Amalfi Coast Travel Advice from Amalfi 5 Stars

This full-day hiking tour along the Amalfi Coast takes you through its most iconic villages — Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello, Scala, Praiano and Positano — each offering unforgettable views and authentic local charm. The route winds through preserved mountain scenery enriched by ancient castles, historic villas and dramatic coastal panoramas.

You will explore chestnut forests, terraced lemon groves and vineyards, and discover rural chapels, traditional farmhouses and natural springs that feed village fountains with remarkably pure water. Along the way, observe local farming traditions and the food-to-table practices that have shaped the region's celebrated culinary heritage.

Walking through this area, you'll enjoy some of the most spectacular views of the Amalfi Coast and the Bay of Naples, surrounded by an almost Alpine landscape. Just minutes from glamorous boutiques and fine dining, you can step back in time and experience the simple, authentic lifestyle enjoyed by local families for generations.

This tour follows paths unknown to most guides and rarely mentioned in travel books. You will understand why the Amalfi Coast is Italy's most famous shoreline — even today, hidden from tourist crowds, there are still places where you can immerse yourself in nature and local culture.

NOTE: Distance 12.0 km · Approx. 6–7 hours walking · Height gain/loss: 500 m · Several extensions possible

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A large tour along the Coast, and of course it touches all the famous coastal villages, which are a must-see. You will visit the heart of the region, Amalfi, but also Atrani, the breathtaking views of Ravello, Scala, Praiano and of course Positano. You can walk through preserved mountainous scenery, accented by ancient castles and villas.

Explore chestnut forests and memorable countryside views, with wonderful terraced lemon groves and vineyards. Visit cultural treasures like rural chapels, ancient farmhouses, water that runs from the mountain into village fountains that would put the most expensive bottled water to shame. Observe the local farming and food to table practices that have created the benchmark for the best Italian food and culinary experiences in the world.

Walk in this area you will enjoy some of the most splendid views of the Amalfi Coast and the Bay of Naples while being immersed in an almost Alpine landscape. You will also surely enjoy the rural scenery, minutes from the glamorous shopping and fine dining you can step back in time and experience the simple luxuries enjoyed by the local people for centuries.

This tour shows you the paths most guides do not know about and most books don't write about! You will discover why the Amalfi Coast has become Italy's most famous coastline, hidden from bus-loads of tourists, there are still places to immerse yourself in the local culture, surrounded by nature.

NOTE: distance 12.0 km. Approx. 6-7 hours walking. Height gain and loss: 500 meters. (several extensions possible)

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Capri is the romantics' favourite. It is a dramatic rugged mountain soaring out of the sea at the tip of the Sorrento peninsula. When you get to the main port of Marina Grande, you might head straight to the town of Capri, taking the funicular, the ride will be just 5 minutes. There are also plenty of convertible taxis too if you've got luggage, but if you are on a day trip, walk up the zigzagged streets to the top. Stop often and look over the stone walls at the coastline below and the turquoise sea beyond. Another option is renting a scooter at the dock to tour around the isle.

The Piazzetta is the most crowded spot on the island, it is where visitors sit at restaurants under a ring of colourful umbrellas. These places charge a hefty price for even a glass of water, but they're the ultimate place to people watch.- The square is where those who come here to shop cross paths with nature-lovers and honeymooners. Along Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Cammerelle, you find all the nice shops. In front of the Quisisana Hotel, you might turn on the right and go to the Augusto Gardens or turning on the right to the Certosa di San Giacomo and the Punta Tragara: from there you will admire the famous Faraglioni rocks protruding from the sea.

From the town of Capri, you can walk, or take a taxi, to the ruins of Villa Jovis, about 2 km from the centre. This is the best-preserved of the 12 villas built on the isle by various Roman emperors. Villa Jovis is the one dedicated to Jupiter. Its architectural marvels include the Loggia Imperiale, a covered promenade on the edge of the cliff.

If you are willing to see the Blue Grotto instead you can take one of the group tour boats leaving from the main dock. You can just get off the boats and take a bus to the centre of Anacapri, the second town on the island. The church of San Michele is worth a visit including Monte Solaro.

From Anacapri, catch the chairlift to the highest point of the island - Monte Solaro: on a clear day, the matchless views encompass the whole stretch of coast and sea including Vesuvius and the gulfs of Naples and Salerno.

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The grotto was hidden for centuries until its discovery in 1932 by a local fisherman and it is the largest grotto along the coast, its ceiling at the highest point reaches 24meters. Daylight filters through an entranceway that lies almost 12 meters underwater, causing it to refract and change colour in peculiar green emerald light.

