left - the Church in the piazza in Ravello, on Confirmation Sunday, a great treat despite the clouds that day. On the right, a famous postcard shot from castle ruins. And the don't-miss cameo shop in the piazza.

DO NOT drive yourself from Amalfi up to Ravello unless you are driving a very small sportscar and are a patient driver. Take a cab in Amalfi or car and driver from your hotel in Positano.

The view from 'infinity point' at the Villa Cimbroni, demonstrating Ravello's elevation. Take a left at the main square and walk out to the end, following the clear signage. An incredible view. (It's a brisk walk, with up and down steps. Kaye's mom handled it well, but it was taxing.)

In addition to the incredible views down and out, there is a marvelous walk of busts and benches and statues that make you wish you were, well, rich. On the right above, Kaye and her mom pose for the usual photo. The views of the Mediterranean from many spots in Ravello, and all the hotels we list in Places to Stay - Positano, are beyond description.

Amalfi

The town of Amalfi is not picturesque and boasts very few shops which are other than souvenir caches (although we think it has the best souvenir shops in Italy); its aspect on the sea is limited and uncharming, but the piazza does have the oft-photographed cathedral (usually being repaired inside and/or out), and it is the home of the restaurant Da Gemma, making it a mecca for us food obsessed. So it's not a destination but a place to wander through before or after lunch, when you've been to Ravello and are killing a little time before Bellinis at San Pietro.

San Pietro
This is not a town or village but a famous hotel, which we cover in Places to Stay - Positano, where it's located; but it is a destination, for its Bellinis, its benches, and its private beach hundreds of feet below the hotel.

Maybe you can't afford to stay at San Pietro (although at 530 to 1150 Euros (January, 2008 for High Season 2008) its rates are somewhat less than Sirenuse and the hotels in Ravello). Grab a drink in the lounge on your way back from Amalfi. Children under ten are not welcome, as indeed is the case at most of the fanciest resort hotels on the coast.

We were surprised to discover that there are a whole bunch of benches around the terrace with its magnificent views, not just the one on the cover of every book about the Amalfi Coast.

Yes, the Amalfi Coast is a must-see in your lifetime, after Venice and Rome, and Florence for the historical/artistic.

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