Positano

This westernmost town along the Amalfi Coast has clearly been discovered, as you can tell by the chic fashions and yacht-tanned people wearing them.

It’s easy to understand Positano’s attraction when you see its flower-draped pastel houses tumbling down the steep hillside to the beach.

Grotta dello Smeraldo (Emerald Cave)

Like the Blue Grotto in Capri, sunlight shining through the water causes it to look as though it were lit from within, in this case in an emerald-green glow.

The water is so clear that it is possible to see through to the bottom.

Amalfi

Amalfi’s vertiginous streets, belvederes, cascading flowers, and ever-changing views of the blue sea below make Amalfi one of Italy’s most delightful places to visit. Almost as trendy as Positano’s, Amalfi’s Marina Grande has its share of glam.

Ravello

From Atrani, just east of Amalfi, a winding road climbs through orange-groves to Ravello, an old town in a superb site overlooking the sea.

The lush gardens, which once surrounded its villas are now parks, each one with a better viewpoint than the last.

Villa Rafulo

The gray stone tower opposite the cathedral is the gate to a villa whose gardens and terrace views inspired Wagner’s magic garden of Klingsor in Parsifal.

Villa Cimbrone Gardens

Past the church of San Francesco, which has a Romanesque cloister, and the church of Santa Chiara, you’ll find Villa Cimbrone.  An avenue runs through its beautiful park to the Belvedere Cimbrone with incomparable views of the Amalfi coast.

Vallone delle Ferriere

For a break from beaches, one of the unique things to do on the Amalfi coast is to hike through the deep valley named for the medieval foundries. The trail begins inland in Pontone, off the road to Ravello, and ends six kilometers later in Amalfi.

Salerno

At the eastern end of the Amalfi peninsula where the hills drop steeply into the Gulf of Salerno is the site of the ancient Salernum, now Salerno. Salerno became the seat of the Fascist government during World War II.

Walking the Sentiero degli Dei

Another way to see this coast, and the best for those in the good physical condition who have the time, is on foot or a combination of walking and bus travel. Walking paths, stone stairways, and ancient mule paths wind along the coast, and you’ll walk through forests, lemon groves, wildflowers, and tiny villages, with almost constant sea views.