The Amalfi coast is vertical: villages stacked above the sea, hotels carved into cliffs, roads that test drivers. Capri floats offshore with its piazzetta, its villas and its afternoon boat trips. Together they are the Italian summer at its most cinematic.
Stay
- Le Sirenuse and Il San Pietro, Positano
- Hotel Caruso and Palazzo Avino, Ravello
- Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi
- J.K. Place, La Palma and Punta Tragara, Capri
Do
- A boat from Positano to Capri for lunch at Il Riccio
- The gardens of Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo in Ravello
- The Ravello Festival concerts on the terrace above the sea
- Da Adolfo at Laurito beach, reached only by boat
- The Path of the Gods walk above Positano at dawn
Gavalia’s rules
- Arrive by boat or helicopter from Naples; the coast road in August is a test of patience.
- Book Le Sirenuse and Il San Pietro months ahead; June and September are the months.
- On Capri, stay above the Marina Grande crowds: Punta Tragara or Anacapri.
Positano and Ravello
Positano is the postcard, with Le Sirenuse as its living room and the beach clubs of Fornillo and Laurito as its afternoons. Ravello, 350 metres above, is the cultured sister: the gardens, the festival, the Caruso pool that seems to hang in the sky. Between them, Amalfi and Praiano keep the coast honest.
Capri
Forty minutes by boat, Capri is another island: the piazzetta, the Via Camerelle boutiques, the villas above the Faraglioni, the Blue Grotto for the day-trippers and the Punta Tragara terrace for everyone else. The island empties after the last ferry and becomes what it was.
Property
Almost nothing is for sale and everything that is costs a great deal. Positano’s cliff villas, Ravello’s garden estates and Capri’s Tragara houses trade quietly, often within families and through a handful of agents. Buy for love; rental income exists but is not the point.
The property market
Villas in Positano, Ravello and on Capri are rare and priced from 5 million euros to 30 million and beyond; Capri’s villas on Via Tragara and Anacapri’s Migliera are among Italy’s most expensive per square metre.
Try it yourself
Villa Cost CalculatorPurchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Questions people ask
Is Capri or Positano better?
Positano for the coast and the hotels, Capri for the island life and the evenings. Many combine both with a boat between them.
How do I get to the Amalfi Coast?
Fly to Naples, then a private transfer, a hydrofoil or a helicopter. The coast road is spectacular and slow.
When is the Amalfi Coast least crowded?
May, June and late September, when the weather is warm and the day-trippers fewer.
Share
