April 1, 2025 • 22 mins
Sarah Thompson, the founder of Luxama Travel, shares her personal experiences and expert knowledge as we traverse the legendary 'Strata Statale 163 Amalfitana' on Italy's Amalfi Coast, a cliff side route famed for breathtaking views and exhilarating challenges.
Discover the charm of this coastal paradise, where the art of "dolce far niente," or the sweetness of doing nothing, is celebrated in every sun-drenched alley and lemon-scented breeze along the Amalfi Coast drive. From Sorrento's picturesque paths to the serene natural beauty of the Jerontal reserve, Sarah invites us to experience the magic of this iconic location.
We also uncover the hidden treasures of the Amalfi Coast's charming towns, from the delectable anchovies of Chitara to Vietre Sul Mare's vibrant ceramics. Our journey culminates in Salerno, the bustling city that blends history with modern allure. As Sarah recounts cherished memories of scooter rides and floating in the Mediterranean, she inspires us to pause, disconnect, and embrace the beauty. Whether you're planning a visit or simply dreaming of Italian landscapes, this episode transports you to one of the world's most enchanting destinations.
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Sarah Thompson, is the founder of Luxama Travel. She lives in Southern Italy.
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Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books of the year'). She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
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Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has dropped over 115 travel episodes! New episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lea Lane (00:00):
In the years before TripAdvisor and social media, I
wrote travel guidebooks formajor publications and one of
the destinations I wrote aboutwas the spectacular Amalfi Coast
In southern Italy.
It overlooks the Tyrrhenian Seaand the Gulf of Salerno, from
Sorrento to Salerno.
It's considered one of the mostscenic coastlines in the world
(00:22):
and it was named a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site in 1997.
It's got rich history, art,culture, 500-foot cliffs, 100
beaches.
It's just gorgeous.
Our guest, Sarah Thompson,lives in the area.
She's founder of Lux ama Travel, a boutique agency that
specializes in custom-planneditineraries along the Amalfi
(00:44):
Coast, one of our favoriteplaces in the world.
Welcome, Sarah, to Places IRemember.
Sarah Thompson (00:49):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having mehere today.
Lea Lane (00:53):
Great to have you In this episode.
We're going to take a verbaldrive along the Amalfi Coast.
We'll start in the area ofSorrento and end the drive at
Salerno, a modern Italian citywhere you could catch the
highway back.
Okay, let's first talk aboutthe history of the area.
The Amalfi Coast was part ofthe Roman Empire and there are
many patrician villas remainingtoday.
(01:13):
The Romans built the originalroad that runs along the coast
and in the 9th century, amalfibecame the first of the four
Italian maritime republics.
Along with Venice, genoa andPisa, it was a commercial power
trading with the Arabs and theByzantines.
The Amalfi dukedom expanded inthe 10th and 11th centuries and
(01:34):
when the Normans conquered thecoast in 1136, amalfi's
importance declined.
The engineering of the modern35-mile two-lane highway was in
the mid-1800s and it took 40years to complete linking by
carriageway the towns of theAmalfi Coast to Salerno.
So, sarah, today how would youdescribe driving Strata Statale
(01:56):
163 Amalfitana, the one and onlyAmalfi Coast Road?
Sarah Thompson (02:02):
It's very, very terrifying, but a lot of fun.
It's gorgeous, the views areincredible and it's one of the
best ways to see the entirecoast, with a short wall right
next to you, with cliffs falling500-foot cliffs right next to
it.
It's crazy.
Lea Lane (02:19):
You want to take it south so that you can see the
view.
Most people go south along itand then come back on the
highway.
Sarah Thompson (02:27):
Exactly.
You definitely take it south,and some of the better views are
that way.
Lea Lane (02:30):
And if you don't want to drive it, I know you can take
a boat on the water.
What do you think about that?
Sarah Thompson (02:36):
If you are terrified of heights or driving
and Italian drivers are quitecrazy.
The road rules do not existhere and scooters are going in
and out of traffic.
What I always recommend to youfrom my clients, and what I
prefer to do, is take the boatdown the coast.
It's faster, it's more relaxingand more scenic.
Lea Lane (02:53):
You can take a tour bus, I guess, if you don't want
to drive it yourself and stillwant to go up there.
A lot of people do that.
There are lots of them.
I read that there's no Uber.
If there's no?
No, oh my goodness, there's noUber.
I wish there was.
I wish there was.
There's taxi that's expensive.
And what's this odd, even ruleof Italy Tell me about?
Sarah Thompson (03:14):
Oh my goodness.
This is the definition of howItaly does not work in certain
ways.
So basically, there was a rulethat if you had an odd number
license plate, you can thendrive on an even day along the
Amalfi Coast, like if you had alicense plate that ended in a
seven.
You can then drive on even daysof the month of the calendar
(03:37):
year, and vice versa for drivingon the Amalfi Coast.
Otherwise you could be pulledover and ticketed and clearly
did not work.
Lea Lane (03:45):
No longer done right.
Sarah Thompson (03:46):
No, no.
I don't even know if it wasactually put into action,
because following that must havebeen so complicated and they're
just trying to reduce thetraffic.
Lea Lane (03:54):
Well, I think the Amalfi Coast is not so much
about doing things but justappreciating things.
I felt that when I was there, Iwas watching and feeling and
tasting in a different way thebeauty, the food, the people,
the towns, the steps.
There's so many steps you haveto appreciate even walking.
And I think that the mostpopular pastime is maybe
(04:14):
something called dolce farniente, the art of doing nothing
, just enjoying yourself.
But we're going to go along theroad now and see what we can
find.
esides that.
We're going to start in abeautiful town called Sorrento.
Tell me about it.
Sarah Thompson (04:29):
Sorrento is absolutely beautiful.
