Amalfi Coast
March 26th 2026
I will give my recommendation at the of the summary of what we did. Our drive not typical as were off seasons and early, but we did this on purpose…..
Another sunny morning. Watched the sunrise from the hot tub, what a great way to start mother day. Unfortunately, the sky’s clouded up and I lost the sun. Once again our host, Fabio, made a fabulous breakfast. It was too cold to eat outside, so he served us inside. This just made the start of the day even better.
We had plans to drive up the Amalfi Coast today. Everything I had heard about this drive is that is is very challenging and driving it yourself is not recommended. Even Rick Steve’s podcasts said to rent a driver as an alternative to doing the drive. We even met people at the lemon farm that recommended taking a boat tour instead. Despite all this, I still decided to do the drive myself.
We got an early start at 8:30am. The drive to Amalfi is only 9.3 miles but will take 45 minutes. We had been told the traffic can be terrible in the high season (April-Oct). Cars move at 5 miles and hour and there can be many busses and scooters to drive around.
Positano
The drive started on Postiano where Under the Tuscan Sun and The Talented Mr Ripley where filmed. It is famous as a place where the global elite like Jacqueline Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor would hang out. It is still popular with the global elite. The drive through Postiano was actually easy, but this is supposed to be the start of the difficult part of the drive. We did not stop, but continued on
Positano from the road.
Amalfi
Amalfi is a historic town situated on the famed Amalfi Coast in southern Italy, known for its stunning Mediterranean scenery, rich history, and cultural heritage.
The drive to Amalfi was not as bad as I thought. There was actually not much traffic on the road. Most of the time I was the only person driving on the road. The road was very twisty with many hairpin turns. While driving though towns the road would be vary narrow, only allowing one car through. I never had an issue with this as the traffic was light. Very glad to not have any busses. However, I did have my share of scooters.
Note cars parked along the road. This leave only 1 ½ lanes to drive and manage on coming traffic. Luckily I only had to stop and back up once to allow a truck to get past me.
The drive to Amalfi was slow but traffic was still light. I kept the car between 2nd and 3rd gear for most of the drive. The steep hills and tight turns made it necessary to down shift to 2nd gear, and the drive did not allow me to shift over 3rd gear. Not sure if a manual transmission was the best choice, but I liked it. I think an automatic transmission would have had trouble making these transitions. The drive had several areas where only 1 car could go. We only had to back up once. But again, the traffic was light. Also you have to deal with cars parked on the side of the road, cars double parked along the narrow road, people walking on the side of the road and bikers. You have to be VERY CAREFUL as all of these are hazards and makes the road much more challenging. We did see a lot of cars that looked local that had A LOT of side scrapes and dents. Also, when buses and trucks go by…. Well that is scary. The road itself was no worse than highway 1, it is all the stuff going on around it, that makes it challenging.
We did not stop in Amalfi. We had a on opportunity with a place to park the car (which is unheard of in this area). This town is more famous for being famous than anything. There is no piazza for the town, limited parking and expensive shops.
Vietri sul Mare
Vietri sul Mare is a picturesque town on the eastern most side of the Amalfi Coast. It is considered the capital of Italian Ceramics.
We continued on to Vietri sul Mare. We stopped at the Ceramic Solimene factory and picked up some nice ceramics. It was very rustic with ceramics piled up all over the place. The ceramics were cheap but you need to weed through it.
Ceramic Solimene Factory store.
Inside the Ceramic Solimene Store
We wandered this town a bit and found many more ceramics that we purchased. We really enjoyed this town and would go back.
Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie.
The weather was starting to cool down and a storm was coming. We decided to head out and take the mountain drive back towards our Airbnb.
Ravello
Ravello is a picturesque hilltop town on the Amalfi Coast, renowned for its stunning villas, terraced gardens, panoramic views, and the prestigious Ravello Festival, making it a must-visit cultural and scenic destination.
We decided to stop by the town of Ravello. This town is high up in the hills and overlooks the Amalfi coast.
View of terraces in Ravello. (from parking lot)
Unusual store signage.
Parking was easy and the weather was getting worse, so we stopped and got lunch at a small restaurant called Vittario. They are know for their pizzas. We got the Mortazza pizza. This has mozzarella cheese, mortadella, pistachio pesto and burrata stracciatellas on it. These Italian pizzas are great. I tried their Limoncello Spritz. It was also very good.
Mortazza pizza. This has mozzarella cheese, mortadella, pistachio pesto and burrata stracciatellas on it.
After lunch we needed to head back as the storm forecasted seemed to be getting closer. We chose the lower road along the coast to head back. Just as we were driving back, the storm hit. There was heavy rain and hail for about 10 minutes. Traffic was still light, so the drive was not too bad. Made a few wrong turns, but eventually got back on track and made it back.
Italian traffic jam (goats on the road)
The mini mart near our Airbnb was closed at 4:00pm (why?). I was hoping to pick up some things for cocktails in our room as I did not want to drive anymore today. So we decided to grab a quick cocktail at Quercus Lunch Bar near our place. The place was empty and we had a great conversation with our bartender.
Quercus Lunch Bar
We ended the night with some wine and cheeses and relaxed.
