The Amalfi Coast is the kind of place that ruins other coastlines for you. I based myself in Praiano rather than Positano — cheaper, quieter, and with the same impossible sunsets, just without the crowds elbowing for the same photo.
Mornings started with the ferry rather than the corkscrew coast road. Boats are faster, calmer, and you get to see the towns the way they were meant to be seen: rising straight out of the sea. I'd grab a granita at the dock and ride to Amalfi or Positano before the day-trippers landed.
The Path of the Gods lived up to the name. It's a few hours of cliff-edge trail with the whole Tyrrhenian Sea laid out below you, and almost no shade — which is exactly why you start early. By the time I dropped down the 1,500 steps into Positano, the light had gone gold and the lemon stands were just opening.
Trip highlights
- Sunset from Praiano instead of crowded Positano
- Hiking the Path of the Gods early, before the heat
- Ferry-hopping between towns rather than the bus
- Fresh lemon granita at every harbor