Top Italian Resorts, Amalfi Coast, Mediterranean

Positano Jet Set Resort, Amalfi Town, Ravello Gardens & Concerts

May 30, 2009 Solange Hando

From the Fontanella pass to the Gulf of Salerno, the Amalfi Coast is sprinkled with elegant resorts tucked among spectacular cliffs and fragrant hills.

Boasting some of the top Italian resorts and hotels on the Mediterranean, the Amalfi Coast is a secluded holiday haven, barely 50 km long and protected by a rugged shoreline between mountains and sea. The light is translucent, the sea turquoise and blue, with small deserted islands, dramatic rocks and sailing boats glistening on the horizon.

Driving along the cliff road is breathtaking, offering plunging views over the Mediterranean, the tiny resorts far below and the steep lemon terraces sculpted into the surrounding hills.

From the so-called vertical village of Positano, the jet set resort, to Amalfi town or Ravello perched high on the slopes, renowned for gardens and concerts, this corner of Italy attracts a discerning clientele from all over the world.

Positano, Jet Set Top Italian Resort

Positano enjoys a stunning location, its pastel-coloured houses clinging to towering cliffs, tumbling down all the way to the sea. It’s a maze of steep lanes and steps with bougainvillaea and orange trees leading down to a dark sandy beach.

Positano is a favourite jet set resort, the place to see and be seen sipping cocktails on the promenade or tucking into a fresh platter of seafood. There are trendy restaurants and boutiques draped in silk scarves and designer clothes, hand painted ceramics and gorgeous flasks of lemon scent. Culture fans marvel at the Baroque buildings, the cathedral with its works of art and colourful dome or the ruins of the Roman villa.

Amalfi Town

Amalfi town is a popular but traditional place where life moves at a gentle pace. Beyond the souvenir shops and sun-filled piazzas, vaulted passageways and steps wind up the cliff face where humble houses jostle for space. Donkeys are still used to carry goods and the 14th century mill sells its own hand made paper. The massive glittering cathedral sits on top of 57 steps, watching over beach and harbour as it has done for over 1000 years.

Amalfi has fine sands, outdoor cafés serving pizza and limoncello and small boats bobbing in the harbour. It’s a good place to join a cruise along the coast, sailing past ancient forts and mysterious caves, fantastic cliffs and white villages scattered in the hills.

Amalfi Coast, Ravello, Gardens and Concerts

High up on the slopes, Ravello claims the most dizzying scenery on the Amalfi coast, suspended, it seems, between heaven and earth. Most stunning is the Belvedere in the gardens of Villa Rufolo. The dream like panorama stretches along the meandering coast all the way to Capo d’Orso.

Ravello is devoted to beauty and culture. Myriad artists come here to paint while music lovers attend fabulous concerts on balmy summer nights. The orchestra plays on a stage projecting over the void, celebrating Wagner, Ravellos’ most illustrious visitor.

All around, the gardens are filled with Mediterranean shrubs, flowers and herbs. The fragrance of lavender and roses rises around classical statues and old cloisters and archways with unrivalled views from the mountains to the sea.

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