The dream come true – holidaying along the Amalfi Coast. I had come so close last year when I sailed on the beautiful Exotica from Rome to Naples…this time there would be no stopping me and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about it.  Saying you are going to the Amalfi is like saying you have won the lottery, I found out it is easier the other way around though.

Renato Fucini the 19th Century scribe wrote about the locals ‘when they reach heaven it will be like any other day’, I think he was referring to the drive along the coast in which everyone just kept saying ‘Oh my god’…not about the view but about how fast and close to the edge the bus went.  A thin, deteriorating metal rail and a crazy bus driver, who is in training for the Ferrari team, stops you from certain death.

Staying in Atrani, a five minute easy walk to the right of the Amalfi town (but where Hotel prices drop considerably to make it worthwhile) I woke to the bells from the local church and a pink sky that I doubt could be painted…it was a postcard moment and I felt like a big bag of minties.  This is a classic little town with a busy town square hidden by a defensive wall facing the ocean, great food and enjoyable swimming.  Thankfully I had been warned that at night guns are fired to announce the end of the day, and to warn off the tourists me thinks.

The coast is made up from a number of little towns like Cinque Terre, north west Italy, but not nearly as picturesque and for good reason.  For the coast has not just been invaded by tourists each summer, but over 100 times in its’ history with the likes of pirates advancing through the towns and hills to take what they could from the region.  Unlike Cinque Terre and many parts of Greece which seem open to the sea, the stunning elements of Amalfi are hidden within, I was determined to find them with gusto…but perhaps not pirate gusto as apparently you don’t mention the word and to be safe I took the parrot off my shoulder.

Sorrento is the closest town to Naples and best approached by sea with its towering fortress like rock face and architecturally perfect small town.  There are only a few main streets, with the best shopping of all the towns, and I comfortably toured the town in a day and enjoyed Pizza by Franco near the bus stop which was correctly described as the best in town, uniquely served off thin metal trays that it was cooked in.  Swimming here didn’t look appealing as you bobbed up and down as the ferries came past you at high speed, hardly relaxing.

Positano has opened itself to the sea and closed itself to cars, smart.  It results in a peaceful village feel where you meander around and shop, watch and eat.  Lunch at Palazzo Murat served food from the gods and I could have stayed for hours under the vine formed ceiling and enjoyed the vista to the Duomo and sea more.  The beach is good if you are staying here, but not worth it if you are not…better to take the boat with the red fish on the mast to Da Adolfo.

Above Positano is Monterosso, a tiny village that only just had a road put in (my rusty as opposed to trusty guide book didn’t know about it) and as often is the case the furthest from the sea then the better the food.  Donna Rosa was described as the best food on the coast and it certainly was, with a Buffalo mozzarella that oozed in the centre when you cut it open and was a cheesy, milky flavour.  It was made nearby at 4pm the previous day and I will remember this meal for a very long time, the head chef came out and she is coming to Sydney at the end of the year and wants to cook for me…well, what can one say?  Yes!!

The town of Amalfi is like Atrani and enclosed from the sea, entering the town itself is through a small archway.  Here the shopping is average, the food is hit and miss but the swimming is the best.  Marina Grande, a restaurant and beach club, had the nicest day beds and scrumptous Michelin rated food to match.  This broke my rules of having the best food, best comfort and best views in one…a must visit.  Taverna Di Apostles had a baked Gnocchi with more Buffalo mozzarella that is a dish I will master on my return.  I finished my experience in Amalfi with a salt infused cod at La Caravella and if I find another cod I will beat it to death after the amount it cost me.

The Walk of the Gods is an easy four hour trek that ends of an oversized plate of mixed salami and cold beers, with Franko as the guide – an ex New York Swedish local – the whole experience is fun if not a little indulgent.  This starts near Ravello which is a must visit and is above Amalfi and walking through Villa Cimbrone to the Belvedere of Infinity, a lovely day with numerous lunch and drink stops.  Ensure you keep one of the gardens for a post lunch food coma sleep though as there are no beach daybeds this high up for tourists.

A friend met me in Amalfi and as a coast is to be experienced from the sea on a boat we went.  The skipper was to make things easier but his playing chicken with a ferry and inability to miss waves meant we were constantly getting drenched on very calm waters, I think my bow work on offshore sailing is easier.  That aside, it brought great swims, mermaid visions and a long lunch on a beach only accessible by water – Da Adolfo. To be on the water again was like rinsing away the stress of the year and letting your body know it was coming first for a while – except with the amount of food and wine I was consuming.