AmalfiCoast
5
Day Itinerary •
Italy
Five days in Campania allows you to explore the full extraordinary range of southern Italy's finest region. From the chaotic genius of Naples to the crystalline waters of Capri, from the world's most dramatic coastal drive to Greek temples that surpass anything in Greece itself, this is Italy at its most intense, beautiful and unforgettable. This route covers the complete hidden Campania. Naples underground and above, Herculaneum which is better preserved than Pompeii yet receives far fewer visitors, the island of Capri beyond the Blue Grotto tourist boats, the Amalfi Coast from the water and the clifftop paths, the extraordinary Pompeii beyond the main route, and the Greek temples of Paestum and the wild Cilento coast.
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 2,700 years and the result is one of the most extraordinary underground cities in the world. Greek quarries, Roman cisterns, medieval passages and World War II air raid shelters run beneath the entire historic centre. The tour descends 40 metres below the streets through tunnels so narrow you must walk sideways. Entry approx 13 euros. Drive: 10 min walk to Spaccanapoli
MIDDAY
SPACCANAPOLI AND THE CRISTO VELATO
The dead straight Spaccanapoli follows the exact route of the ancient Greek city's main road from 500 BC. 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 Spanish Quarter
AFTERNOON
THE SPANISH QUARTER AND STREET SHRINES
The Spanish Quarter is one of the most densely inhabited urban landscapes in Europe. Walk slowly, turn into every open courtyard door, and find the extraordinary private worlds 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 Alexander Mosaic, the Farnese Hercules and the extraordinary Secret Cabinet are all here. Entry approx 15 euros and vastly undervisited relative to its extraordinary importance.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Caffe Gambrinus, Naples Oldest and most beautiful cafe in Naples since 1860. The sfogliatella pastry is extraordinary. | Lunch: Pizzeria Sorbillo, Naples Most celebrated pizza in Naples. Neapolitan pizza was invented here. Worth the queue. | Dinner: Trattoria da Nennella, Naples Most beloved traditional trattoria. The menu changes daily, prices extraordinary and the chaos is part of it.
DAY 2
HERCULANEUM AND CAPRI
MORNING
HERCULANEUM, BETTER PRESERVED THAN POMPEII
Herculaneum was buried by Vesuvius at the same moment as Pompeii but by a different mechanism. The pyroclastic surge preserved the city in extraordinary detail: wooden furniture, food on the shelves, carbonised fishing nets, even the colours of painted walls. While Pompeii receives millions, Herculaneum receives a fraction of the visitors despite being more intimate and better preserved. The street of the skeleton victims along the ancient beach is one of the most moving sights in Italy. Entry approx 15 euros. Drive: 30 min ferry to Capri
MIDDAY
CAPRI BEYOND THE BLUE GROTTO TOURIST BOATS
Most visitors to Capri take the tourist boat to the Blue Grotto and leave. But the real Capri is the hillside above Marina Grande. Take the funicular to Capri town and walk immediately away from the designer shops to the Villa Jovis on the eastern headland, the palace where Emperor Tiberius ruled the Roman empire for 10 years from 27 AD. The walk takes 40 minutes each way through extraordinary scenery. Entry approx 4 euros and almost always empty. Drive: 30 min walk on island
AFTERNOON
ANACAPRI AND THE SECRET CAPRI
Anacapri is the higher village on the island, largely unknown to day-trippers who stay in Capri town. The Villa San Michele, built by Swedish physician Axel Munthe in 1896 on the foundations of an imperial Roman villa, contains extraordinary antiquities and the finest garden on the island. The chair lift from Anacapri to Monte Solaro at 589 metres gives the finest panoramic view in the Bay of Naples. Entry approx 8 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The ancient beach at Herculaneum where 300 Romans huddled in the arched boat shelters awaiting rescue and were killed by the pyroclastic surge is one of the most profound archaeological sites in the world. Their skeletal remains have been left exactly where they were found. Free to see from within the site and entirely unlike anything else in Italy.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar near Herculaneum entrance Coffee before the site opens at 9am. Arrive early to beat the groups. | Lunch: Ristorante Aurora, Capri The most celebrated traditional restaurant on Capri. Seafood pasta and fresh catch with extraordinary views. | Dinner: Return to Naples for pizza Take the last ferry back to Naples. The city after dark is extraordinary. One more pizza at Sorbillo.
DAY 3
THE AMALFI COAST
MORNING
MIDDAY
HIDDEN COVES BY GOZZO BOAT
The Amalfi Coast is best from the water. Local boats from Positano take you to the Grotta dello Smeraldo and isolated cove beaches below Praiano with 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
350 metres above the coast road chaos. The Villa Cimbrone Belvedere terrace gives the panoramic view Gore Vidal described as the finest in the world. The Villa Rufolo gardens where Wagner composed. Both extraordinary. Entry to each approx 7 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) connects Bomerano to Positano along 8km of clifftop 600 metres above the sea. The finest coastal walk in southern Italy, entirely above the tourist chaos below. Moderately strenuous, 3 to 4 hours one way.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Positano before 8am One of the harbour cafes. Watch the fishing boats come in over a strong espresso. | Lunch: Da Adolfo, Positano by boat Accessible only by boat. Outstanding fresh seafood in a genuinely hidden cove. Book the boat transfer. | Dinner: Ristorante Rossellinis, Ravello One Michelin star with the finest view on the coast. Book well ahead.
