Regions of Italy

t may only stretch for 50 kilometres, but the Amalfi Coast offers enough idyllic beauty and Italian luxury for a standalone trip. Driving its winding seaside roads will take you to charming coastal towns, scenic beaches, villas and gardens, and some of the best hotels in the world. Jump onto a boat and cross the straits to the idyllic Island of Capri and you will certainly appreciate why the Romans weren’t satisfied with the mainland. Perhaps, they felt a bit burnt by the heat in the Bay of Naples! There are 13 towns and villages that make up the Amalfi Coast, each with their own unique essence and quintessentially steep streets. You can reach them all by the scenic 16th century Strada Statale Amalfitana (SS. 163) road, which bewitchingly curves and winds through the cliffside. The ancient town of Amalfi gives the coastline its name, and is a bustling haven filled with a labyrinth of whitewashed houses, alleys and stairways. Situated below the Valle dei Mulini, this town was once at the capital of the maritime republic. The Cloister del Paradiso is a magical garden to explore, and views from the belltower of its historic Arabic- Norman cathedral are worth the 62-step climb up from the Piazza Duomo. In glitzy Positano, the town where the trendsetting jetsetters gather, you’ll find buzzing bars and chic boutiques filled with handmade leather sandals and signature linen clothing. Heart-stirringly romantic with its faded aristocratic glory, Ravello perches in the mountains. Filled with secluded grand villas and gardens that inspired the German composer RichardWagner, the town is home to one of Italy’s oldest musical festivals. amalfi & capri I Contrary to tales of Amalfitana monks and sailors variously cultivating an elixir to ward off scurvy or the foul mood of the irreligious, Limoncello’s history is most likely short and is not rooted in agrarian tradition. A British journalist, Lee Marshall, argues that there is little proof that this popular, cloudy liqueur even existed before the 20th century and that outside of a handful of families and social circles, few drank it before 1988, when the entrepreneur Massimo Canale of Capri registered the trademark “Limoncello di Capri” but almost like the growth of the internet over the same period it is now to be found everywhere! a short history of limoncello & internet 4