Amalfi Coast

Protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its outstanding Mediterranean landscape and exceptional cultural significance, the Amalfi Coast is one of the most celebrated stretches of seafront in Europe, offering unrivalled scenery, fabulous food and chic Italian glamour.

The Amalfi Coast is all about drama, the coastal mountains plunging into the sea in a vertical landscape of precipitous crags, terraced lemon groves and picturesque towns. At one end lies Sorrento, ideally placed for day trips to Naples, Mt Vesuvius and the ruins of Pompeii. The road south to Amalfi is Italy’s dream drive, snaking around impossibly tight curves, over deep ravines and through tunnels gouged out of solid rock.

Positano is perhaps the prettiest of the Amalfi Coast towns, a jumble of pastel-coloured houses that spill down a maze of narrow alleyways lined with designer boutiques and restaurants that pull in the Italian glitterati. Amalfi itself is so small and pretty it’s hard to believe it was once a maritime superpower, while Ravello, perched 1,100 feet above Amalfi, offers breathtaking views and spectacular gardens.

Capri has been a favoured summer playground since the time of the Romans and continues to dazzle with its fabulous food, high-end shopping, panoramic views and shimmering sea cave, the Grotta Azzurra.