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Sorrento & Amalfi coast:
our Insider tips
We've been staring at the screen for 5 minutes now. Our head is full of voices, colors, the scent of lemons and the light reflecting on the sea surface.
The cobblestone alleyways, the smile on people face, the sound of our language, we can almost feel the breeze on our skin and almost touch the sea.
How can we possibly explain to you the beauty of this stretch of coastline? How can we put into words and convey the joy and happiness we feel when we come back there and think back to all our childhood memories?
It's hard but we have to try. We've collected all our fav places, everything you need to know to visit Sorrento and Amalfi coast, the best you can't miss through our insider eyes who were lucky enough to be born and raised there and so happy to come back there anytime we can. Choose 1 week in June or September, follow our tips and we promise you'll fall in love with these places.
WHEN
TO GO
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
POMPEI
Let's start from this little town known all over the world for one of the most popular and well-preserved archeological site in history: Pompeii Ruins are literally a walk in the glorious ancient Rome between villas, baths, amphitheatres with perfect acoustics while exploring the ancient city buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Thrilling, interesting, unique.
A visit to the main cathedral, one of the most worshipped one in Italy (Santuario della Beata Vergine del Santo Rosario) in also highly recommended.
Where to sleep, where to eat & what to do
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HOTEL FORUM **** @ Via Roma, 99 - Pompei
Elegant hotel in the heart of the city, close to the Ruins entrance and the cathedral.
BOSCO DE MEDICI RESORT **** @ Via A. Segni, 43 - Pompei
Resort, Horse Club, vineyard, restaurant: book a tour and taste their wines and products.
PASTICCERIA DE VIVO @ Via Roma, 36 - Pompei
Since 1955, the best traditional pastries and cakes. Here you can have the perfect sfogliatella.
... & Nearby
IL RE DELLA PASTA DI GRAGNANO @ Via Dei Campi, 46 - Gragnano
THE pasta, the real one. Find out the manufacturing process and book a tasting experience. You don't want to miss it.
PIZZERIA IL TRIS @ SS366, 190 - Gragnano
Here you can have a delicious ‘panuozzo’, half-pizza & half-panino made with local ingredients in a friendly, unpretentious environment.
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VILLA PALMENTIELLO @ Via Gesini, Casola di Napoli
One of our favourite restaurant where hospitality meets innovation and quality with a stunning view on Mount Vesuvius.
VIDEO
VICO EQUENSE
This is the beginning of Sorrento coast, a small fishing village where you can get lost and chill on Seiano beach, perfect for a romantic dinner at night by the sea.
The most popular postcard of Vico Equense shows the pink facade of Santa Maria Annunziata church, built on a hill overlooking the sea, one of the few examples of gothic architecture in Sorrento peninsula even if its facade is baroquely decorated.
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Where to eat
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GELATERIA GABRIELE @ Corso Umberto I, 8 - Vico Equense
A Sorrento coast milestone, one of the most delicious gelato of all Campania region. Have a brioche with gelato and a yogurt with wild strawberries - thanks us later.
SAPORI’ PIZZA E QUALCOS’ALTRO @ Via Santa Maria Vecchia, 2 - Vico Equense
A good pizza, a mix of tradition & innovation on a terrace with the amazing view on the sea and Vesuvius on the back.
SORRENTO
A gem, a real postcard. One of our special places, full of memories and hard to forget moments of our life.
A walk in Piazza Tasso, Corso Italia street and in the alleyways full of traditional shops, colors and perfumes where you can taste a glass of limoncello made with local lemons. Visit the Chiostro di S. Francesco and the public gardens nearby, enjoy the view.
And then go down to Marina Grande port, a small fishing village where the time stopped and the moonlight reflects into the sea.
We also recommend to visit Museo Correale and Museo della Tarsia Lignea (Museum of Inlaid Wood Works); you can also get a ferry from Sorrento port to reach Capri or Positano for a daily trip.
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Where to sleep, where to eat & what to do
HOTEL BELLEVUE SYRENE ***** @ Piazza della Vittoria, 5 - Sorrento
A dream. One of those unique places in the whole world, the ones to dream about. Terraces overlooking the sea and the coast, wisteria falls, colorful tiles and an extreme care for details.
Come here at least to have an aperitivo, a dinner or to spend some unforgettable time.
