Amalfi Coast 3-day itinerary

Catch the first SITA bus south from Sorrento or Amalfi town to reach Positano before 9am, when the cliffside village of stacked pastel houses and bougainvillea lanes still belongs to locals. Walk down to Spiaggia Grande beach for the classic postcard view of the town cascading to the sea. Visit the Church of Santa Maria Assunta to see its Byzantine icon of the Black Madonna above the tiled dome.

Hire a small boat from Positano harbour (around €20–30 per person in a shared tour) to visit the Grotta dello Smeraldo — the Emerald Grotto — near Conca dei Marini. Sunlight refracting through an underwater arch turns the cave's water a luminous green. Alternatively, join a longer boat tour around the Li Galli islands — tiny rocky islets traditionally said to be where Homer's Sirens lived. Lunch on fresh grilled catch at a harbour-side restaurant.

Continue by ferry or bus to Amalfi town itself — the medieval maritime republic that once rivalled Venice. Walk through the Piazza del Duomo and up to the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea (free entry to the square, €3 for the cloister), a stunning Arab-Norman facade of black-and-white stone. The piazza fills with locals for the evening passeggiata. Dine on scialatielli ai frutti di mare — wide fresh pasta with mixed seafood — at any trattoria in the side streets.

Take the bus up the mountain from Amalfi town to Ravello (30 minutes, €1.30), the most serene town on the coast, perched 350m above the sea. Villa Rufolo (€7) has terraced gardens that Wagner used as inspiration for Parsifal — the view from the belvedere over the Bay of Salerno is among the finest in southern Italy. Villa Cimbrone (€7) nearby has a clifftop Terrace of Infinity lined with marble busts looking straight out to sea.

From Bomerano, hike the Sentiero degli Dei — the Path of the Gods — a 7.8km one-way trail along the cliff tops above the coast (around 3 hours, moderate difficulty). The route passes through maquis scrubland and abandoned terraces with uninterrupted views over the blue Tyrrhenian Sea to the island of Capri on the horizon. The path ends in Nocelle, from where a bus descends to Positano. Bring 2 litres of water and snacks.

Stop at Furore, a tiny village known as the "town that doesn't exist" — most residents live inland, with only a handful of houses clinging to the walls of a dramatic sea inlet. The Furore fjord is a narrow slot of turquoise water visible from the SS163 bridge, popular with cliff divers during the annual international competition. Continue to Praiano for dinner — a quieter alternative to Positano with excellent seafood restaurants and far fewer tourists.

Cetara is a working fishing village at the eastern end of the coast that most Amalfi tourists never reach. Its speciality is colatura di alici — a pungent, intensely savoury anchovy sauce descended from ancient Roman garum — sold in small bottles at fishmongers along the main street. Walk the harbour where fishing boats still go out before dawn, and try the local tuna dishes at one of the simple trattorie that cater mostly to Italians.

The Amalfi Coast's sfusato amalfitano lemons — long, thick-skinned, and intensely fragrant — are a protected IGP product grown in terraced giardini clinging to the hillsides. Visit one of the family-run lemon farms near Minori or Maiori (free or €5–10 entry with tasting) to walk through the netted groves and learn how limoncello is made from the peel. Pick up a bottle direct from the producer — far better than supermarket versions.

Return to whichever town serves your departure point and claim a table at a waterfront restaurant for sunset. Order a carafe of local Fiano or Falanghina white wine, a plate of mozzarella di bufala, and finish with a tasting plate of local pastries — sfogliatella, delizia al limone, and zeppole. The Amalfi Coast is expensive but a single generous final meal — around €50 per person with wine — is the right way to close a visit here.