June 18, 2025: Amalfi Coast

We stayed at an Airbnb in order to do laundry. I don’t like washing in a sink so we make sure that there is a washer.

It is raining today, but we have scheduled a trip to the Amalfi Coast which includes thirteen cities: Amalfi, Atrani, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Maiori, Minori, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Tramonti, and Vietri sul Mare. The main draw of the Almafi coast is tourism, lemons, and fish.

There are seven tourists and one driver in a small but comfortable van. Our guide’s name is Carmine but it is pronounced Carmen with a very soft “a” at the end. He is 39 and is a typical Italian.

Since I often get carsick, I elected to sit in the front. However, I soon learned that Carmine would be speaking very loud. He noticed my discomfort and said that he would speak softer and use his microphone.

It didn’t work. He just yelled into the microphone. I am sure that the rest of the van was not pleased as we are ALL now experiencing hearing loss.

At our first stop, one person was getting carsick and asked if we could trade places with him and his brother. Yes. I will risk it, and we made the trade. Carmine decided to stop using the microphone. After about five minutes, they joked and asked if we could trade back. No. I’m good.

Naples was the most bombed city in Italy in WWII. There is a movie called Four Days of Naples (1962) about how Naples switched sides (after Mussolini was ousted) and chased the Germans out. The Germans had a hard time navigating the narrow streets in their tanks.

In the city square of modern Pompeii is a piece of the Twin Towers. They felt a kinship to New York in experiencing destruction.

I bet that you have never heard of Angri, a small town outside of Naples. Al Capone’s parents were from Angri and immigrated to Brooklyn where Capone was born. Many people think that he was Sicilian. Carmine said that Capone was good for the movie business!! Haha!

Only You (1994) was partially shot on the Amalfi Coast.

Ravello

Our first stop was Ravello. It is high up in the mountains and has fabulous views of the coast. This town is known for its two historic villas.  We had just enough time to visit Villa Rufolo.

The Rufolo family built this 13th century palace and could at one time boast that it had “more rooms than the days in the year”.

The Ravello annual music festival starts next month and attracts artists from around the world.

Amalfi

Once the seat of a powerful maritime republic, Amalfi is still a hub for ferries and boats. Carmine encouraged us to get a Lemon Delight at the historic Pasticceria Andrea Pansa that has been in business since 1830 and is known for this unique pastry.

After our delicious treat and chatting with fellow traveler Jan and her companion dog, Millie, we visited the nearby Cattedrale di Sant’Andrea.

Furore

Designated one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, Furore is best known for its picturesque fjord, where the sea has carved a cliff, creating a small beach.

Positano

Positano, once a humble fishing village, is arguably the most iconic Amalfi Coast village and the most visited. Everyone looked like they had jumped out of a fashion magazine with colors to match the candy-colored buildings stacked on top of each other in the mountains overlooking the sea.

Praiano

Atrani

Atrani is the smallest town in Italy by surface area. We didn’t go there but I mention it here because it was the setting for the Netflix series Ripley. Also, it is the site of The Equalizer III with Denzel Washington.

It was great to get out of the city and travel around. Positano was definitely beautiful yet overrun with tourists … like us.