Ever since Pad and I drove down The Great Ocean Road in Australia, I wanted to tick off some of the other amazing roads in the world. One of the ones I had heard about the most was The Amalfi Coast – and the winding roads that go along all that beautiful coastline.
We spent the first part of our honeymoon in Sorrento, which is the perfect place to start the drive, so we decided to spend a day seeing all the beautiful views and towns along this famous route.
We decided to hire a driver (Max was his name) and we did it via Viator, which I can’t recommend enough. They offer local tours by locals, and it’s so much better than booking through a big coach company and being shuttled around with 40+ people.
Honestly, it was the best decision we made. The highway is so scary to drive along – even in the hands of a confident Italian who drives the route every day. A few times I felt myself gripping onto the car door, trying to steer us away from the cliffside, away from the sheer drop at the other side of the window. My biggest piece of advice would be – unless you’re confident with driving on dangerous roads – let someone else do it for you!
I’d had a warning about the risky turns and scary drop-offs after reading Geraldine’s blog post here, but you don’t appreciate the skills and cool-head it takes to drive this road, until you’re on it.
If you’ve ever been to Italy, you’ll know their approach to driving is kind of “no rules, just drive” and there’s a lot of horn-tooting and fast-breaking and sudden-swerving. This kind of ‘behaviour’ happens in a small town with normal roads (and that is stressful enough) – so you can only imagine what it’s like on the Amalfi Coast Highway, where the roads run off into the ocean and the cliffs have 200ft drops (at least).
Pad and I actually noticed that, without exception, every single car in Sorrento seemed to have a bump or scratch or bruise on it. And it’s totally normal, apparently. Basically, you learn quickly, that Italians drive like there are no rules, and (honestly) the best approach (probably) is to join them in this madness.
But we were too chicken, so we hired a driver. And oh my gosh, we’re so glad we did.
But the road and the reckless driving doesn’t cancel out how freaking stunning this place is. In fact, it kind of makes the whole thing more thrilling.
The coastline is a blur of beauty. The colours grabs you first. The green of the hillside and the bright dazzling blue of the ocean. The ocean that sits so perfectly against the horizon, so you can scarcely tell the difference between sky and sea, and sea and sky.
The road twists and turns and winds around. It goes up, then you come down. It’s seriously beautiful – every turn reveals a new view and a new vista – or a new angle on an old one. As you climb higher, you fall more in love with the horizon and the sea melting into the sky. The mist and boats and the waves.
The way the sun glints and glimmers on the clear ocean, inviting and huge and beautiful in its vastness. Even when the clouds roll over the landscape, the hill tops become an epic storyboard for the weather, changing colours and mood as the weather changes its mind.
And then you stumble on a town or a village, Positano first, then Amalfi, then Ravello. The brightly painted houses built into the cliffside, climbing dangerously and beautifully up the coastline. You watch people living their lives in these beautiful properties, and wonder how these magical houses ever came to be theirs, and what stories hide behind those windows and doors.
When you so gladly abandon your car to explore, you realise the towns are like winding mazes leading you to the sea, a maze with shops and coffee along the way, to tempt you towards a cobbled lane or shaded street. When you walk back up towards the road you had left behind, your legs ache from the steep hills – but your heart aches more for the beauty you’re about to leave behind.
You find yourself resenting your camera – this object which captures memories, but steals the moment from you. You’re torn between taking a photo, and seeing with your own eyes…. As the winding highway gives you one chance to glimpse a new beach or a new town. You’ll only see it for a split second as the cliffs part and the car drives through the sweet spot of visibility. Then it’s gone.
