Except for Pompeii, one of the most famous places in the area around Napoli is the Amalfi coast. It is basically a coastal road connecting a number of small towns and villages  along the south side of the Sorrento peninsula. Since the road was bound to be small, Yini and I decided to rent a scooter – or more precisely a Vespa –  and ride from Salerno out to Sorrent then all the way back to Napoli.

I set out in the morning to go collect the scooter from the rental shop, and after picking up Yini back at the hotel, we set off. Since we couldn’t take the highway we followed the bumpy and narrow backstreets and winding side roads of the outskirts of Napoli. The trip to the start point, that was not particularly long, ended up taking more than two hours, so before setting off on the actual coast road, we stopped for some lunch in the small town of Vietri Sul Mare.

Bellies full, we set off on the coast road towards Amalfi, winding our way from one small fishing village or tourist town to the other, with the turquoise sea on one side and  stark cliffs on the other, the villages climbing up the mountainside. We stopped here and there to admire the view and snap a few photos or have an ice cream, but the main attraction was in the ride itself; the joy of riding a great road, in perfect weather and with new, awesome views around every corner.

  • Cliff top fort
  • Yini in front of the village Maiori
  • Beautifully decorated church in Amalfi
  • Gelato 
  • Amalfi is well know for lemons. 
  • Amalfi from a distance
  • Yini with Amalfi in the background
  • Another cliff top fort. I think these are really beautiful
  • Church in a village I don’t remember the name of
  • High cliffs above
  • Another small village. 
  • The houses climbing the slopes
  • We don’t often manage to get photos together…
  • … but today we got two

By the time we got close to Sorrento the light was starting to fade so we continued homeward, only stopping to get something to eat and rest our sore butts. Even though we spent almost 11 hours on the scooter I never found it hard or boring (the streets paved with rough stones were perhaps not the best), and I had a great day. I’m glad Yini enjoys sitting in the back when I drive the scooter, and I believe she had a good day too.

In general the Amalfi coast is very beautiful but if your not a scooter type person it might not be so fun because it is probably not as fun to drive a car on these roads. If you do like two wheelers however, its a great road. I can just recommend renting a bigger one (minimum 150 CC)  so you can use the highway to get there and save a bit of time.

Night shot from a church along the way home.