Amalfi Coast A Paradise

THE AMALFI COAST

CAMPANIA, ITALY

The vertiginous Amalfi Drive is a 30-mile stretch of hairpin curves that unfurls between Amalfi and Sorrento. Cliffs plunge into an impossibly blue Mediterranean, as a coastline of seaside towns and some of Italy’s most precipitously-sited and glamorous retreats unfold among terraced olive and lemon groves and umbrella pines.Tiny, picturesque Amalfi was the heart of a powerful maritime republic as early as the 9th century. A hint of the east shows up in its Duomo di Sant’Andrea .

Ravello, perched 1,100 feet above Amalfi, is aptly described as “the place where poets go to die.” Two romantic gardens—the Villa Rufolo and the Villa Cimbrone—are a stroll away from the 12th-century Moorish-inspired Palazzo Sasso hotel. You can get lost in the limitless views of the cerulean sea and sky from the balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows of the beautifully appointed guest rooms. The wraparound views from the infinity pool of the nearby Hotel Caruso make it appear to float above the sea from the highest point in town and are reason enough to make this your home. For the best trattoria fare in town, follow the aroma of simmering tomato sauce and roast lamb to Cumpà Cosimo for delicious, full-flavored Neapolitan cooking and local white wines.

Cliffside Positano is a jumble of converted whitewashed and colored fishermen’s houses that spill down a maze of narrow alleyways to the pebbly umbrella-lined beach. The Hotel le Sirenuse, a Pompeiian-red 18th-century villa draped in bougainvillea and honey-suckle, is operated by the same aristocratic family whose summer retreat this once was. Floors are paved in cool, hand-painted tiles, and a mingling of precious antiques enhances the hotel’s personal elegance. Or travel just minutes out of town to the Hotel San Pietro, carved dramatically into a precipitous cliff. An elevator cut into solid rock descends to the airy lobby, terraced guest rooms, and the vest-pocket-size beach for guests. For a more affordable stay, few places have the views and charms of the family-run Casa Albertina.

Hop onto the motorboat for a 10-minute ride to the outdoor Da Adolfo for lunch of fresh grilled mozzarella di bufala and spaghetti with plump baby clams, then pull up a beach chair on the tiny beach and sleep it off.

The hazy outline of Mount Vesuvius dominates the view from cliff-top Sorrento, favored among 19th-century British travelers for its mild winters. At the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, marble staircases, elaborate Art Nouveau frescoes, and white-gloved service ensure that guests feel as enveloped in luxury as in that golden age. Save one evening for the 15-minute drive to Sant’Agata, where Alfonso and Livia Iaccarino’s acclaimed hillside restaurant, Don Alfonso 1890, promises a magical evening.

WHERE: Amalfi is 38 miles/61 km southeast of Naples.