The fabled and world famous Amalfi Coast or Costiera Amalfitana is magical landscape of cultivated cliffs hanging over an azure blue Mediterranean Sea, sprinkled with historical towns and quaint hamlets clinging precariously to steep slopes of rock formations resembling figures from Greek mythology. The 50 kilometres stretch of the Amalfi Coast or the winding road has long been celebrated by tourists as one of the most awe-inspiring drives in the Mediterranean and the world. The Costiera...
more »The fabled and world famous Amalfi Coast or Costiera Amalfitana is magical landscape of cultivated cliffs hanging over an azure blue Mediterranean Sea, sprinkled with historical towns and quaint hamlets clinging precariously to steep slopes of rock formations resembling figures from Greek mythology. The 50 kilometres stretch of the Amalfi Coast or the winding road has long been celebrated by tourists as one of the most awe-inspiring drives in the Mediterranean and the world. The Costiera Amalfitana has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and its two most popular towns are Amalfi and Positano.
Theatrically set in a narrow gorge rising from the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the town of Amalfi is the largest and most historic town of the Amalfi Coast. It was once a powerful maritime republic and between the 9th and 12th centuries it was in the same league as Genoa and Venice. In 1343 a massive earthquake caused a large part of the town and unfortunately its future to sink into the unforgiving sea. Fortunately the town continued on and its labyrinth of narrow and twisting alleys are home to magnificent churches, towers, arches, terraced houses and Arabic Norman architecture which evoke images of the former glory days.
Once a sleepy old fishing village, picture postcard Positano with its steeply stacked white and pastel coloured painted houses became the favoured getaway of film stars and jest set crowd after World War II and is the most popular sea side destination on the spectacular Amalfi coast. The famous writer John Steinbeck summed up the effect of Positano on people when he wrote: "Positano bites deep, it is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
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