The Amalfi Coast

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful place than the Amalfi Coast. It zigzags along the underside of the Sorrentine Peninsula just southwest of Naples. Here, some of the prettiest (and richest) maritime villages in the world stagger down cliffs towards fishing harbours and glassy seas.

Of course, it’s got all the problems that go with being one of the ‘in’ crowd. Positano and Amalfi put Venice to shame in the overcrowding stakes in high summer. But there are plenty of ways to make your escape – from timing your trip for spring or autumn to hopping on a boat to Ischia, where the little-explored hills secret away volcanic vineyards and chestnut forest trails.

To get the best out of your holiday to the Amalfi Coast, you’ll need an expert at the helm. Therein lies the perks of a small group or tailor made tour. They pair you up with a guide who not only knows the lingo – they’ll also reveal which cove is perfect for a peaceful sundowner or the aperitivo bar that the locals duck into after work. And those are the things that really make a trip to the Amalfi Coast go from bella to bellissimo.

There’s no getting around that seeing opera in Ravello is a must. But how about swapping the sell-out open-air concerts of the Ravello Festival for one of the Ravello Concert Society’s gigs? You could catch Haydn’s string quartets in the serene Chiesa Dell’Annunziata in springtime.

As for Amalfi, do admire the famous zebra-striped cathedral that marks the town as one of the rich maritime republics. But also climb the streets to the charm-packed paper and lemon museums that back away from the town’s most-wanted sites. That’s also where you’ll find the trailhead to the waterfalls of the Valle delle Ferriere.

Hit Maiori on market day (Thursday), meanwhile, and the pyramids of smoked mozzarella and football-sized lemons will make you feel like you’re still in old world Italia. Blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em bakeries still exist, where you can pop in for a slice of almond cake or a cheeky aperitivo.