Lure of the Amalfi Coast

As soon as you arrive on the Amalfi coast it’s easy to see why high rollers, writers and film stars have been drawn to this idyllic stretch of Italian coast for the past 200 years.

The southern slopes of the Lattari mountains descend so steeply into the sea between the villages of Positano and Vietri sul Mare that they often become cliffs. They are split by dizzying ravines, which are, in turn, often overhung with imposing bulwarks of rock. The place should be practically inaccessible. But the relative isolation this harsh landscape affords also means the fishing villages, hill villages and maritime towns built on and under these slopes have been able to hold on to their charm and beauty as stubbornly as they’ve clung on to the mountains on which they’re so precariously built.
It is an undeniably beautiful part of the world; a seductive combination of sea, lemon groves, vineyards and towns imbued with the faded grandeur of a gracefully ageing ballerina. Sophia Loren lives here and were she to resemble a place, I guess, quite suitably, this would be it.
The downside of such a unique situation and character is, of course, the Riviera price tag, often as steep as the Lattari mountains themselves. But the Amalfi coast is small, no more than 20 miles from end to end. The astonishing coastal road, meanwhile, built by Ferdinand II in 1853, is fantastically well served by SITA buses. All of which means that it is still possible to experience the most famous parts of this coast without paying its famous prices.
Staying in either Ravello or Positano will also tend to break the bank, which is why we kicked off in nearby Maiori from which all the best spots on the coast can be easily reached by boat, bus or hire car. Being slightly off the Amalfi radar also means that for a third of the price of a hotel in Ravello, we got a room with a sea view and one of the largest beaches on the coast less than a minute’s walk from the lobby.
For all these plus points, Maiori does have a spot of the Blackpools about it. At night, some of the hotels aren’t shy with their sound systems while the rows of gaming machines along the beach can leave you feeling you’ve taken your passeggiata along the North pier rather than one of Italy’s most desirable coastlines.
Our search for something a little quieter took us to the beautifully calm Costa Diva, a hotel run by two brothers just outside Praiano, a perfect and well situated budget alternative to the better known towns either side of it.
We fell in love with Praiano immediately.
Our most bizarre discovery was the Africana nightclub. It is carved into the cliff below the coastal road beside the beach. You can’t help feeling you’ve arrived in the lair of an especially camp Bond villain.

Owen Sheers