I think it's one of the bestgems, even though it's
technically not the Amalfi Coast, it is the Sorrento Coast, but
it's absolutely lovely becausethere's the historical town of
Sorrento, has all thesebeautiful alleyways, it's very
easy to navigate.
Very centralized too in betweenNaples, the city, Capri, the
(04:50):
island and then, of course, theAmalfi Coast, it's really
accessible and it's so beautiful.
Of course, Sorrento is super,super famous for its lemons.
There's amazing lemon gardensin the area and in neighboring
towns like Meta, Sant'Agnolo,Piano di Sorrento, and that
whole peninsula is really,really beautiful.
Lea Lane (05:08):
And lemons become limoncello, which is also famous
, the magnificent after dinnerdrink which you find all around.
I loved walking in Sorrentobecause it was flat and when you
are in you're not going tohave a lot of flat, so it's a
perfect place to stroll.
People shop in the evening, allthe craftsmen are out doing
wood inlay and it's just lovely,and the villas there that are
(05:32):
along the cliffs are gorgeous,many of them hotels now.
Sarah Thompson (05:36):
Many more hotels , yeah, and they have their own
beach clubs there.
They're so beautiful, reallyrelaxing.
Some of the historical hotelsthere as well.
What you mentioned aboutSorrento being flat is because
it's so accessible -- great townto kind of centralize yourself
in, and there's even an elevatorto take you down to the port.
Lea Lane (05:54):
Absolutely.
You go down there and you cango to Capri and the other
islands of Procida and Ischia.
They're gorgeous.
You can go from many areasalong the Amalfi Coast and that,
Sorrento, is one of them.
It's a lovely port there.
I think it's an underratedplace.
I think when everyone goes tothe Amalfi Coast, Sorrento is
really the gateway, so try toinclude that.
(06:15):
And again, you can just walkalong the hotels and go in the
lobbies and look at these grandold hotels.
It's a wonderful thing to dothere.
Sarah Thompson (06:23):
One of my favorite things to do.
Actually, if you're not stayingat those beautiful five-star
luxury hotels on the cliffside,you can actually go inside them
and just mention you're going tothe Terrace Bar.
They have all these beautifulterraces, terrazza with usually
a cocktail bar which you cangrab an aperitif to watch the
sunset, which is stunningBecause from Srenta Coast you
(06:45):
see the full sunset over thehorizon, while the Amalfi Coast
you don't.
Lea Lane (06:49):
Excellent.
I give that as a tip.
Often, if you go to someplacewhere there are beautiful hotels
, go in for a drink and you getthe pleasure of all those public
rooms.
Now, the Amalfi Coast isassociated with Greek myths
about Hercules and Ulysses isassociated with Greek myths
about Hercules and Ulysses.
One legend says that Ulyssessurvived hearing the siren song
(07:09):
on Capri by tying himself to themast of his ship.
The gods of Olympus landed onthe Amalfi Coast to well, it
wasn't called the Amalfi Coastthen, but it was the coast to
prevent Ulysses from becomingshipwrecked and that created the
rugged cliffs.
We're going to start on thesection that everybody knows
about in the gorgeous, iconictown of Positano.
(07:30):
What makes that so special?
Sarah Thompson (07:33):
Wow, positano.
I think it's because I've neverhave seen a town built like
that, built so vertically.
The people there are incredible.
I've seen 85 year old walkingup steps, hundreds of steps a
day, with fruit on top of theirhead, being able to go shopping
(07:55):
at a local market, and thescenic, the colors, are just
breathtaking.
Lea Lane (08:00):
It's something to behold.
It's beautiful looking at itfrom a boat below.
It's beautiful looking on astep above and below.
The beach is gorgeous there.
It's rocky, but you have thislovely little beach and you look
up.
It's just beautiful everywhere.
I just like to sit on a terraceand watch it, and I think there
are beautiful little hotels andB&Bs that the views are
(08:24):
drop-dead gorgeous.
You don't have to go to thefancy Serenus or the San Pietro.
You can go to almost any B&Band get the same view, and I
love the way they bring thebougainvillea vines right
indoors, where it's vines.
Sarah Thompson (08:38):
Yeah, the purple flowers are stunning,
absolutely beautiful flowers.
Lea Lane (08:42):
If you're going to stop along the coast, that would
be one of the places I wouldsuggest.
Again, there are mobilityproblems perhaps, and keep that
in mind, but just an hour or sothere gives you this great
feeling of the next town thatpeople stop at.
Very often is the town that thecoast is named after, amalfi.
The town of Amalfi is reallythe heart of the coast.
(09:02):
As I mentioned, it was one ofthe four powerful maritime
republics and it's now one ofthe most popular towns.
What would you check out if youwent to Amalfi?
Sarah Thompson (09:10):
Oh, there's so much to see.
Of course there's a beautifulchurch there, but I actually
recommend to walk past thechurch and keep going further up
in Amalfi and you'll see carvedout persephes on the cliff side
, which are like nativity scenesthat are all handmade by local
artisans.
Well, the artwork that they'veused from actual nature on the
(09:30):
cliff.
It's really really cool andvery intricate.
Lea Lane (09:33):
The artisans who live there are obviously aware of the
gorgeous setting and itinspires them all along the way.
The museum there, the MuseoArsenale Amalfi, is a medieval
shipyard and it's turned into anexhibition space.
You have that as well, and youhave just this feeling of the
Byzantine era.
It remains there more than anyother place on the coast.
(09:56):
The next place that most peoplewould think of on the coast is
perched high above the sea, morequiet than the others.
Because it's higher up, it's alittle harder to get there.
It's Ravello.
It has stunning views, filledwith historic villas and gardens
.
What do you like about Ravello,beth?
Sarah Thompson (10:13):
Oh, everyone can define the word luxury
differently.
No-transcript.
