Naples to Amalfi: Southern Italy’s Gold Coast

Sorrento

If visiting the Amalfi Coast, we recommend staying in this city as it is more central to other areas of Italy and has the best, most affordable accommodation options for the Amalfi Coast. You could stay in Positano but it can feel a bit touristy and crowded, as well as Amalfi itself. To start your day in Sorrento, visit the moss-covered ruined mill nestled in a deep volcanic valley, Vallone dei Mulini. Head into the city center to Piazza Tasso and grab a morning coffee and pastry before heading down to the beautiful Port of Sorrento. Continue to have a relaxing morning in the Villa Comunale Gardens with panoramic coastal views and a 14th-century Cloister of San Francesco. After lunch, visit Sorrento’s historical sites like the Greek Gate and Torquato Tassi square, followed by a stroll through elegant Villa Fiorentino Park and Sorrento Cathedral. To finish off, do some window shopping along Via Fuoro, Via dell’Academia and Via San Cesareo to browse local boutiques.

Amalfi and Ravello

Amalfi and Ravello are quite close to each other so it is recommended to visit those on the same day. Amalfi is a good place to start as it is only 1.5 hours from Sorrento. Start your adventure in the historic center where you can view the Duomo di Amalfi (and take some pictures on its many steps) as well as the adjoining Piazza Duomo. If you’re interested in learning about the history of papermaking, check out the Museo della Carta before walking through the main shopping street, Trattoria da Maria. After lunch, take a 30-minute bus ride to Ravello. Visit VIlla Rufolo and walk through the cascading gardens. You must visit Villa Cimbrone, which is famous for the Terrace of Infinity where you’ll have breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. Before leaving Ravello and heading back to Sorrento, grab some lemon treats in the central piazza.

Capri

Next to Sorrento, Capri was our second favorite location along the Amalfi Coast. Take an early boat from Sorrento and start your day at the top of the island in Anacapri, as most tourists start in Marina Grande and work their way up. First, visit Villa San Michele which houses several stunning artifacts and has amazing views of the turquoise waters surrounding the island. While the line is short in the earlier hours of the morning, take the chairlift up to Mount Solaro for more panoramic views of the island and the iconic Faraglioni rocks. For those who may be afraid of heights, the chairlift takes about 12 minutes, moves very slowly, and the ground is only a few feet away from your dangling feet for a majority of the ride until you get to the peak of the mountain. After the ride and stopping for lunch, head out to the Blue Grotto. There are several tours that will take you inside or on boat rides past it. However, we found that simply viewing it from the platform above was sufficient (especially given choppy waters weren’t allowing anyone near or inside it) rather than paying for the boat entry, which can tend to have very long waits. Afterward, head toward the stunning Gardens of Augustus for beautiful terraces and then take a scenic walk along the Belvedere Tragara and Pizzulungo for more breathtaking views of the coastline and rocks. Capri has plenty of shopping opportunities from perfume (Carthusia has wonderful smelling handmade soaps, perfumes, and lotions) and handmade sandals (I got a custom pair from Cuccurullo) so check out Piazzetta di Capri for your shopping needs. To get back to port, take a fun ride on the funicular back to Marina Grande to get back on the ferry.

Day trip

Naples:

A 1.5 to 2 hour train ride away, you can visit Naples either from Rome on the way to Sorrento or from Sorrento directly. Depending on your interests, there are a few ways to enjoy your day trip. If you’re more into city experiences, stick around Centro Storico where you can explore the narrow streets of Spaccanapoli, view the Duomo di Napoli and Christmas alley of Via San Gregorio Armeno. Additionally, you can view the world-class Museo Archelogico Nazionale to view ancient Roman artifacts. After lunch at a famous pizzeria, visit Via Toledo and the vibrant Spanish Quarter and then walk over to the Galleria Umberto I to gaze at the Belle Époque architecture. Continue walking to view the medieval Castel Nuovo and then the Piazza del Plebiscito and Palazzo Reale. As the sun starts to set, take a walk or sit along the shore of the Lungomare di Napoli, taking in the views of Vesuvius from across the bay. If you’re more of a history buff, then dedicate your day trip to exploring the remarkably preserved ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. If you start in the morning, you’ll be able to see both. We recommend grabbing a packed lunch into Pompeii as there are picnic areas and the food options around the site aren’t great. Pompeii will take about 4-6 hours, while Herculaneum will take about 1-3 hours.

Sorrento

1. La Cantinaccia del Popolo - easily one of my favorite restaurants in the world. It is VERY popular. People start lining up at least 30 minutes before opening to ensure they get seated in the first round as the restaurant doesn’t take reservations. We went twice during our stay and always lined up before 6:30 but always just missed the first seating by one or two groups. The owner and staff are lovely. The owner serves wine and cheese/bread to everyone waiting in line, which is really nice. In terms of food and drinks, everything we had was very good. Even the fruit cheesecake special dessert we got on our first dining experience was fantastic and my favorite dessert of the trip. They also will give some tables a complimentary shot of limoncello or pompelmocello (which is the grapefruit version) at the end of the meal.

2. Inn Bufalito - this was also one of the best meals we had across Italy. We ordered the ricotta balls with focaccia, gnocchi alla Sorrentina (a Sorrento staple) and the chef special which was a porcini and black truffle pasta. All of it was very good. Additionally, once our server realized I spoke some Italian (which is apparently very rare from tourists visiting the region), he gave us some complimentary drinks (Sorrento’s version of aperol spritz) which was a very nice gesture.

3. D’Anton - We stumbled upon this lounge while walking around the area. We sat on the patio on a not super busy street. It had a very lovely vibe as it also functions as an event/design studio so the place is wonderfully decorated. It was a nice way to spend a few hours, sipping on great drinks with some tasty bar snacks.

Capri

Pizzeria Aumm Aumm - this restaurant had a very lovely vibe. We sat outside in the courtyard where they had plenty of lemon trees growing in the back. Being in Capri, we had to try at least one lemon dish. Thus, we ordered their lemon risotto, a caprese salad (another Capri staple) and a margherita pizza. All of the food was very delicious and we would happily return if back in Capri.

Amalfi

Taverna Buonvicino - hidden up the side of one of the many hills in Amalfi is this lovely restaurant. Definitely make a reservation if planning to go for dinner or plan to get there immediately at opening for lunch as it became quite crowded and they started seating reservations only. This was one of my favorite meals due to the mussels paccheri and the anchovy spaghetti. The seafood is top notch of course given the proximity to the sea. This is one place you should not miss.

Naples

Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo - this place is in the Michelin guide with a line going down the block hours before opening for a reason. If you love pizza and want to get it from the place it all started, you must visit Pizzeria Gino Sorbillo. We got there about 30-45 minutes before opening, which was perfect timing as we were able to get into the restaurant on the first go. I heard on our way out that the wait was over an hour. We ordered two different pizzas (a margherita and one with pancetta) with Peronis as our drink, and it was a fantastic meal. If you only have one meal in Naples, make this your stop.