The Amazing Amalfi Coast

August 24, 2021

Italy's Amalfi Coast is a huge tourist mecca for millennia, and once and for all reason. This small part of southwest Italian coastline has caught the imagination of humans for generations. Indeed, Capri, a small island off the coast, was a popular resort during the time of the Roman Republic. Emperors and governors built massive villas and estates there. Emperor Tiberius permanently relocated to Capri to run the vast Roman empire from his villas until his death higher than a decade later.

The island of Capri and the famous Blue Grotto make an excellent kick off point for a comprehensive investigation of the region. Popular trips with limited time usually begin in the city of Naples, that visitors can take a hydrofoil directly to Capri. After a couple of days on Car service from Rome to Amalfi coast Capri, a shorter ferry can get you directly to the mainland, to the quaint town of Sorrento. I absolutely fell in deep love with this town when I visited as a teenager. Rome was too big, Naples was smaller but still a bit too large, Capri was too small and isolated due to the island nature, but Sorrento was just right. A quiet put on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sorrento is replete with dramatic sea cliffs, luxurious hotels, and innumerable kinds of Limoncello. If you're vulnerable to wandering, you can also find fantastic little isolated hole-in-the-wall eateries where you will have the best food you have ever endured in your complete life.

Mid-way between Naples and Sorrento are the famous ruins of Herculaneum, Pompeii, and the impressive Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD the volcano had a catastrophic eruption, and these neighboring areas were destroyed and completely buried in over 60 feet of ash Car service from Rome to Amalfi coast. The whole process took only 2 days. The towns remained untouched and completely buried until their accidental discovery in the 1700s. Due to the rapid and complete ash burial, the entire site is remarkably well preserved. Pompeii offer visitors a snapshot into what life might have been like in a Roman coastal town at the height of Rome's grandeur. I recall that the colors on the wall mosaics were still very vivid. The city merely seems 100-200 years old, not the 2000 years of age that it actually is. Yet the plaster casts of victims fleeing the town, have been trapped and engulfed in ash and flame, are sobering reminders of the human tragedy that occurred. Pompeii had a population of 20,000 during the time, and Herculaneum had nearly 4000. With little warning, and little chance of escape, many people lost their lives in the ensuing disaster.

Another highlight of the Amalfi Coast is, obviously, the coastline itself. Tiny, winding roads are frequented by absurdly large bus drivers who seem to understand every inch of the road. They pilot their buses at top speed with inches to spare on either side. I recall being quite impressed with both their finely honed driving skills and their obvious lack of fear. The jagged cliffs drop a huge selection of feet to the sea, but these were not bothered in the slightest. This truly is a stunning landscape.

From the coast, many Italy tours will send you via bus to points north, almost certainly Rome. You can see the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, explore the Colosseum in the town center, and walk the numerous piazzas. You may have just experienced the quintessential trip to southern Italy, and seen the sunny coastline in most its glory. Odds are, you will undoubtedly be back for more.