(10:43):
Beautiful views, amphitheaterlooking over the entire coast as
the sun rises.
It is phenomenal.
Lea Lane (10:50):
Wow.
Well, I like the 13th centuryMoorish style Villa Ruffalo.
It's got beautiful terracegardens and they have concerts
there, I think during thefestival, but all through the
year.
And then there's villa sembrone, which is a medieval style
estate perched on a steepoutcrop, and it has a beautiful
garden.
I just think the gardens thereare exceptional yeah, they
(11:12):
really are.
Sarah Thompson (11:14):
like all of the villas and palaces there have
stunning gardens and theyactually filmed original Wonder
Woman with Gal Gadot.
They actually filmed some ofthe scenes in Ravello at the
gardens.
Lea Lane (11:26):
Well, I can see why it's blue.
You look out, you see blue sky,blue sea, because you're way
high up and it's very restfulNow along the way.
Next is a town that has a very,very nice beach, and that isn't
that common.
There are lots of beaches, butthere aren't long ones, and
Maiore is one place.
Maiore yeah, yes, tell us aboutthat too.
Sarah Thompson (11:48):
I think it's absolutely beautiful.
I think it's quite similar toSorrento where it's much more
laid back, much more accessibleand a little bit larger than
some of the other Amalfi Coasttowns much more accessible and a
little bit larger than some ofthe other Amalfi Coast towns.
From Mayuri you can take theLemon Path connecting to Minori,
which is a sister town, majortown and minor town, minori.
(12:08):
I think it's so beautiful thatLemon Path.
You'll see some local farmersalong the way, relaxing activity
you can do in.
Lea Lane (12:12):
Mayuri, is it a difficult hike?
Sarah Thompson (12:13):
Not as difficult as the Path of Gods, but I
would definitely do it if youdon't have any mobility issues.
Lea Lane (12:20):
Lemon trees yes, the Path of the Gods that you
mentioned is near Positano.
Tell us a little bit about that, because hikers absolutely love
it.
It's got the views to die for.
Of course, it's way above thetown.
You can come down to Positanofrom it.
Sarah Thompson (12:34):
It starts in the town of Bombrano, which is past
Positano, and the hike,thankfully, as you start from
Bombrano it continues down, soit's not too much of a
treacherous hike.
But it is not a simple, easypath.
There are some rocks and stonesyou have to hop over or jump
over.
The trail finishes in the townof Nocele, which is a beautiful
(12:54):
little town, a little villageabove the town of Positano, and
right by there you can visitsome amazing trattorias and
frattorias and restaurants fromthere.
If you're feeling a little bitmore adventurous, you can then
actually hike down back toPositano, which is like over 500
steps, but your calves will beshaking by the end of it.
Lea Lane (13:11):
Wow, you deserve a limoncello after that.
Sarah Thompson (13:14):
Definitely.
Lea Lane (13:16):
Okay, well, after that, definitely Okay.
Well, past Maori is Chitarathat stretches along a deep
valley with vineyards and citrusgroves, and of all the villages
on the Coast, Chitara is knownfor what?
the Delichee.
(Which is.
Sarah Thompson (13:29):
The anchovies.
Lea Lane (13:31):
Yeah, it's.
Since the Middle Ages it'sdeveloped a strong link with the
sea and it's famous for itstuna anchovies.
And where would you recommendeating?
I'm sure there are wonderfulseafood restaurants.
Any of the little restaurantsalong the sea there would be
perfect for a lovely lunch.
And then we get to an areacalled Vietre Sul Mare, which is
at the end of the Amalfi Coastand it's known for its vibrant
(13:53):
ceramics.
What are the ceramic patternsthat you see?
You see them all over theAmalfi Coast, but they're made
here.
Sarah Thompson (13:59):
Bluish, yellow color absolutely beautiful
mosaics.
Really, you can find alldifferent shapes and sizes, but
a lot of them also feature fishsymbols around them.
Lemons, of course.
Lemons are everywhere along theAmalfi Coast, the classic
mosaic symbol.
Beautiful, and I have some ofthem in my own kitchen as well.
Lea Lane (14:20):
If you want a gift, this is the place to go.
You could go to the workshopsand meet the craftsmen and
they'll ship it for you.
It's just gorgeous stuff and alovely way to end, because you
take home these wonderfulmemories in ceramics.
So you come then to Salerno,because that's the largest city
near the Amalfi Coast at thesouthern end and it serves as a
major transport hub for the area, because, as I mentioned, you
probably don't want to go backalong the Amalfi Coast to
(14:43):
Sorrento or Naples or whereveryou're going.
You usually take the highwayback.
How long does that take todrive from Salerno, let's say,
to Sorrento or Naples?
Sarah Thompson (14:52):
I would say about an hour and a half.
So ironically, I had to go toVietrisumare for an event, the
Amalfi Coast Cocktail Week,which was a lot of fun, and it
was in Vietrisumare at thisbeautiful event space called
Giardino de Fuente.
There's a lot of weddings andevents that happen there.
From Sorrento it was actuallyquicker to go back towards
(15:14):
Naples through the highway andback towards Salerno, coming out
to Vietrisumare from behind thecliffs, than it was to go back
towards Naples through thehighway and back towards Salerno
, coming out to Vecchia Sumanefrom behind the cliffs, than it
was to go along the Amalfi CoastDrive.
Lea Lane (15:24):
How long does it normally take if you're just
going to drive along the coastand don't stop and go on the
Amalfi Drive?
How long would you say to leavefrom Sorrento to Salerno?
Sarah Thompson (15:33):
Well, it depends on traffic, but it depends on
what month of the season you'recoming in.
On a good day, on a good day,okay, scooter or car.
Lea Lane (15:42):
Car, definitely for me , Okay.
With a car.
