PLACE TO GO ( THE AMALFI COAST , ITALY )

The Amalfi Coast (Italian: Costiera Amalfitana) is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Salerno Gulf in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy. The Amalfi Coast is a popular tourist destination for the region and Italy as a whole, attracting thousands of tourists annually. In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape.

Like the rest of the region, the Amalfi Coast lies in a Mediterranean climate, featuring warm summers and mild winters. It is located on the relatively steep southern shore of the Sorrentine Peninsula, leaving little room for rural and agricultural territories. The coast comprises 11,231 hectares between the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno.The only land route to the Amalfi Coast is the 40 kilometres (25 mi) long Strada Statale 163 which runs along the coastline from the town of Vietri sul Mare in the east to Positano in the west. Thirteen municipalities are located on the Amalfi Coast, many of them centered on tourism.

When it’s time for a break from Italy’s art museums, Roman ruins, and churches filled with Old Masters paintings, sunseekers flock to the Amalfi Coast to hobnob with the glitteratiin Positano, drink in the maritime memories of the proud old republic of Amalfi, and get lost in the fragrant hilltop gardens of Ravello. These pastel fishing villages cling to hillsides or lie in deep green valleys, strung along a dramatic coastline of plunging cliffs connected by the breathtaking Amalfi Drive: a gravity-defying thrill ride of a road stretching from the Bay of Naples to the Gulf of Salerno.

The beauty of southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast is legendary, and has inspired artists, writers, and such illustrious musicians as Richard Wagner. And it’s little wonder why: Here, vibrant, village-strewn cliffs jut into the sea. During the summer, notes of lemon hang in the air and festivals enliven hamlets along thedrive from the Bay of Naples to the Gulf of Salerno, making it the ideal time to travel to the Amalfi Coast.

The best time to visit Amalfi coast

Spring is the best time to visit the Amalfi Coast. July and August are high season for Amalfi Coast travel; temperatures can creep quite high and parking can be a challenge. Fall (especially November) and winter are rainy. The Ravello Festival, an annual arts and music festival, takes place throughout the summer in the town of Ravello.