PIZZERIA DA FRANCO @ Corso Italia, 265 - Sorrento
Mozzarella di bufala, typical salami & ham, good pizza: always been on our Sorrento places list.
BAGNI SANT'ANNA @ Marina Grande, Sorrento
For a dinner by the sea, well literally ON the sea. & under the stars.
LEONELLI'S BEACH @ Spiaggia S. Francesco - Sorrento
One of our fav beach clubs to chill and swim into a crystal clear sea.
PUNTA CAMPANELLA LIGHTHOUSE HIKE @ Massa Lubrense
A beautiful hike to reach the extreme point of Sorrento peninsula: leave your car in Termini village and start the hike. Once you get to the lighthouse, you can almost touch Capri island with your hands and the view, the silence and the sea sound will hypnotize you.
MARINA DEL CANTONE, NERANO
Slowly moving towards the Amalfi coast, you can relax in this lovely bay with a turquoise sea where you can't miss to taste a traditional recipe: ‘spaghetti alla Nerano’. Zucchini and provolone cheese, by the sea. Unesco world heritage for us.
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Where to eat | RISTORANTE IL CANTUCCIO @ Marina del Cantone, Nerano
POSITANO
A gem nestled in the heart of Amalfi coast, the most chic and loved one by the tourists from all over the world. Seen from a boat, it looks like a land slice covered by colored and lightening houses like a beautiful picture.
Park your car and reach the Spiaggia Grande beach, walking through the picturesque alleyways that smell like lemons and looking at the shops selling handmade ceramics and sandals.
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Where to sleep, where to eat & what to do
VILLA FRANCA ***** @ Viale Pasitea, 318 - Positano
“A dream amid sea and sky” - the official website reads as follows. And that's all true, this is a dreamy location where to spend a unique and unforgettable holiday in Positano.
FATTORIA LA TAGLIATA @ Via Tagliata, 32B - Positano
Three terraces with breathtaking view on Capri and Li Galli islands, genuine local products and great traditional recipes.
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FRANCO’S BAR @ Via Cristoforo Colombo, 30 - Positano
Have a drink on a terrace with sun and sea colors and a postcard view.
PASTICCERIA LA ZAGARA @ Via dei Mulini, 10 - Positano
The sweetest point of Positano, a corner of Paradise halfway between the scent of citrus fruits and the breeze from the beaches.
PRAIANO
Our memories in the main square with the San Gennaro church dome sunkissed are hard to count and impossible to forget. Set between Positano and Amalfi, Praiano is the quintessential of Amalfi coast where life goes slow under a blue sky and strictly sea view. Don't miss the Fiordo di Furore, a unique fjord located on the way out of an overhanging valley.
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Where to eat & where to sleep
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TRATTORIA SAN GENNARO @ Via G. Capriglione, 99 - Praiano
Everytime we come back here on this terrace with the view on Capri island and Positano, those sea and delicious fish dishes made with local fresh products give us moments of pure happiness.
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CASA ANGELINA BOUTIQUE HOTEL @ Via G. Capriglione, 147 - Praiano
A luxury Boutique Hotel offering a sublime slice of modern minimalism on the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on elegant simplicity and first-rate food. In the heart of Amalfi Coast with a unique rooftop terrace where you can almost touch the sea.
AMALFI
We're smiling while thinking of this little village. The sea, the colorful houses, the amazing Cathedral with its impressive facade.. we can smell the scent of lemons and feel the quiet port. Amalfi is amazingly unique.
The legend tells that Amalfi takes its name from a nymph that Hercules felt madly in love with, but who died prematurely breaking the heart of the great greek hero. Hercules decided to find a nice place where to bury his beloved and spotted this site along a green wild coast, where the sea, the sky and nature met.
One of the Maritime Republics together with Pisa, Genova and Venice, it was also the birthplace of the alleged inventor of the compass, Mr. Flavio Gioia. Don't miss to visit the Grotta dello Smeraldo and the close small fishing village of Atrani, such a lovely place that looks like a picture.
Where to eat & what to do
RISTORANTE LO SMERALDINO @ Piazzale dei Protontini, 1 - Amalfi
The perfect place for a romantic dinner by the sea. The breeze, the salty air and the fresh seafood make this place one of our fav ever.
PASTICCERIA PANSA @ Piazza Duomo, 40 - Amalfi
A sweet institution in Amalfi since 1830: you can't miss pasticciotto and delizie al limone pastries.
