The Amalfi Coast Driving Experience
The 50 km road that connects Vietri Sul Mare to Meta di Sorrento, the famous SS163, is one of the most spectacular routes in Italy with its bends, turns, tunnels and cliffs.
Driving along the Amalfi Coast might be an unforgettable experience… in many ways!
Surfing the web you will find hundreds of pictures and videos telling of the “scary” Amalfi Drive with images of huge buses and tiny cars, trapped for hours in the traffic. Well, those pictures are indeed “partially” true. I must admit, we locals are impolite drivers… we think nobody else is able, nor should be allowed, to drive on the Coast. Don’t be surprised if, while you are taking a leisurely drive to enjoy the view, you hear the blast of a horn – just inches from your car. It’s the way we tell tourists to move out of the way and let us pass you!!! We have an unwritten rule, that you can only learn to drive here, if you have been on the Coast for a very long time.
While you are on the Amalfi Coast we suggest that you avoid the public buses that travel from town to town and try to experience the coast in two unusual ways… one by land and the other by sea.
First, rent a scooter and drive along the Coast. O.K. maybe this sounds crazy, but when it is very hot and there is lots of traffic, the scooter is a great escape, plus you will drive enjoying a breathtaking panorama. Everybody here on the Coast owns a scooter; it’s the only way to move quickly from one town to another; it avoids the traffic; and you will always easily find a space to park it.
For locals, the most joyful memories of our teenage years, are all bound to a scooter. It’s hard to express the feeling of freedom you get, when you are driving your first scooter… when you return home in the wee hours of the morning after dancing the night away in Positano… Of course you’ll stop in Amalfi for a brioche with Nutella before finally going to sleep… all while hoping not to wake your mother…ah, the memories.
Another “must do” experience while you are on the Coast is a boat trip or cruise, especially at sunset. To view the Coast from the sea is a breathtaking experience. Very often, the sky will become completely red at the sunset. You will be amazed by the sheer number of bright white and brightly colored houses there are nestled in the rocks. You will relish in the sight of tiny, secret beaches, reachable only by boat – or very steep stairways running down the cliff. The caves in the rocks, and the little bridges suspended above them will dazzle you.
You don’t need to rent a big speedy boat, a small gozzo will be perfect to enjoy a slow ride along the Coast. We suggest you dive into the deep blue sea for a dip before having dinner at one of the little seafood restaurants that dot the shoreline.