I would say an hour, 45 minutesmore or less, because you
definitely want to stop to dosome panoramic views.
There's some beautiful spotswhere you can take some photos
the Foro di Furore, which is abeautiful archway, and that
bridge there is absolutelystunning.
So I would say yeah, an hourand 45 minutes, depending how
(16:02):
fast you drive.
Yeah, I had to drive that when Iwas doing research for the
guidebooks and sometimes I hadto back up because I was trying
to discover places and I'd seeit and I'd pass and I'd have to
back up on the Amalfi Coast.
I can't believe I used to dothat all the time.
I wouldn't be doing that now,but I wasn't on a scooter.
It probably would have beeneasier on a scooter.
Now there are some places Ididn't mention along the Amalfi
(16:24):
Coast that are very special, butI just want to add in there how
about the Grotta dello Smeraldo?
Sarah Thompson (16:30):
The Grotta dello Smeraldo, the Emerald.
Grotto yeah, so a lot of peopledon't know about this?
Lea Lane (16:35):
No, I loved it and it really is emerald color.
Tell us about it.
Sarah Thompson (16:40):
Of course, everyone's heard of the Seven
Wonders of the World and beingthe Blue Grotto at Capri.
Well, this one is along theAmalfi Coast in between Conca de
Marina and Amalfi, I believeand it's a beautiful emerald
grotto.
You can access it by boat oryou can take an elevator from
the Amalfi Coast Drive.
Lea Lane (16:57):
That's what I did.
It was very easy.
You just get off, come downinto this.
Sarah Thompson (17:01):
Really easy a lot bigger so you don't have to
lean back to get into the Grottolike you do in the Azzurro one,
and the emerald green color isspectacular.
It's definitely something to beseen.
Lea Lane (17:12):
I thought it would be a tourist trap.
You know everybody says thingslike gorgeous, green, and all
you know you go along the road.
But no, it was worth it.
So if you want a little stop,that's special, that would be
one I would recommend you.
You also mentioned Fiore diForare, which is a little area
nestled between two sheer rockfaces.
It's by Positano, is it?
(17:32):
Is it near?
(Yeah, just after Positano,Forare yeah, There's
There's a tiny little beach,calm waters and beautiful views
from the bridge.
There you might even catch somecliff jumpers.
You know divers who go there.
Sarah Thompson (17:44):
Yeah, they used to do the.
I believe it was the Red Bulldiving competition.
They used to do that there.
I would never do that.
No, no.
Lea Lane (17:52):
It's hard enough to drive the Amalfi.
Coast it's already hard enoughto drive.
That's enough.
The Amalfi Coast, that's enough.
Okay, but, and there's onelittle village that's so tiny, I
think it's the tiniest villagein Italy.
It's considered so and peoplepass it by.
It's just south of Amalfi.
I love it.
It's called Atrani.
Tell us about that.
Sarah Thompson (18:08):
Oh yeah, atrani.
I love Atrani.
It's so beautiful.
I think it's also anotherlittle gem along the Amalfi
Coast.
One of my favorite beaches isin the Atrani as well.
Lea Lane (18:17):
It's under a Atrani bridge.
Sarah Thompson (18:19):
Yeah, the bridge there and you can actually walk
in between.
It's super lovely.
I think Atrani and I would alsosay Conca de Marini being one
of the smallest towns in theAmalfi Coast, one of my two
favorites.
Also to Conca de Marini, youcan only access that by boat or
by foot which is crazy.
Lea Lane (18:36):
It makes it so special because the crowds have come,
of course.
So I highly recommend if youcould do it off season summer is
very crowded If you could do itin May or September, October,
those would be better if you canmanage it, because I guess
traffic slows down when it'scrowded.
That would be the good thing.
You have to go maybe a littlebit slower to get around, but
(19:03):
when I was there this is wayback it wasn't yet discovered
like today, so you had theopportunity to stop a little and
look around and not feel sopushed.
I just wanted to mention thefood.
It's great cheese, greatseafood.
We mentioned lemons and wementioned anchovies.
Is there any special foods youenjoy on the Amalfi Coast and we
?
Sarah Thompson (19:20):
Oh, I have two actually.
One is seafood and --summer isvegetarian-friendly.
So--If I I one of my favoriteseafoods I like to eat here are
the canolicchie, which are razorclams, and I've had them at one
of my favorite restaurants inConca a Marini, La Tonnarella.
It's so good I would always.
anytime we rent a boat, I wouldalways want to stop there for
lunch.
My favorite pasta dish, though,has to be the pasta alla nurano
(19:44):
, which is the spaghetti withzucchini.
It's classic, so good.
onderful stuff.
They produce tomatoes that arewonderful and I my favorite sign
, I think of all time, was whenI passed a little market and it
had a sign for the tomatoes.
It said natural Viagra, orViagra naturale.
(20:07):
Viagra, that's the pepperoncino.
That is like the red pepperflakes.
Lea Lane (20:11):
Yeah, I thought that was so cute.
I wasn't expecting that, I justlike tomatoes, but it was so
charming to come across.
Yeah, I remember that.
Memories, right.
Well, speaking of such, thename of the podcast is Places I
Remember.
So, Sarah, would you pleaseshare with us one of your
special personal memories of thebeautiful Amalfi Coast?
Sarah Thompson (20:33):
I have so many and I think one of them has to
be when I was on the scooterwith my husband, Luigi, who is
Italian, from this area, andwe're just driving along the
coast.
The amount of color that yousee is absolutely stunning, and
we went down to this tiny littlebeach area that is a natural
(20:53):
reserve, so you have to walkthere.
No boats are allowed there,there's no restaurants, nothing,
just rocks and cliffs.
, This beautiful natural reservecalled Jerontal, and just
laying back in the water, facingthe cliff and thinking this is
heaven.
How do places on earth existlike this?