SCUDERIE DEL DUCA @ Largo Cesareo Console, 8 - Amalfi
A timeless place where you can touch and buy the popular precious ‘Amalfi paper’.
RAVELLO
One of the most charming destinations of Amalfi Coast, perched on a hilltop with views of incomparable beauty. Wagner, Churchill, Virginia Woolf are among the ones who loved this little village in the past, where culture, literature and art have always played a key role.Visit the cathedral and fall in love with Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo: their gardens and the view from the “Belvedere of Infinity” will leave you speechless.
MINORI
Nicknamed ‘the narcissus of the Amalfi coast’ for its peculiar territory and the fertility of its land, this small village set in a lovely bay looks like a postcard. You must come here and taste the traditional pastries, from 'delizia al limone' to 'ricotta cheese & pear cake', invented here at the popular Pasticceria di Sal De Riso.
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Where to Eat | PASTICCERIA SAL DE RISO @ Via Roma, 80 - Minori
CETARA
One of our fav villages of the coast, still strictly connected to the traditional economic business and for this reason still preserving its original fishing village spirit. The connection with the sea is visibly strong everywhere, from its name origins which may date back to “Cetaria” (tonnara in latin) or to “cetari”, ancient fishermen and tuna traders, but also in the local cuisine where seafood is the main character, especially tuna & anchovies. Cetara is known for a traditional recipe, spaghetti con la colatura di alici (spaghetti with anchovy sauce), an amber liquid obtained from the maturing process of anchovies in salt and similar to the ancient Roman ‘Garum’ sauce.
VIETRI SUL MARE
The last stop of Amalfi Coast towards the South (or the first one you'll come across in case you're planning to follow our tour backwards), considered to be the capital of artistic and traditional ceramics. The town has Etruscan origins and the historical center is full of ceramics workshops and colorful tiles everywhere, while the main beach of Marina di Vietri is guarded by ‘the two brothers rocks’, surrounded by mistery and old legends. This is the last stop of our Insider tour, the last gem of a costline unique in the world visited by millions of tourists every year from abroad who come here to explore these villages, swim into a crystal clear sea, taste the delicacies of this land and hopelessly fall in love with it.
Already booking your flight tickets?
CERAMICA ARTISTICA SOLIMENE @ Via Madonna degli Angeli, 7 - Vietri Sul Mare
One of the eldest and most popular ceramics factories, their headquarter represents one of the most significant buildings of this century; producing hand made ceramics using traditional methods handed down through the generations.
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CERAMICS MUSEUM @ SP75, Raito - Vietri Sul Mare
Located within the complex of Villa Guariglia, the museum takes you on a thematic and chronological tour through 4 centuries of Vietri ceramics.
... & Nearby
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CAVA DE' TIRRENI is another historical town with Etruscan origins, just 10 minutes far from Vietri Sul Mare where we often go to have dinner & for a walk around its lovely historical centre. Don't miss to visit the wonderful Badia di Cava Abbey.
26 HAMBURGER & DELICIOUS @ Via A. Balzico, 26 - Cava De’ Tirreni
These guys have become real food-influencers, have a look & get a delicious-tasty-juicy burger here.
DON GIULIO & MASANIELLO @ Corso Umberto I, 77 - Cava De’ Tirreni
Located few steps away from the historical centre & inside Palazzo Genoino come here to have a gourmet experience with a mix of tradition and innovation, an interesting wine list and a great pizza with local & fresh ingredients.
To all Nature & Sport lovers:
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Sentiero Degli Dei (The Path of the Gods) | Italo Calvino described it as “that path hanging over the magical gulf of the “Sirens”, which today still bears memories and myths”, a beautiful path starting from Agerola (known for ‘fior di latte’ cheese) located at 650 mt above sea level and continues through Nocelle village down to Positano.
Valle delle Ferriere trekking | The landscape is unspoilt and descends into the valley with breathtaking panoramic views, winding through beautiful forests, springs, small waterfalls and the rapids of the Rio Canneto, once driving force for the old paper mills, where once the famous paper of Amalfi was produced.
Mount Vesuvius trails | 54 km of 11 trails to explore the Vesuvius National Park, a journey between history, geology and nature up to the Great Cono.
Windsurf & kitesurf @ Castellammare di Stabia | At the foot of Monti Lattari with a stunning view on the Gulf of Naples, this wide bay offers the perfect breeze to practice these sports.
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