3 days travel to Amalfi Coast

Day 1 >

There is no more emblematic place to start the discovery of the Amalfi Coast than going to Punta Campanella. Here, on the top of the peninsula that divides the two gulfs of Campania, the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno, we can clearly understand the shape of the coast and our gaze extends 360°. On one side Sorrento and Vesuvius, Procida and Capri, on the other the gentle sinuous curves of the Amalfi Coast set along the cliffs, in front of us the sea that shines in every season. Punta Campanella is the maximum expression of the luxuriant nature and fertile land of our region, where olive trees and vineyards frame a fertile countryside that reaches the top of the cape, kissed by the sea and the sun, where the best products of our local agriculture grow.

It is hard to leave this place of ecstasy and meditation, on top of the path with steps which, after crossing a splendid pine forest, leads up to the Church of San Costanzo with its splendid panoramic terrace, silhouetted on the top of the < strong>Bay of Jeranto.

When to go? Both in the morning and in the afternoon towards sunset, depending on the season, it offers an unforgettable experience, and it is the perfect first stop for your welcome on the Amalfi Coast. 

If you feel comfortable with your schedule, we recommend making a further stop in Nerano, which you can see from above before getting back on the road. The village is a real pearl set in the greenery that reaches the sea, with its small bay and pebble beach, protected by the FAI, where you can enjoy your first taste of the sea and the first taste of the delicious "zucchini alla Nerano”.

From this point on, all that remains is to enjoy the road, the famous Statale 163, one of the most panoramic roads in the world which winds through sinuous curves, to be tackled with the right caution, and a succession of views that change at every corner. Our advice is to leave Positano behind you (you will visit it another day) and continue directly to Praiano. Hotel Margherita awaits you at the end of a short uphill road from the centre, which will reveal the most beautiful panorama immersed in the quiet, in an elevated and secluded position far enough from the traffic of the state road.

It is now time for an aperitif in the company of our team and their indispensable recommendations and suggestions and why not? Let yourself be tempted by a welcome dip in our heated swimming pool with a view over the sea as far as the eye can see!

Day 2 >

Today is the day to discover the wonders made by nature and humans on the Amalfi Coast, a day to learn about the values of the territory, through the works of nature and those of local people.

From Hotel Margherita head south and in fifteen minutes you will reach a place of idyllic uniqueness: the Fiordo di Furore, the first magnificent work of nature that you will encounter during the day. A tenacious and fearless fissure in the rock, along the cliff, worthy of the best-known Scandinavian fjords, which welcomes a small beach only 25 meters long, caressed by sea water that offers all imaginable shades from blue to turquoise, depending on the moment of the day. An emblematic place also for lovers of auteur cinema which has immortalized the Fjord as the setting for great internationally renowned films, one above all "L'amore" by the great movie director Rossellini with Anna Magnani and Federico Fellini who fell in love right there. After a stop on the bridge that crosses the overhang from above that opens at your feet, we advise you to go down the steps that run along the creek to the beach walking alongside the few houses dug into the rock that were once inhabited by fearless fishermen. Look its imposing uniqueness from another perspective and, if the season permits, swim in its waters.

After seeing this mythical place first-hand, continue along the state road for about ten minutes by car to a small parking lot where you can leave your car (there is also a local bus stop nearby) and take an elevator to descend steeply cliff until you reach the entrance to the Grotta dello Smeraldo above sea level. This hidden jewel was only discovered in the 1960s by a local fisherman who, having faced a sudden storm at sea, abandoned his boat and sought shelter along the coast, inside a tunnel dug into the rock among the cliffs. As unexpected as providential was the discovery of this cave sheltered from the waves of the sea, illuminated only by a faint external light filtered through the cracks in the rock: an enchanting natural pool with blue reflections lit by the water and an amphitheater made by stalactites and stalagmites, the result of the centuries-old work of drops of water penetrating through the limestone rock of the vault. Treat yourself to the small boat ride to discover the splendid sculptural works of mother nature! You will recognize familiar forms, incredible natural reproductions of forms and architectures known to all above the earth's surface. The nice local sailors who will take you on this excursion with their rowing boats will not fail to help you recognize every conformation that frames this place with a mythological flavor.

Once back on the surface, it is now time to head along a steep uphill road towards the village of Furore. It looks incredible how you can reach mountain altitudes from the sea. No fear! We do not expect you to reach the small, perched village through the more than 3000 steps, carved on the ground between lemon groves and vineyards, you can easily reach its top by your car. The amazement that will first pervade your thoughts will be the sensation of never having been able to imagine that there could be an inhabited village, invisible to those who limit themselves to traveling along the state road 163.