DAY 4
HIDDEN AMALFI VILLAGES
MORNING
AMALFI TOWN AND THE HIDDEN PAPER MILLS
Amalfi was once the most powerful maritime republic in the Mediterranean, rivalling Venice and Genoa. The Duomo di Sant'Andrea is one of the finest Arab-Norman churches in Italy. But the hidden secret of Amalfi is the Valle dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), a ravine behind the town containing abandoned medieval paper mills that produced the famous Amalfi paper for 600 years. A 30-minute walk from the town centre through a dramatic gorge, entirely free and almost always empty. Drive: 20 min drive to Atrani
MIDDAY
ATRANI, THE HIDDEN VILLAGE NEXT DOOR
Atrani is the smallest municipality in Italy by area, tucked in a narrow gorge just around the headland from Amalfi. It receives almost no tourists despite being one of the most beautiful villages on the coast. A tiny piazza, fishing boats, ancient churches and a genuine local community that has been here for centuries. Walk the extraordinary staircase streets to the Church of San Salvatore de Birecto at the top for views over the entire coast. Drive: 25 min drive to Scala
AFTERNOON
SCALA AND THE FORGOTTEN VILLAGES ABOVE THE COAST
Scala is the oldest settlement on the Amalfi Coast, perched 400 metres above the sea directly above Ravello. While Ravello receives thousands of visitors daily, Scala receives almost none despite being equally beautiful with extraordinary views. The cathedral contains remarkable medieval sculptures and the surrounding hamlet of Pontone has views over both the Amalfi and Salerno coasts simultaneously.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Grotta dello Smeraldo (Emerald Grotto) near Conca dei Marini is accessible both by boat from Amalfi and by steps down from the coast road. The interior cavern is flooded with an extraordinary emerald green light created by the refraction of sunlight through the underwater entrance. Entry approx 5 euros and the most beautiful sea cave on the Amalfi Coast.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar in Amalfi town Strong coffee and a cornetto before the tourist buses arrive. | Lunch: Trattoria da Gemma, Amalfi The most beloved traditional restaurant in Amalfi since 1872. Outstanding seafood and local scialatelli pasta. | Dinner: Ristorante Il Flauto di Pan, Ravello Exceptional restaurant in the Villa Eva. Garden dining above the coast. Book well ahead.
DAY 5
POMPEII AND PAESTUM
MORNING
POMPEII BEYOND THE MAIN TOURIST ROUTE
Most visitors follow the same route through Pompeii and miss enormous sections. The Villa dei Misteri in the western quarter has the finest frescoes, extraordinary Dionysiac initiation paintings in extraordinary preservation. The Thermopolium di Vetutius Placidus is a perfectly preserved Roman fast food counter still showing 79 AD food stains. Arrive at 9am opening and head immediately away from the Forum. Drive: 1 hour drive to Paestum
MIDDAY
PAESTUM, THE GREEK TEMPLES THAT SURPASS GREECE
Three Greek temples from the 6th and 5th centuries BC stand in a flat field south of Naples. The Temple of Neptune is the finest surviving Greek temple in the world, more complete than the Parthenon. The Museo Nazionale di Paestum contains the Tomb of the Diver, the only surviving example of Greek figurative painting from the 5th century BC. Drive: 30 min drive to Cilento
AFTERNOON
THE WILD CILENTO COAST
The Cilento National Park is entirely unknown to the mass tourism filling the Amalfi coast 50km north. Extraordinary beaches, sea stacks and the village of Acciaroli that inspired Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. The Grotta di Pertosa is one of the most spectacular stalactite caves in Italy, navigable by boat through an underground river.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Grotta di Pertosa is one of the most spectacular underground experiences in southern Italy. A boat carries visitors along an underground river into an extraordinary cave system extending 5km into the mountain. Stalactites, underground lakes and ancient Bronze Age remains. Entry approx 12 euros and entirely unknown to international visitors.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bar near Pompeii entrance Arrive before 9am opening. The site is most extraordinary in the first two hours. | Lunch: Nomas Restaurant, Paestum Outstanding farm-to-table near the temples. Local mozzarella di bufala and Cilento wines. | Dinner: Final Naples or coast dinner One last Neapolitan pizza or fresh Amalfi seafood. The perfect ending to Campania.
Where To Stay
Naples, Night 1 Hotel Palazzo Decumani, boutique hotel in the historic centre. Approx 120 to 190 euros per night. Ravello, Nights 2 to 4 Hotel Villa Maria or Villa Cimbrone, Ravello. Stunning clifftop views. Approx 150 to 300 euros per night. Near Paestum, Night 5 Agriturismo Seliano, a working buffalo farm near the temples. Extraordinary location. Approx 100 to 140 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