The cave offers extraordinary scenery: impressive caryatids figures and bas-reliefs all formations of stalagmites and stalactites. An interesting feature: the underwater pottery crib. If you are thinking to get married....an unusual civil ceremony may be held inside the world-famous Emerald Grotto.

Held at sunset, it will create a memory that will last a lifetime. The grotto can be visited by car and reaching the close by Conca Dei Marini or much better and more comfortable, participating in one of the daily boat excursions that leave from the Amalfi pier every hour.

Ask about the Emerald Grotto

he Villa Oplontis is located in the modern town of Torre Annunziata between Pompeii and Herculaneum. It is the largest ancient Roman suburban villa ever discovered. In the 1st century BC, Oplontis was already an elegant residential suburb of nearby Pompeii The very rich had their countryside villas here, and the very name might come from the Latin opulentia, or opulence. This vast villa complex is believed to have belonged to Poppaea Sabina the wife of Emperor Nero.

The site of the villa was first discovered in the 18th century: sections of the villa complex still remain excavated to this day due to its proximity to the modern fabric of the town. Originally constructed around the middle of the first century BC the villa was based on the design of a Roman atrium-style house. It was later extended during the reign of Nero with a large outdoor swimming pool and was undergoing restoration work when it was finally buried in the eruption of 79 AD.

he Villa Oplontis is momentous for its sheer size, as well as outdoor garden areas, pergolas and portico's, more than one hundred rooms have thus far been excavated. The rooms are themselves renowned for their sumptuous frescoes representing architecture embellished with masks, birds, baskets of flowers and fruit. The greatest feature is the villa's absolutely superb decorations: frescoes, stucco work, and mosaics have been left in situ, unlike in Pompeii or Herculaneum where, except in the latest excavations, they were removed to museums. Most of the interior was lavishly painted and many of the frescoes are still in very good repair.

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La Reggia Designer Outlet is a new fashion village of the leading designer labels and it is the first outlet in Campania and in Southern Italy for top designer labels where fashion is presented in over 80 boutiques in an elegant and relaxing atmosphere.

Situated in Marcianise, close by to Caserta , only 30 Km from the city of Naples, within easy reach of the A1 motorway. It could offer an extraordinary shopping experience for all the people who wish to discover fashion, style and the best quality that only the most prestigious labels and most famous designer brands can guarantee. It brings visitors a wonderful collection of the best Italian brands offering fashion, top quality clothing, accessories, footwear, perfumes and cosmetics, hi-tech sports and much more, all day every day at amazing prices.

Remember..."Fashion fades, only style remains the same".

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Although the tradition of nativity scenes -- called "presepio" in Italy -- dates back to the 13th century, the art form really reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries when the aristocracy competed to acquire figurines for their mangers, modelled by the famous sculptors of the time. All the great names of sculpture participated in this game, creating the terra-cotta parts of the figurines (usually the head and limbs).

These were then mounted on a mannequin of wire and "stoppa" (fibre) by craftsmen and richly dressed in precious silk clothes embroidered with gold. Only the wealthier aristocrats could purchase such works of art, and all others had to make do with copies produced by nativity craftsmen. These skilled artists-artisans were sculptors, goldsmiths, tailors, and scenographers, who created everything from the figures to the complicated settings -- grottoes, buildings, rivers, and ponds combining their crafts into the first examples of multimedia art.

These figures, which depicted popular characters and scenes, created somewhat faithful renditions of society at the time. The "presepio" tradition is still alive today, and Neapolitan mangers continue to go beyond typical nativity representations to depict current historical and political happenings. Among the figures, you'll find on sale are such recognizable characters as Lady Diana, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and even Versace. "Via San Gregorio Armeno" near the "Duomo" (Cathedral) is where most of the historic workshops, along with several merchants, are located.

The artisans who have carried on their crafts from father to son have organized into a guild that protects their traditions, but only a few of them have survived the times. In the shops along this street, you'll find everything from characters and rocks, grottoes and miniature street lamps. At the back of the few authentic laboratories, you'll also find figurines carefully crafted in different sizes, from amazingly precise half-inch miniatures to life-size figures, to realistic sceneries. While commercial mangers come in a variety of prices, don't forget all the real thing is rather expensive.

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Forty meters below the characteristic and lively streets of the Historic Centre of Naples, you find a different world, unexplored, isolated by time, but deeply connected with the world above. It's the heart of Naples and the place from which the city was born. When you visit, it's like to travel to the past, a world 2400 years old. Every historic epic, from the foundation of Neapolis to the bombs of the II World War that has left marks on the walls of the yellow tufa stone where Naples has its foundations. You can visit here The Greek-Roman Aqueduct.

