Italy's Beauty There is so much beauty for which art lovers and people like you and me turn to Italy for the models, that we sometimes loose sight of the universality of Italian artistic production. There is scarcely a department of art work in which Italy did not excel the world in history.

The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi coast is a popular destination with tourists, including Italians themselves. With its rugged beauty, this part of Italy is visited by thousands of people each year. La Costa Amalfitana, as it is called in Italian, is situated south of Naples, on the Sorrentine Peninsula. Many people go here over the week-end from Rome, as it is just a few hours’ drive.

The Amalfi coast is full of picturesque little towns and villages, and there are many bed and breakfast places, not to mention hotels. Many of the hotels seem to hang over the cliffs, which are really steep down to the sea. The view is stupendous. Others have private beach areas, in addition to a swimming-pool. This is a place for relaxing and enjoying yourself.

The town of Positano is one of the most visited along the Amalfi coast. It is wonderfully situated with the town spilling down all the way down to the sea. Narrow, steep little alleys will make for a nice stroll. There are many little shops to visit, especially the ones specializing in the typical Amalfi dresses. Many of them are quite costly, made of lace, but there are always a wide choice both in materials and price. Well worth a visit is the main church of Positano, the Santa Maria Assunta. There is plenty of artwork to see inside the church, almost a thousand years old.

A place you cannot miss is La Grotta dello Smeraldo, the Emerald Cave. This cave is close to the town of Amalfi, and can be reached also by boat. When the sun shines in through an underwater tunnel, the cave turns green. It is really special.

The town of Amalfi has its own cathedral, which is actually a combination of (at least) two churches, united in the middle. It is nicely decorated with mosaics and marble. You reach the cathedral by walking up 57 steps. In Amalfi it is also possible to see how they make the special handmade paper, which is particular to the region, with methods that have been handed down for generations.

In the town of Ravello it is possible to visit two old patrician villas with adjoining gardens. The Villa Rufolo, from the 13th century, and the Villa Cimbrone. The latter one is originally from the 11th century, but has been changed and altered a lot since then These villas, as well as the whole of Ravello have been an inspiration for many famous people, like Wagner, V.Woolf and Greta Garbo, just to mention a few.

The Amalfi coast is known for its citrus cultivation, and the resulting liquor of Limoncello. The lemons here are sweeter and bigger than elsewhere, you can almost eat them as they are. The Limoncello being a typical drink of the region, it is to be found everywhere, in many interesting bottles. Take your time buying, to compare all that is on offer.

The Amalfi coast is a place to relax. (Of course, for those who like trekking, the steep mountainsides are a great challenge.) The weather is good, warm in the winter and hot in the summer. During the winter months, though, many hotels and shops close down, concentrating all their efforts on the summer months. In fact, if you want to avoid crowds and traffic, the best time to visit Amalfi is before or after the tourist season, late spring or early autumn. Then, there are no crowds and you can properly enjoy this fantastic stretch of Italian coast.