It's incredible, and everysummer when I'm swimming in the
(21:17):
Mediterranean Sea, looking backon those cliffs, I always go
back to the first time I wasthere and thinking I'm so lucky
to live here.
Lea Lane (21:26):
You are, but I hope all of us get to enjoy Dolce Far
niente, which is just whatyou're talking about the art of
doing nothing, but not really.
It's being inspired by yoursurroundings.
We can all stop a while, putaway the devices, relax,
appreciate the moment as wetravel throughout our precious
world.
Thank you, Sarah, we enjoyed itvery much.
Sarah Thompson (21:46):
Thank you so much.
It was a pleasure speaking withyou today.
In the years before TripAdvisor and social media, I
wrote travel guidebooks formajor publications and one of
the destinations I wrote aboutwas the spectacular Amalfi Coast
In southern Italy.
It overlooks the Tyrrhenian Seaand the Gulf of Salerno, from
Sorrento to Salerno.
It's considered one of the mostscenic coastlines in the world
(00:22):
and it was named a UNESCO WorldHeritage Site in 1997.
It's got rich history, art,culture, 500-foot cliffs, 100
beaches.
It's just gorgeous.
Our guest, Sarah Thompson,lives in the area.
She's founder of Lux ama Travel, a boutique agency that
specializes in custom-planneditineraries along the Amalfi
(00:44):
Coast, one of our favoriteplaces in the world.
Welcome, Sarah, to Places IRemember.
Sarah Thompson (00:49):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having mehere today.
Lea Lane (00:53):
Great to have you In this episode.
We're going to take a verbaldrive along the Amalfi Coast.
We'll start in the area ofSorrento and end the drive at
Salerno, a modern Italian citywhere you could catch the
highway back.
Okay, let's first talk aboutthe history of the area.
The Amalfi Coast was part ofthe Roman Empire and there are
many patrician villas remainingtoday.
(01:13):
The Romans built the originalroad that runs along the coast
and in the 9th century, amalfibecame the first of the four
Italian maritime republics.
Along with Venice, genoa andPisa, it was a commercial power
trading with the Arabs and theByzantines.
The Amalfi dukedom expanded inthe 10th and 11th centuries and
(01:34):
when the Normans conquered thecoast in 1136, amalfi's
importance declined.
The engineering of the modern35-mile two-lane highway was in
the mid-1800s and it took 40years to complete linking by
carriageway the towns of theAmalfi Coast to Salerno.
So, sarah, today how would youdescribe driving Strata Statale
(01:56):
163 Amalfitana, the one and onlyAmalfi Coast Road?
Sarah Thompson (02:02):
It's very, very terrifying, but a lot of fun.
It's gorgeous, the views areincredible and it's one of the
best ways to see the entirecoast, with a short wall right
next to you, with cliffs falling500-foot cliffs right next to
it.
It's crazy.
Lea Lane (02:19):
You want to take it south so that you can see the
view.
Most people go south along itand then come back on the
highway.
Sarah Thompson (02:27):
Exactly.
You definitely take it south,and some of the better views are
that way.
Lea Lane (02:30):
And if you don't want to drive it, I know you can take
a boat on the water.
What do you think about that?
Sarah Thompson (02:36):
If you are terrified of heights or driving
and Italian drivers are quitecrazy.
The road rules do not existhere and scooters are going in
and out of traffic.
What I always recommend to youfrom my clients, and what I
prefer to do, is take the boatdown the coast.
It's faster, it's more relaxingand more scenic.
Lea Lane (02:53):
You can take a tour bus, I guess, if you don't want
to drive it yourself and stillwant to go up there.
A lot of people do that.
There are lots of them.
I read that there's no Uber.
If there's no?
No, oh my goodness, there's noUber.
I wish there was.
I wish there was.
There's taxi that's expensive.
And what's this odd, even ruleof Italy Tell me about?
Sarah Thompson (03:14):
Oh my goodness.
This is the definition of howItaly does not work in certain
ways.
So basically, there was a rulethat if you had an odd number
license plate, you can thendrive on an even day along the
Amalfi Coast, like if you had alicense plate that ended in a
seven.
You can then drive on even daysof the month of the calendar
(03:37):
year, and vice versa for drivingon the Amalfi Coast.
Otherwise you could be pulledover and ticketed and clearly
did not work.
Lea Lane (03:45):
No longer done right.
Sarah Thompson (03:46):
No, no.
I don't even know if it wasactually put into action,
because following that must havebeen so complicated and they're
just trying to reduce thetraffic.
Lea Lane (03:54):
Well, I think the Amalfi Coast is not so much
about doing things but justappreciating things.
I felt that when I was there, Iwas watching and feeling and
tasting in a different way thebeauty, the food, the people,
the towns, the steps.
There's so many steps you haveto appreciate even walking.
And I think that the mostpopular pastime is maybe
(04:14):
something called dolce farniente, the art of doing nothing
, just enjoying yourself.
But we're going to go along theroad now and see what we can
find.
esides that.
We're going to start in abeautiful town called Sorrento.
Tell me about it.
Sarah Thompson (04:29):
Sorrento is absolutely beautiful.
I think it's one of the bestgems, even though it's
technically not the Amalfi Coast, it is the Sorrento Coast, but
it's absolutely lovely becausethere's the historical town of
Sorrento, has all thesebeautiful alleyways, it's very
easy to navigate.
Very centralized too in betweenNaples, the city, Capri, the
(04:50):
island and then, of course, theAmalfi Coast, it's really
accessible and it's so beautiful.
Of course, Sorrento is super,super famous for its lemons.
There's amazing lemon gardensin the area and in neighboring
towns like Meta, Sant'Agnolo,Piano di Sorrento, and that
whole peninsula is really,really beautiful.
