The Amalfi Coast, famed for its beautiful coastline with towns and villages perched on jagged cliffs, attracts tourists from all over. Stretching 50km south of the Sorrentine Peninsula, the towns along the coast are linked by a narrow road with sharp twists and turns. With limited options to travel by bus or boat during the off peak season, the four of us made a booking for a private excursion with a driver from www.sorrentocars.com to take us for a day’s experience of the Amalfi Coast, stopping at three towns along the way: Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.
from Sorrento to Positano: (left) natural formation of a facial profile looking out to sea; (right) historical watchtower built for the lookout for pirates
Positano
Positano, known as the ‘gem of the coast’ and my personal favourite out of the three towns, is truly a picturesque town with multicoloured houses stacked on top of each other against the cliff. It is a lovely walk down the narrow streets decorated with boutiques, to Spiaggia Grande, the main beach and port of Positano.
the view of Positano as we approach the town
miniature Positano
sights along our stroll towards the beach: shaded alleys & stairways, floral patterned fashion boutiques, sign posts, &… cats
view from Spiaggia Grande of the town built against the hillside
boat excursions to Capri and around
boats of Positano
waves-a-breaking on shore
Amalfi
Amalfi, the next town we stop at is characterized by its historical Duomo at the heart of the town.
view of Amalfi and its harbour
Duomo di Amalfi (Cathedral of Amalfi)
Sant’Andrea (Saint Andrew’s) Fountain at Piazza Duomo
(left) streets of Amalfi town; (right) Porta della Marina, the old gateway to the sea
limoncello & everything that’s lemon
statue of Flavio Gioja, the inventor of the compass according to myth but modern findings disputes that he ever existed
Ravello
Ravello, the quietest of the 3 towns, sits high in the hills and has been the ‘town of inspiration’ to many artists. Here we visit Villa Rufolo, a famous villa with its attractive gardens, named after the original owners of the Rufolo family in the 13th century. Today, the gardens is the venue for classical concerts including the Ravello Festival every summer, in honour of Wagner, whose inspiration for his music came from these gardens.
flowers decorating the walls and stairway
overlooking the blue waters of the Tyrhennian Sea
the gardens of Villa Rufolo
where sea and sky merge
Torre Maggiore in the oldest part of the complex
Hi,
I must reach to the photographer of the Positano photos in this page.
Please e-mail to me…
I think this is my favourite out of all the albums on your blog…the beauty of this place is AMAZING…i must go one day! Pics are really clear…good job and keep it up!
agree with Aida.. This place will be in my ‘must visit’ list.. (^^)v
yup it is a very pretty place…. would suggest visiting in Apr/May or Sept though as the weather is best then (not too hot with clear skies), instead of Nov like I did as it did drizzle when I was there
Positano is prime location along the Amalfi coast and one of the finest locations. However another fantastic picturesque town which rarely gets a mention when talking Amalfi coast is the town of Cetara! Stunning views especially at night! Worth taking a trip there!
If you go to Cetara make sure you buy a small bottle of “colatura di alici”, with the recipe to make a sauce for pasta with it. It’s a unique local dish.