The Amazing Amalfi Coast

Italy's Amalfi Coast is a tourist mecca for millennia, and once and for all reason. This small part of southwest Italian coastline has caught the imagination of humans for generations. Indeed, Capri, a tiny island off the coast, was a favorite resort during the time of the Roman Republic. Emperors and governors built massive villas and estates there. Emperor Tiberius permanently relocated to Capri to operate the vast Roman empire from his villas until his death more than a decade later.

The island of Capri and the famous Blue Grotto make a great starting point for a thorough investigation of the region. Popular trips with limited time usually start in the town of Naples, from which visitors can have a hydrofoil right to Capri Car Service from Naples train station to Sorrento. After several days on Capri, a smaller ferry can take you right to the mainland, to the quaint town of Sorrento. I absolutely fell in deep love with this town when I visited as a teenager. Rome was too large, Naples was smaller but nevertheless too large, Capri was too small and isolated due to its island nature, but Sorrento was just right. A peaceful put on the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sorrento is replete with dramatic sea cliffs, luxurious hotels, and innumerable kinds of Limoncello. If you should be prone to wandering, you may also find fantastic little isolated hole-in-the-wall eateries where you can have the best food you've ever endured in your entire life.

Mid-way between Naples and Sorrento are the famous ruins of Herculaneum, Pompeii, and the impressive Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD the volcano had a catastrophic eruption, and these neighboring areas were destroyed and completely buried in over 60 feet of ash. The whole process took only 2 days. The towns remained untouched and completely buried until their accidental discovery in the 1700s. Due to the rapid and complete ash burial, the entire site is remarkably well preserved. Pompeii offer the visitor a snapshot into what life might have been like in a Roman coastal town at the height of Rome's grandeur. From the that the colors on the wall mosaics were still very vivid. The city merely seems 100-200 years of age, not the 2000 years of age so it actually is. The plaster casts of victims fleeing the city, have been trapped and engulfed in ash and flame, are sobering reminders of the human tragedy that occurred. Pompeii had a population of 20,000 during the time, and Herculaneum had nearly 4000. With little warning, and little possibility of escape, many individuals lost their lives in the ensuing disaster.

Another highlight of the Amalfi Coast is, obviously, the coastline itself. Tiny, winding roads are frequented by absurdly large bus drivers who seem to know every inch of the road. They pilot their buses at high speed with inches to spare on either side. From the being quite impressed with both their finely honed driving skills and their obvious insufficient fear. The jagged cliffs drop a huge selection of feet to the ocean, but these were not bothered in the slightest. This truly is a stunning landscape.

From the coast, many Italy tours will give you via bus to points north, most likely Rome. You can see the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel, explore the Colosseum in the city center, and walk the numerous piazzas. You may have just experienced the quintessential visit to southern Italy, and seen the sunny coastline in all its glory. Chances are, you will undoubtedly be back for more.