Costiera Amalfitana is a dream destination situated in southwestern Italy, below Naples, on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula. An idyllic landscape with shimmering azure sea, colored houses clinging on soaring cliffs like a bunch of grapes and incredibly narrow streets are the main ingredients of this Amalfitan picturesque scenery.

Amalfi Coast was my 14th destination, where I reached 4500km by car and where I spent 3 nights.

It is not easy to drive on the coast highway and until Praiano, where I stayed at a magnificent hotel with a speechless sea view, (Tramonto D’Oro), I had a terrible nausea because of the impossible narrow curves. I must admit the view was breathtaking with all those incredible cliffs guarding the clear sea and all those sloping houses.

I spent most of my time in Positano, the main attraction of the coast, most of the tourists choosing to stay there, a place that makes you fall in love. Times stands still on the narrow streets, crammed with small local shops and artisans selling their own work. During my entire journey on the Amalfi coast I couldn’t help but wondering how does a normal day for these people look like, how do they earn their money and how do their houses look on the inside, because everything seems so small and narrow and you can notice the lack of space.

Their fashion is simple: light colors, loose dresses, stripes and soft fabrics. The shoes are insignificant to them, spending almost all the time on the small beach at the base of the cliffs, but when they do wear shoes, they choose comfy espadrilles or minimal sandals.

Their food is a spectacle with fresh fish, mozzarella grilled on lemon leaves and pasta. Every good meal ends with a shot of cold Limoncello, a local alcohol drink made out of lemons. Actually, here is all about lemons, every household having at least one lemon tree in their garden.

What amazed me the most was the way human being was able to create a living here, where the wilderness of the surroundings and the edgy relief seem so hard to tame.

More than a destination

Italians are loud and effervescent and the Amalfi coast made no exception. But that’s what made this place so comfortable, because everybody was relaxed and acting natural.