Going down 136 steps, low and comfortable, you will reach a depth of about 40 meters below ground, where you find a few of the tuffaceous cavities excavated in the Greek era (IV centuries BC.), and exploited as cisterns for the water supply of Naples city for approximately 23 centuries. The environment is spacious and illuminated, except for a short segment that is full of charm because each person is given a candle to light their own path.

You can visit the air-raid shelters from the Second World War, the War Museum and the Hypogeum Gardens, a new project which the association of Naples underground offers to its visitors as well as multiple educational and scientific activities. In fact in the darkness of Naples underground, 35 meters deep, there is life.

Visit the remains of the Roman Theatre. Walking into a typical Neapolitan house, commonly called "low", because it is located at street level of the city. Once inside, just open a hatch underneath a bed for access to the remains of the ancient theatre of Neapolis, where the emperor Nero also had his private dressing room, whenever he performed his shows in Naples.

Visit the Summa Cavea and other new discoveries that you'll enjoy only when you are inside the ancient Naples Underground. The tours start from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm every day and only on Thursday do you have available a special tour in the night starting at 9:00 pm.

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Only 6km north of Amalfi, Scala is the oldest settlement in the area and was, together with Amalfi and Ravello, the centre of the Amalfi Maritime Republic. A fortified town, its two castles - one guarding inland approaches, the other overlooking the sea - were connected by walls that enclosed the town completely. Some medieval palaces remain, such as Palazzo d'Afflitto with its beautiful tower, where you can see an interesting bath in Arab-Sicilian style, covered by an elegant dome on arches similar to the one inside Palazzo Rufolo in Ravello.

You can also visit Casa Romano, noted for its imposing entrance. While the first floor has been left as it was in medieval times, the second floor was completely redone and decorated with frescoes during the baroque period. The 12th century Duomo, dedicated to St. Lorenzo Martire, is an impressive church that was redone in 1615 and restored in 1980. A Romanesque portal and medieval sculptures decorate the facade; inside, the majolica floor is still in good condition.

From the right nave, a staircase descends to the crypt, which boasts a unique, surprisingly bright architecture. Some of the best art pieces are conserved here, including the 14th-century funerary monument for Marinella Rufolo, erected by her husband Antonio Coppola and uniquely decorated with coloured enamel.

Be sure to note the 13th-century crucifix over the main altar. Around Scala, you can also visit the several separate villages built on the surrounding hills. Each is a smaller replica of Scala's defensive structure -- protected by two castles, one facing the sea and one guarding inland. All of these smaller villages can be reached by car of course, but also on foot, using the network of footpaths connecting them. These provide an excellent opportunity for short hikes.

One of the easiest and most rewarding is the walk to the village of Minuta, only 1km south of Scala, where you will find the Chiesa Della Santissima Annunziata, probably Scala's original cathedral. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, this church is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture on the whole Amalfi Coast.

If you come here, be sure to visit the crypt, where you will find an important cycle of 12th-century frescoes, including a Christ Pantocrator that accurately represents Byzantine style. Note that the church is only opened for mass on Sunday (9:30-10:30 am). Another is the walk from Campidoglio di Scala – one of the villages connected to Scala, at an altitude of 470mts. the first part is the ridge trail, extremely scenic and not very arduous. You can make the walk more challenging by descending all the way to Amalfi.

Along the way, you will find, on your left, the ruins of the 12th century Church of Sant'Eustachio. The trail continues through a natural rock formation in the form of an amphitheatre, showing the ruins of an ancient fortification, called Castello. It finally reaches the waterfalls at the top of the Vallone delle Ferriere of Amalfi.

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"Le Nereidi" is a park-like spa with the most panoramic view of Amalfi. You will have breathtaking views of the entire Amalfi Coast.

There you will also find a lovely swimming pool (25 meters x 8 meters) with a small Jacuzzi, a beautiful garden to relax in and plenty of open space to explore. Enjoy your ice drink at American Bar too, when you are sunbathing.

What better way to spend your day relaxing in a pristine location.

We have a private shuttle service that will pick you up from your villa, apartment or Hotel.

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Attend a private cooking class with talented local chefs in the heart of the Amalfi Coast. Exceed your expectations on how to make typical Italian dishes. You can learn many things to include how to make pasta and eggplant Parmesan. The chefs are fun, talented and a great teacher too; for sure you'll be excited to spend time with them.

The authentic products are phenomenal and will be one of your best meals of the trip. It was a wonderful experience mixing local cocktails with a huge bartender too!

This event is designed for prospective guests who are interested in learning more about the Italian tradition and authentic Culinary and Pastry Arts.

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