Precisely in this village perched at 600 meters. above sea level, you will encounter the first great fusion between the prodigy of nature and that of man: the Marisa Cuomo winery, with its vineyards that grow clinging to rock spurs, imposing a completely unique way of making wine, an exceptional and award-winning wine, thanks to which today the village of Furore is world-wide known. By booking a visit to the Marisa Cuomo winery, you will discover a history of humanity and industriousness that is so called "heroic viticulture". We also like to call it "acrobatic viticulture" for the amazing knowledge of cultivating these historical vineyards with total naturalness, so fearfully clinging to the cliffs of the rock, and making them the wine making excellence of the region, the precious nectar desired by all the wine enthusiasts and experts of the world. It is an undertaking that only those who grew up in this daring territory can be capable of carrying out with such success.

The story of Marisa Cuomo and her husband Andrea Ferraioli deserves you make a visit to the cellar excavated in the rock thanks to which the wine refinement in oak barrels create incomparable wines such as Fiorduva a real prodigy that perfectly blend the ingenuity of nature and human.

After the visit to the winery, the desire to experience the tasting of Marisa Cuomo wines will spontaneously lead you across the street to the Hostaria Bacco Furore 1930, where you can stop for lunch to indulge in a food and wine experience that you will remember forever. With its sunny terrace suspended overhanging the sea, you will experience not only the thrill of the incomparable view, but above all the quintessence of an authentic cuisine in which local products, tradition, and creativity of Erminia Ferraioli confirm the idyll of the place. If you want, you can opt for the "Marisa Cuomo" tasting menu which combines each dish with one of the splendid wines produced by the cellar.
Before leaving the village of Furore to go down the coastal road again, don't forget to make a few stops to look closely at the murals that decorate the walls of the houses which, with their bright colors and the peculiarity of the various techniques used for their realization, have mentioned the village in the Association of Italian Painted Countries.

On the way back to Praiano, just before reaching the center to return to the hotel, make one last stop around the bend to look closely at the Presepe di Praiano, a local artist's installation. Michele Castellano sets in the rock along the road, in the so-called Grotta del Diavolo, the handmade reproduction of the village in miniature, with an exciting abundance of details of the houses, churches and alleys, which will make you rediscover the sense of amazement of when you were children. Once again nature and humanity embracing in unison.

The time has come to relax, on our sun terrace, by the pool or taking a Five Star Method massage on the exclusively dedicated panoramic terrace, a charge of wellness for body and mind.

Day 3 >

We want to dedicate this day to the more artistic and cultural side of the Amalfi Coast, always without disregarding the naturalistic and gastronomic peculiarities with which our territory is dotted.

From Hotel Margherita we head south again along the Statale 163 and head straight towards Amalfi, the historical and cultural emblem of our coast. After about half an hour, by car or bus, we arrive in the historic center of what, together with Venice, Pisa and Genoa, has been the symbol of the flourishing Italian Maritime Republics since the 9th century.

A visit to Amalfi can only start from the pier, the landing point which has accompanied the entire history of the city, a maritime power over the centuries, a strategic point for all the cultures of the Mediterranean basin, since Byzantine era. From the port, the visit of the city that expands vertically in front of us, nestled along the cliff. A real theatre on the sea, with its houses, its alleys and the splendid Cathedral and the Bell Tower. In front of us the ancient arsenals of the Republic from where the galleys sailed towards the East. The Cathedral of Amalfi with its iconographic staircase and facade studded with mosaics, the unmissable Cloister of Paradise with its resonant arabesque architecture and finally the narrow streets with steps that rise and fall rapidly everywhere in an intricate and enigmatic maze.

Here you will discover the most ancient history of the coast, you will meet the Amalfi character, the culture of a small town that was queen of the seas, open to welcome and at the same time with a strong protective identity. Do not miss a visit to the Paper Museum, of which Amalfi was historically the first city to introduce the processing and production techniques, thanks to its continuous commercial traffic with the East. Located in the place where an ancient paper mill stood right at the entrance to the Valle dei Mulini, you can join a very interesting, guided tour.

Finally, a short walk will lead you to Atrani, a small fishing village connected to Amalfi by a pedestrian tunnel which has given hospitality to intellectuals and artists from all over the world who found here the place of choice par excellence.

Now it’s time to discover one of the most iconographic and fascinating places on the Amalfi Coast. Leave the coastal road to go up towards the Lattari Mountains, where, perched on the top of a slope that gently and verdantly looks to the sea, is Ravello, an elegant and refined treasure trove of artistic and cultural beauties. The town of villas and music. If you are planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast in the summer, put an evening at the Ravello Festival on your agenda to attend a concert by great international artists of classical and opera music. Just taking a seat on a starry evening in the open-air Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium overlooking the sea from above is an experience like no other. Whatever the season, what you definitely cannot miss is Villa Cimbrone with its Terrace of Infinity, a glance, and a blow to the heart to see so much beauty and harmony concentrated in the same place.

And now go down back to the sea and, before driving back to Praiano, we suggest you take a short walk along the seafront of the small Minori centre. Spoil yourself with one of the fabulous haute patisserie creations of Sal De Riso, probably the most famous pastry chef in Italy. who through his original and modern recipes sublimely enhances all the local products, combining in a sublime way the simplest and most typical ingredients of our region. A visit to his pastry shop will leave you amazed, that's for sure, because this is art too!