Lea Lane (05:08):
And lemons become limoncello, which is also famous
, the magnificent after dinnerdrink which you find all around.
I loved walking in Sorrentobecause it was flat and when you
are in you're not going tohave a lot of flat, so it's a
perfect place to stroll.
People shop in the evening, allthe craftsmen are out doing
wood inlay and it's just lovely,and the villas there that are
(05:32):
along the cliffs are gorgeous,many of them hotels now.
Sarah Thompson (05:36):
Many more hotels , yeah, and they have their own
beach clubs there.
They're so beautiful, reallyrelaxing.
Some of the historical hotelsthere as well.
What you mentioned aboutSorrento being flat is because
it's so accessible -- great townto kind of centralize yourself
in, and there's even an elevatorto take you down to the port.
Lea Lane (05:54):
Absolutely.
You go down there and you cango to Capri and the other
islands of Procida and Ischia.
They're gorgeous.
You can go from many areasalong the Amalfi Coast and that,
Sorrento, is one of them.
It's a lovely port there.
I think it's an underratedplace.
I think when everyone goes tothe Amalfi Coast, Sorrento is
really the gateway, so try toinclude that.
(06:15):
And again, you can just walkalong the hotels and go in the
lobbies and look at these grandold hotels.
It's a wonderful thing to dothere.
Sarah Thompson (06:23):
One of my favorite things to do.
Actually, if you're not stayingat those beautiful five-star
luxury hotels on the cliffside,you can actually go inside them
and just mention you're going tothe Terrace Bar.
They have all these beautifulterraces, terrazza with usually
a cocktail bar which you cangrab an aperitif to watch the
sunset, which is stunningBecause from Srenta Coast you
(06:45):
see the full sunset over thehorizon, while the Amalfi Coast
you don't.
Lea Lane (06:49):
Excellent.
I give that as a tip.
Often, if you go to someplacewhere there are beautiful hotels
, go in for a drink and you getthe pleasure of all those public
rooms.
Now, the Amalfi Coast isassociated with Greek myths
about Hercules and Ulysses isassociated with Greek myths
about Hercules and Ulysses.
One legend says that Ulyssessurvived hearing the siren song
(07:09):
on Capri by tying himself to themast of his ship.
The gods of Olympus landed onthe Amalfi Coast to well, it
wasn't called the Amalfi Coastthen, but it was the coast to
prevent Ulysses from becomingshipwrecked and that created the
rugged cliffs.
We're going to start on thesection that everybody knows
about in the gorgeous, iconictown of Positano.
(07:30):
What makes that so special?
Sarah Thompson (07:33):
Wow, positano.
I think it's because I've neverhave seen a town built like
that, built so vertically.
The people there are incredible.
I've seen 85 year old walkingup steps, hundreds of steps a
day, with fruit on top of theirhead, being able to go shopping
(07:55):
at a local market, and thescenic, the colors, are just
breathtaking.
Lea Lane (08:00):
It's something to behold.
It's beautiful looking at itfrom a boat below.
It's beautiful looking on astep above and below.
The beach is gorgeous there.
It's rocky, but you have thislovely little beach and you look
up.
It's just beautiful everywhere.
I just like to sit on a terraceand watch it, and I think there
are beautiful little hotels andB&Bs that the views are
(08:24):
drop-dead gorgeous.
You don't have to go to thefancy Serenus or the San Pietro.
You can go to almost any B&Band get the same view, and I
love the way they bring thebougainvillea vines right
indoors, where it's vines.
Sarah Thompson (08:38):
Yeah, the purple flowers are stunning,
absolutely beautiful flowers.
Lea Lane (08:42):
If you're going to stop along the coast, that would
be one of the places I wouldsuggest.
Again, there are mobilityproblems perhaps, and keep that
in mind, but just an hour or sothere gives you this great
feeling of the next town thatpeople stop at.
Very often is the town that thecoast is named after, amalfi.
The town of Amalfi is reallythe heart of the coast.
(09:02):
As I mentioned, it was one ofthe four powerful maritime
republics and it's now one ofthe most popular towns.
What would you check out if youwent to Amalfi?
Sarah Thompson (09:10):
Oh, there's so much to see.
Of course there's a beautifulchurch there, but I actually
recommend to walk past thechurch and keep going further up
in Amalfi and you'll see carvedout persephes on the cliff side
, which are like nativity scenesthat are all handmade by local
artisans.
Well, the artwork that they'veused from actual nature on the
(09:30):
cliff.
It's really really cool andvery intricate.
Lea Lane (09:33):
The artisans who live there are obviously aware of the
gorgeous setting and itinspires them all along the way.
The museum there, the MuseoArsenale Amalfi, is a medieval
shipyard and it's turned into anexhibition space.
You have that as well, and youhave just this feeling of the
Byzantine era.
It remains there more than anyother place on the coast.
(09:56):
The next place that most peoplewould think of on the coast is
perched high above the sea, morequiet than the others.
Because it's higher up, it's alittle harder to get there.
It's Ravello.
It has stunning views, filledwith historic villas and gardens
.
What do you like about Ravello,beth?
Sarah Thompson (10:13):
Oh, everyone can define the word luxury
differently.
No-transcript.
(10:43):
Beautiful views, amphitheaterlooking over the entire coast as
the sun rises.
It is phenomenal.
Lea Lane (10:50):
Wow.
Well, I like the 13th centuryMoorish style Villa Ruffalo.
It's got beautiful terracegardens and they have concerts
there, I think during thefestival, but all through the
year.
And then there's villa sembrone, which is a medieval style
estate perched on a steepoutcrop, and it has a beautiful
garden.
I just think the gardens thereare exceptional yeah, they
(11:12):
really are.
Sarah Thompson (11:14):
like all of the villas and palaces there have
stunning gardens and theyactually filmed original Wonder
Woman with Gal Gadot.
