Lorna Cowan sails around Italy’s amazing Amalfi Coast
ITALY’S Amalfi Coast has long enchanted visitors. World renowned for its natural beauty, the rugged UNESCO-listed coastline takes in several picturesque spots nestled in cliffs beside the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The captivating island of Capri is just a half-hour boat trip away, so it is no wonder that so many holidaymakers, as well as the rich and famous, arrive here for a slice of la dolce vita.
Knowing some of the best views are saved for those travelling by sea, I decided to charter a yacht for the week and join a flotilla group.
After flying to Naples, it was only a 40-minute ferry ride from the city’s port to Procida, the starting point of my sailing adventure.
Procida is the smallest inhabited island in the Bay of Naples and is utterly charming, especially colourful Marina Corricella, a small fishing village awash with colourful homes, restaurants and bars.
Steep stairways and narrow alleys mean you can only access the area on foot, but Corricella is an oasis worth seeking out, and an idyllic spot for lunch or an evening meal.
The flotilla’s first port of call the next day was Ischia, around a two-hour sail away.
A volcanic outcrop, this island is best known for its natural thermal springs, which are said to have healing properties.
Lorna Cowan embarks on a sailing adventure along one of the world’s most spectacular coastlines.
There are several spas where you can soak up the surrounding scenery, but the highlight is a visit to fascinating Le Fumarole Beach, where locals cook fresh seafood on the hot vapour bubbling on the sand.
The following morning it was off to another destination, this time Sorrento.
Back on the Italian mainland, the historic town perches on dramatic cliffs, and once you’ve made it to the top (there’s a convenient lift from the beach), it’s a joy to wander around its maze of cobbled streets.
There’s no shortage of pavement cafés or traditional trattorias in Sorrento.
A cappuccino is the perfect pick-me-up and I have to recommend the spaghetti al limone, a delicious pasta dish made with the region’s sweet and aromatic lemons.
Lemon groves have filled vast areas of the Amalfi Coast for centuries, and the majority of the citrus fruit is harvested to make a popular liqueur called Limoncello.
If you’re souvenir shopping, Sorrento is also a great place to buy lemon soap, lemon olive oil and
lemon sweets and chocolate.
Sailing further along the coast, our next overnight stop was Amalfi itself, but before we reached the marina we had time to visit nearby Positano.
Seen from the sea, the chic coastal paradise appears to cling vertically to the cliffs, with pastelhued houses and hotels peeking out from the rocky backdrop.
Once ashore, you quickly realise why this exclusive resort is much-loved by the glitterati. Positano, with its wisteria-draped terraces, certainly has the wow factor.
Leaving the beach, you have to watch out for an archipelago of little islands, referred to as Li Galli.
According to legend, these were once the home of three singing sirens, mermaids who lured sailors off their plotted course.
The flotilla, however, was mooring in Amalfi, and yet again I was smitten by the town’s natural setting below steep cliffs.
The imposing Cathedral of St Andrew takes centre stage in the main piazza, where you’ll find several shops selling tempting chocolate and ice-cream, as well as exquisite handmade paper known locally as Bambagina.
Capri was next on our itinerary, a destination I’ve wanted to visit since I was ten years old.
Back then, my aunt and uncle went on holiday to the island and returned home with a beautiful gift for me – a wooden musical jewellery box.
Some 40 years later, the treasured item still sits on my dressing table.
Dropping anchor in Marina Piccola, a bay beside Capri’s iconic trio of sea stacks, was a dream come true.
My experience of getting to dry land – on a dinghy in the dark and having to jump into the sea to pull the rubber tender up the beach – probably wasn’t the elegant entrance I’d always envisaged, though.
However, I was here in Capri and that was all that mattered.
After drying my wet feet (I’d wisely packed a towel), I strolled along a labyrinth of lanes in Capri town, window shopping only, as the price tags in the designer stores made my eyes water.
However, I was treated to dinner in one of the island’s many first-rate restaurants.
Then it was back to the yacht to have a nightcap, made all the more memorable thanks to a brilliant full moon.
All too soon, our flotilla was returning to Procida for one last night sleeping in a cabin.
Lying there listening to the waves gently splashing against the hull, I promised myself that this first trip to the Amalfi Coast would not be my last.
With Ravello and Salerno still to be discovered, I knew the shimmering sea would entice me back to explore more clifftop towns. ■
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