Overlooking the picturesque island of Capri, this portion of the Mediterranean coast has sunny beaches and marvelous roads winding tightly among lemon orchards and terraces. The small cities are just as spectacular as the landscape on the road that links them. The houses are packed together on the mountain coast, with enough space among them just for a stairway that takes the place of a usual street. This way all the owners enjoy the sunset or the sunrise over the see.
You can get to Amalfi by bus from Naples (35 km south), and once there you must not miss the St Andrew’s cathedral, which is a testimony of the Byzantine heritage of this UNESCO list city. Amalfi prospered from the trade between the Byzantine Empire, the Otoman and Arab world and the Western world. Now it tempts tourists with its limoncello, a liquor made from lemons and with various types of souvenirs, from ceramics to fabrics. Though limoncello started to be made outside Italy it still remains a local brand that made Amalfi famous. A different variety of giant lemons grow here, called sfusato amalfitano, which are sweeter than ordinary lemons.
The place is so romantic and such a tourist magnet that couples often come here to get married or in their honeymoon.
The naval tradition of Amalfi harbor is remembered by a statue by Alfonso Balzico of a medieval sailor, Flavio Gioia, which is said to have used the compass for the first time.