They actually filmed some ofthe scenes in Ravello at the
gardens.
Lea Lane (11:26):
Well, I can see why it's blue.
You look out, you see blue sky,blue sea, because you're way
high up and it's very restfulNow along the way.
Next is a town that has a very,very nice beach, and that isn't
that common.
There are lots of beaches, butthere aren't long ones, and
Maiore is one place.
Maiore yeah, yes, tell us aboutthat too.
Sarah Thompson (11:48):
I think it's absolutely beautiful.
I think it's quite similar toSorrento where it's much more
laid back, much more accessibleand a little bit larger than
some of the other Amalfi Coasttowns much more accessible and a
little bit larger than some ofthe other Amalfi Coast towns.
From Mayuri you can take theLemon Path connecting to Minori,
which is a sister town, majortown and minor town, minori.
(12:08):
I think it's so beautiful thatLemon Path.
You'll see some local farmersalong the way, relaxing activity
you can do in.
Lea Lane (12:12):
Mayuri, is it a difficult hike?
Sarah Thompson (12:13):
Not as difficult as the Path of Gods, but I
would definitely do it if youdon't have any mobility issues.
Lea Lane (12:20):
Lemon trees yes, the Path of the Gods that you
mentioned is near Positano.
Tell us a little bit about that, because hikers absolutely love
it.
It's got the views to die for.
Of course, it's way above thetown.
You can come down to Positanofrom it.
Sarah Thompson (12:34):
It starts in the town of Bombrano, which is past
Positano, and the hike,thankfully, as you start from
Bombrano it continues down, soit's not too much of a
treacherous hike.
But it is not a simple, easypath.
There are some rocks and stonesyou have to hop over or jump
over.
The trail finishes in the townof Nocele, which is a beautiful
(12:54):
little town, a little villageabove the town of Positano, and
right by there you can visitsome amazing trattorias and
frattorias and restaurants fromthere.
If you're feeling a little bitmore adventurous, you can then
actually hike down back toPositano, which is like over 500
steps, but your calves will beshaking by the end of it.
Lea Lane (13:11):
Wow, you deserve a limoncello after that.
Sarah Thompson (13:14):
Definitely.
Lea Lane (13:16):
Okay, well, after that, definitely Okay.
Well, past Maori is Chitarathat stretches along a deep
valley with vineyards and citrusgroves, and of all the villages
on the Coast, Chitara is knownfor what?
the Delichee.
(Which is.
Sarah Thompson (13:29):
The anchovies.
Lea Lane (13:31):
Yeah, it's.
Since the Middle Ages it'sdeveloped a strong link with the
sea and it's famous for itstuna anchovies.
And where would you recommendeating?
I'm sure there are wonderfulseafood restaurants.
Any of the little restaurantsalong the sea there would be
perfect for a lovely lunch.
And then we get to an areacalled Vietre Sul Mare, which is
at the end of the Amalfi Coastand it's known for its vibrant
(13:53):
ceramics.
What are the ceramic patternsthat you see?
You see them all over theAmalfi Coast, but they're made
here.
Sarah Thompson (13:59):
Bluish, yellow color absolutely beautiful
mosaics.
Really, you can find alldifferent shapes and sizes, but
a lot of them also feature fishsymbols around them.
Lemons, of course.
Lemons are everywhere along theAmalfi Coast, the classic
mosaic symbol.
Beautiful, and I have some ofthem in my own kitchen as well.
Lea Lane (14:20):
If you want a gift, this is the place to go.
You could go to the workshopsand meet the craftsmen and
they'll ship it for you.
It's just gorgeous stuff and alovely way to end, because you
take home these wonderfulmemories in ceramics.
So you come then to Salerno,because that's the largest city
near the Amalfi Coast at thesouthern end and it serves as a
major transport hub for the area, because, as I mentioned, you
probably don't want to go backalong the Amalfi Coast to
(14:43):
Sorrento or Naples or whereveryou're going.
You usually take the highwayback.
How long does that take todrive from Salerno, let's say,
to Sorrento or Naples?
Sarah Thompson (14:52):
I would say about an hour and a half.
So ironically, I had to go toVietrisumare for an event, the
Amalfi Coast Cocktail Week,which was a lot of fun, and it
was in Vietrisumare at thisbeautiful event space called
Giardino de Fuente.
There's a lot of weddings andevents that happen there.
From Sorrento it was actuallyquicker to go back towards
(15:14):
Naples through the highway andback towards Salerno, coming out
to Vietrisumare from behind thecliffs, than it was to go back
towards Naples through thehighway and back towards Salerno
, coming out to Vecchia Sumanefrom behind the cliffs, than it
was to go along the Amalfi CoastDrive.
Lea Lane (15:24):
How long does it normally take if you're just
going to drive along the coastand don't stop and go on the
Amalfi Drive?
How long would you say to leavefrom Sorrento to Salerno?
Sarah Thompson (15:33):
Well, it depends on traffic, but it depends on
what month of the season you'recoming in.
On a good day, on a good day,okay, scooter or car.
Lea Lane (15:42):
Car, definitely for me , Okay.
With a car.
I would say an hour, 45 minutesmore or less, because you
definitely want to stop to dosome panoramic views.
There's some beautiful spotswhere you can take some photos
the Foro di Furore, which is abeautiful archway, and that
bridge there is absolutelystunning.
So I would say yeah, an hourand 45 minutes, depending how
(16:02):
fast you drive.
Yeah, I had to drive that when Iwas doing research for the
guidebooks and sometimes I hadto back up because I was trying
to discover places and I'd seeit and I'd pass and I'd have to
back up on the Amalfi Coast.
I can't believe I used to dothat all the time.
I wouldn't be doing that now,but I wasn't on a scooter.
It probably would have beeneasier on a scooter.
