The vertical coast
Amalfi Coast & Capri
Positano stacked on its cliff, Ravello in its gardens, Capri two miles offshore. The most dramatic coast in Europe, and one where a boat is not a luxury but the only sensible way to move.
Campania, Italy
The coast road is beautiful and, from June to September, almost unusable. So we plan the Amalfi coast around the water: a yacht or a day boat for every move, a house with its own landing or a hotel with a lift to the sea, and lunches at the beach restaurants that can only be reached by tender.
Capri is a separate proposition. The island shuts to day-trippers at six, and the evening that follows, in the piazzetta and the gardens above it, is the reason to stay rather than visit. Anacapri, on the high side, is where the quiet houses are.
Ravello, three hundred metres above the sea, has the coast’s best gardens, its music festival and the coolest air in August. We use it for members who want the view without the vertical walk to the beach.
Best months
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air °C | 11 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 12 |
| Sea °C | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
Worth knowing
What we arrange
Amalfi, day by day
The experiences the desk actually books here, tagged by what they are for. The itinerary builder turns them into a plan.
Lunch at Nerano by boat
The spaghetti alla Nerano at a table on the beach, reached by tender, the boat swinging at anchor while you eat.
diningCapri at six
Arrive as the ferries leave, walk to the Gardens of Augustus, dinner in Anacapri.
cultureThe Path of the Gods
Seven kilometres along the cliff from Bomerano to Nocelle with a guide, then the steps down to Positano.
activeVilla Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone
Ravello’s two gardens in the morning, lunch on the terrace of the Belvedere.
cultureSwimming the Li Galli islands
Anchor off the sirens’ islands, swim in the deep water, lunch aboard.
seaCooking on a lemon terrace
A morning making pasta and limoncello on a terrace above Amalfi, lunch of what you made.
diningFaraglioni at sunset
The boat under the rocks as the sun goes, a glass of something cold, back to the harbour for dinner.
seaPompeii with a private archaeologist
A morning in the ruins before the heat, a car from the coast, back for a late lunch.
cultureBeach day at Laurito for the family
A shallow cove with a restaurant, a boat from Positano, an easy day.
familySpa at a cliff hotel
A treatment in a room cut into the rock, the pool on the sea, tea on the terrace.
wellnessThe calendar
By the numbers
From the collection
Houses in Amalfi
Amalfi
A week in Amalfi, planned to the hour.
A first answer within the hour, a full proposal within 48 hours.
The Sunday note
One short letter a week, on a Sunday
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