7. Amalfi Coast and Capri
The high, precipitous Amalfi Peninsula juts sharply into the Mediterranean just south of Naples, forming the southern rim of Naples Bay. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful–or unlikely setting for the towns that spill down its steep slopes.
Streets in most of these picturesque towns are stairways, and houses seem glued to the cliffs behind them. Flowers bloom everywhere, and below the towns are beaches caught in coves of emerald water.
The Amalfi Drive, along the southern coast, is one of the world’s great scenic routes. Off the end of the peninsula, and easy to reach by regular ferries, is the fabled island of Capri, with its Blue Grotto sea cave, lavish villas, and lush gardens. Sorrento, on the northern coast of the Amalfi Peninsula is a good base, an easy day trip from all the things to see and do in the region.
8. The Cinque Terre
The five towns that cling to the steep, rocky Mediterranean coast north of La Spezia were almost impossible to reach by land until the railway connected them by tunneling through the headlands that separate them. Today, the trail along the cliffs that locals once used to travel from town to town is one of Italy’s great hikes; the shortest and widest of its sections, between Manarola and Riomaggiore is known as the Via dell’Amore, and will be closed until sometime in 2022, due to a landslide.
Although hiking the trail is the goal of most tourists, don’t overlook the pleasures of lingering in these little villages. Riomaggiore and Vernazza, with their narrow streets dropping down to tiny rock-bound harbors are the most filled with character, and despite its recent popularity with tourists, the Cinque Terre remains one of Italy’s most appealing attractions.