Now there are some places Ididn't mention along the Amalfi
(16:24):
Coast that are very special, butI just want to add in there how
about the Grotta dello Smeraldo?
Sarah Thompson (16:30):
The Grotta dello Smeraldo, the Emerald.
Grotto yeah, so a lot of peopledon't know about this?
Lea Lane (16:35):
No, I loved it and it really is emerald color.
Tell us about it.
Sarah Thompson (16:40):
Of course, everyone's heard of the Seven
Wonders of the World and beingthe Blue Grotto at Capri.
Well, this one is along theAmalfi Coast in between Conca de
Marina and Amalfi, I believeand it's a beautiful emerald
grotto.
You can access it by boat oryou can take an elevator from
the Amalfi Coast Drive.
Lea Lane (16:57):
That's what I did.
It was very easy.
You just get off, come downinto this.
Sarah Thompson (17:01):
Really easy a lot bigger so you don't have to
lean back to get into the Grottolike you do in the Azzurro one,
and the emerald green color isspectacular.
It's definitely something to beseen.
Lea Lane (17:12):
I thought it would be a tourist trap.
You know everybody says thingslike gorgeous, green, and all
you know you go along the road.
But no, it was worth it.
So if you want a little stop,that's special, that would be
one I would recommend you.
You also mentioned Fiore diForare, which is a little area
nestled between two sheer rockfaces.
It's by Positano, is it?
(17:32):
Is it near?
(Yeah, just after Positano,Forare yeah, There's
There's a tiny little beach,calm waters and beautiful views
from the bridge.
There you might even catch somecliff jumpers.
You know divers who go there.
Sarah Thompson (17:44):
Yeah, they used to do the.
I believe it was the Red Bulldiving competition.
They used to do that there.
I would never do that.
No, no.
Lea Lane (17:52):
It's hard enough to drive the Amalfi.
Coast it's already hard enoughto drive.
That's enough.
The Amalfi Coast, that's enough.
Okay, but, and there's onelittle village that's so tiny, I
think it's the tiniest villagein Italy.
It's considered so and peoplepass it by.
It's just south of Amalfi.
I love it.
It's called Atrani.
Tell us about that.
Sarah Thompson (18:08):
Oh yeah, atrani.
I love Atrani.
It's so beautiful.
I think it's also anotherlittle gem along the Amalfi
Coast.
One of my favorite beaches isin the Atrani as well.
Lea Lane (18:17):
It's under a Atrani bridge.
Sarah Thompson (18:19):
Yeah, the bridge there and you can actually walk
in between.
It's super lovely.
I think Atrani and I would alsosay Conca de Marini being one
of the smallest towns in theAmalfi Coast, one of my two
favorites.
Also to Conca de Marini, youcan only access that by boat or
by foot which is crazy.
Lea Lane (18:36):
It makes it so special because the crowds have come,
of course.
So I highly recommend if youcould do it off season summer is
very crowded If you could do itin May or September, October,
those would be better if you canmanage it, because I guess
traffic slows down when it'scrowded.
That would be the good thing.
You have to go maybe a littlebit slower to get around, but
(19:03):
when I was there this is wayback it wasn't yet discovered
like today, so you had theopportunity to stop a little and
look around and not feel sopushed.
I just wanted to mention thefood.
It's great cheese, greatseafood.
We mentioned lemons and wementioned anchovies.
Is there any special foods youenjoy on the Amalfi Coast and we
?
Sarah Thompson (19:20):
Oh, I have two actually.
One is seafood and --summer isvegetarian-friendly.
So--If I I one of my favoriteseafoods I like to eat here are
the canolicchie, which are razorclams, and I've had them at one
of my favorite restaurants inConca a Marini, La Tonnarella.
It's so good I would always.
anytime we rent a boat, I wouldalways want to stop there for
lunch.
My favorite pasta dish, though,has to be the pasta alla nurano
(19:44):
, which is the spaghetti withzucchini.
It's classic, so good.
onderful stuff.
They produce tomatoes that arewonderful and I my favorite sign
, I think of all time, was whenI passed a little market and it
had a sign for the tomatoes.
It said natural Viagra, orViagra naturale.
(20:07):
Viagra, that's the pepperoncino.
That is like the red pepperflakes.
Lea Lane (20:11):
Yeah, I thought that was so cute.
I wasn't expecting that, I justlike tomatoes, but it was so
charming to come across.
Yeah, I remember that.
Memories, right.
Well, speaking of such, thename of the podcast is Places I
Remember.
So, Sarah, would you pleaseshare with us one of your
special personal memories of thebeautiful Amalfi Coast?
Sarah Thompson (20:33):
I have so many and I think one of them has to
be when I was on the scooterwith my husband, Luigi, who is
Italian, from this area, andwe're just driving along the
coast.
The amount of color that yousee is absolutely stunning, and
we went down to this tiny littlebeach area that is a natural
(20:53):
reserve, so you have to walkthere.
No boats are allowed there,there's no restaurants, nothing,
just rocks and cliffs.
, This beautiful natural reservecalled Jerontal, and just
laying back in the water, facingthe cliff and thinking this is
heaven.
How do places on earth existlike this?
It's incredible, and everysummer when I'm swimming in the
(21:17):
Mediterranean Sea, looking backon those cliffs, I always go
back to the first time I wasthere and thinking I'm so lucky
to live here.
Lea Lane (21:26):
You are, but I hope all of us get to enjoy Dolce Far
niente, which is just whatyou're talking about the art of
doing nothing, but not really.
It's being inspired by yoursurroundings.
We can all stop a while, putaway the devices, relax,
appreciate the moment as wetravel throughout our precious
world.
Thank you, Sarah, we enjoyed itvery much.
Sarah Thompson (21:46):
Thank you so much.
It was a pleasure speaking withyou today.
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