Photos of The spectacular Amalfi Coast, Italy

The coast along the peninsula pointing to the Isle of Capri is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. It separates the Bay of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The waters are picture-postcard blue and crystal clear, the beautiful towns of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello are a delight, and the winding road offers spectacular vistas of dramatic cliffs, bays and hamlets, clinging precariously to the steep hills. Understandably, it is a top-rated tourist destination.

Amalfi, the picturesque town of about 6,000 people that gives the entire coast its name, overlooks the Gulf of Salerno. The Duomo Sant’Andrea, a cathedral dating from as far back as the 10th Century, dominates the central piazza. Amalfi was a leading commercial and naval power in the Middle Ages, and its maritime law, the oldest existing maritime code, was widely accepted in the Mediterranean until the 1700s. Nowadays, its primary industries include fishing, the making of macaroni and, of course, tourism.

Positano is maybe the most picturesque town on the coast, with a steep cliff dividing it into two parts, two beaches and walking trails to small hamlets overlooking the sea. And Ravello, about seven kilometres from Amalfi on a road with many hairpin bends, offers magnificent views of the Gulf of Salerno. It has an 11th-century cathedral, sumptuous villas and vineyards.