The Amalfi Coast--stunning and impassable

 

the Amalfi Coast and the town of Amalfi

The Amalfi Coast is known for its magnificent scenery, so we decided to drive from Naples to Amalfi, following the Sorrento Peninsula west from Naples and back east along the Amalfi Coast.  The drive was supposed to take about an hour and a half.  But, after spending 2 hours in gridlocked traffic and being nowhere near the west end of the Peninsula, we decided to skip Sorrento and drive over the rugged and precipitous mountains to Amalfi instead.  The back road we took is one hairpin turn after another--not switchbacks, but real hairpin turns, as this photo of the map shows.  The road is narrow, in bad condition, and absolutely beautiful, with incredible views back to the Bay of Naples and, once over the crest, down to the Amalfi Coast and the sea beyond.  The mountains themselves are high and steep, with deep gorges and cliffs plummeting to the Mediterranean.  

map of the back road to Amalfi over the mountains

This is winter.  There is almost nothing open in Amalfi--not a hotel, boat service or restaurant, except one restaurant (which turned out to be excellent) in the port.  But, the traffic was intense and the limited parking, packed.  We were able to find a parking place for 6 euros so we could walk along the boardwalk through the town.  

some of the hotels in Amalfi

There are countless hotels filling the steep mountainside above Amalfi and the other towns along the coast.  Though they were all closed, there were still many tourists, tourist buses and cars flowing in and out of the center of town.  I cannot imagine how anyone can move during the high season when the hotels are packed with thousands of tourists.  The roads must be impassable, even for buses.  You could come in by boat, but the port is small, so I don't know how practical that would be.

I would not come to the Amalfi Coast during tourist season.  And, if we bring a group to Southern Italy, we will bypass that area, despite its fame and beauty.  There are lots of gorgeous coastlines in the world to visit without spending your time stuck in traffic.