AmalfiCoast
3
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Campania is southern Italy at its most extraordinary. A region of ancient history, dramatic coastal scenery and one of the world's great food cultures. Naples is one of Europe's most misunderstood cities, dismissed by tourists who have never truly explored it and loved fiercely by those who have. The Amalfi Coast is genuinely as beautiful as its reputation suggests, if experienced correctly. This 3-day route covers the hidden layers of Campania. Naples underground, where Greek and Roman cities survive beneath the modern streets. The Amalfi Coast from the sea and the clifftop paths above it, far from the traffic-jammed coast road. And the extraordinary Greek temples of Paestum, more intact than anything in Greece itself, standing in a field that almost nobody visits.
Best Time To Visit
May to June or September to October
Getting There
Fly into Naples (NAP)
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 90 to 150 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
NAPLES HIDDEN
MORNING
NAPOLI SOTTERRANEA, THE CITY BENEATH THE CITY
Naples has been continuously inhabited for over 2,700 years and the result is one of the most extraordinary underground cities in the world. Napoli Sotterranea is a network of Greek quarries, Roman cisterns, medieval passages and World War II air raid shelters running beneath the entire historic centre. The tour descends 40 metres below the modern streets and passes through tunnels so narrow you must walk sideways. Entry approx 13 euros. One of the most extraordinary experiences in Italy. Drive: 10 min walk to Spaccanapoli
MIDDAY
SPACCANAPOLI AND THE HIDDEN NAPLES
The Spaccanapoli is the dead straight street that splits Naples in two, following the exact route of the ancient Greek city's main road from 500 BC. Walk its entire length and turn left and right to find the extraordinary hidden Naples. The Cappella Sansevero contains the Cristo Velato, a marble sculpture of Christ under a transparent veil so extraordinary that scientists have struggled to explain how it was carved. Entry approx 8 euros and one of the greatest sculptures in Italian art. Drive: 15 min walk to historic centre
AFTERNOON
THE HIDDEN COURTYARDS OF THE SPANISH QUARTER
The Spanish Quarter is one of the most densely inhabited urban landscapes in Europe, a grid of narrow alleys between 16th-century tenement blocks where washing lines cross overhead and street shrines to Diego Maradona stand beside those to the Madonna. Walk slowly, turn into every courtyard door that opens, and find the extraordinary private worlds concealed behind the street facades. End at the Via San Gregorio Armeno, the street of craftsmen who make the extraordinary Neapolitan nativity scene figures.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Museo Nazionale di Napoli contains the most important collection of Greek and Roman art in the world, including the entire contents of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The Farnese Hercules, the Alexander Mosaic and the extraordinary Secret Cabinet of erotic art from Pompeii are all here. Entry approx 15 euros and far less visited than its extraordinary contents deserve.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Gambrinus, Naples The oldest and most beautiful cafe in Naples, on the Piazza del Plebiscito since 1860. The sfogliatella pastry is extraordinary. | Lunch: Pizzeria Sorbillo, Naples The most celebrated pizza restaurant in Naples. Neapolitan pizza was invented in this city. The queue moves fast. Worth every minute. | Dinner: Trattoria da Nennella, Naples The most beloved traditional trattoria in Naples. The menu changes daily, prices are extraordinary and the chaos is part of the experience.
DAY 2
THE AMALFI COAST
MORNING
MIDDAY
THE HIDDEN COVES OF THE AMALFI COAST BY BOAT
The Amalfi Coast is best seen from the water, where the cliff villages and sea grottos are inaccessible from the road. Local boats from Positano take you to the Grotta dello Smeraldo, an emerald sea cave accessible only by sea, and to the isolated cove beaches below Praiano that have no road access. Hire a local gozzo boat with driver for 2 to 3 hours from approx 80 euros. The view back at the coast from the sea is extraordinary. Drive: 30 min drive to Ravello
AFTERNOON
RAVELLO, THE GARDEN CITY ABOVE THE COAST
Ravello sits 350 metres above the sea, completely removed from the coast road chaos below. The Villa Cimbrone has the most famous view in Italy, the Belvedere Cimbrone terrace jutting over the cliff with a 180-degree panorama of the coast that Gore Vidal described as the finest view in the world. Richard Wagner composed at the Villa Rufolo. Both villas have extraordinary gardens. Entry to each approx 7 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) is a clifftop walking trail connecting Bomerano to Positano, running 8km along the cliff face 600 metres above the sea with extraordinary views over the entire Amalfi Coast. The finest coastal walk in southern Italy. Moderately strenuous, takes 3 to 4 hours and is almost entirely above the tourist chaos on the road below.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Positano before 8am One of the harbour cafes. Strong espresso before the tourists arrive. Watch the fishing boats come in. | Lunch: Da Adolfo, Positano by boat Only accessible by boat from Positano. Outstanding fresh seafood in a genuinely hidden cove. Book the boat transfer. | Dinner: Ristorante Rossellinis, Ravello One Michelin star in the Palazzo Avino hotel. Outstanding Campanian cuisine with the finest view on the coast. Book ahead.
DAY 3
POMPEII AND PAESTUM
MORNING
POMPEII BEYOND THE MAIN ROUTE
Pompeii is genuinely extraordinary but most visitors follow the same tourist route and miss enormous sections of the site. The western quarter beyond the Forum contains the finest houses, including the Villa dei Misteri with its extraordinary cycle of Dionysiac initiation frescoes. The Thermopolium di Vetutius Placidus is a perfectly preserved Roman fast food counter still showing the food stains from 79 AD. Arrive when the gates open at 9am and head immediately away from the Forum. Drive: 1 hour drive to Paestum
MIDDAY
PAESTUM, THE GREEK TEMPLES THAT SURPASS GREECE
Paestum is the greatest surprise in Campania. Three Greek temples from the 6th and 5th centuries BC stand in a flat field south of Naples, in extraordinary states of preservation. The Temple of Neptune is the finest surviving Greek temple in the world, more complete than the Parthenon. The site receives a fraction of the visitors it deserves. The Museo Nazionale di Paestum contains the extraordinary Tomb of the Diver, the only surviving example of Greek figurative painting from the 5th century BC. Drive: 30 min drive to Cilento coast
AFTERNOON
THE HIDDEN CILENTO COASTLINE
South of Paestum lies the Cilento National Park, a largely undiscovered stretch of wild coastline with extraordinary beaches and sea stacks. The Grotta di Pertosa is one of the most spectacular stalactite caves in Italy, navigable by boat through an underground river. The village of Acciaroli was Ernest Hemingway's inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea. The coastline here is entirely unknown to the mass tourism that fills the Amalfi coast 50km to the north.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Museo Nazionale di Paestum contains the Tomb of the Diver from 480 BC, the only complete example of Greek figurative painting to survive from the classical period anywhere in the world. A young man diving from a platform into the sea, painted with extraordinary elegance and simplicity. Entry to the museum is approx 13 euros combined with the archaeological site.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar near Pompeii entrance Several good cafes outside the main entrance. Arrive before 9am opening. The site is best in the first two hours. | Lunch: Nomas Restaurant, Paestum Outstanding farm-to-table restaurant near the temples. Local mozzarella di bufala, vegetables and Cilento wines. | Dinner: Return to Naples or coast Return to Naples for the finest pizza of your life or to the Amalfi coast for fresh seafood and limoncello.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Naples, Night 1 Hotel Palazzo Decumani, boutique hotel in the historic centre. Approx 120 to 190 euros per night. Ravello, Night 2 Hotel Villa Maria, Ravello. Stunning clifftop hotel above the coast. Approx 150 to 250 euros per night. Budget Option Naples: B and B Cappella Vecchia from approx 70 euros. Positano: Hostel Brikette from approx 40 euros.
Top Tips
1. Arrive in Positano before 8am. The village is overwhelmed by tour buses from 10am onwards.
2. Pompeii opens at 9am. Head immediately to the Villa dei Misteri, not the Forum, to beat the crowds.
3. The Amalfi Coast road is single lane in many places. Take the ferry wherever possible in summer.
4. Neapolitan pizza must be eaten immediately. Take away is not the same. Sit down at Sorbillo.
5. Paestum's Temple of Neptune is more intact than the Parthenon. Most people have never heard of it.
6. Naples is far safer than its reputation suggests. Petty theft happens. Keep bags close and enjoy the city.
Total Budget
100 to 170 euros/day