A quick note: Amalfi gives its name to the whole coast but is the town most visitors underestimate. It's smaller than Sorrento, bigger than Positano, and the only one with a proper historic centre (a former medieval maritime republic). The right move is 1-2 nights here as a base for Ravello + the Valle delle Ferriere hike. Use this guide like advice from a friend who knows which pastry shop has been open since 1830 and why everyone gets the lemon walk wrong.
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Amalfi is the historic heart of the Amalfi Coast, a former maritime republic on the cliffs of the Salerno gulf, with a 9th-century cathedral, lemon groves cascading down the cliff terraces, and ferries to Capri, Positano and Salerno. This complete Amalfi travel guide covers SITA buses from Sorrento, the Duomo + Cloister, the Valle delle Ferriere waterfall hike, the Grotta dello Smeraldo, and the local rules that will get you fresher pastry than the cruise-tour group next to you.
Amalfi has just 5,000 permanent residents. The town wraps around Piazza del Duomo with its dramatic cathedral steps; the harbor below is the ferry hub. Atrani, Italy's smallest comune, is a 5-min walk east and feels like the «Amalfi without tourists». Inland, the Valle delle Ferriere ravine hides a 13th-century ironworks ruin + a sub-tropical microclimate with ferns that grew here during the last ice age.
Whether you're using Amalfi as your base for 2-3 nights or just passing through on a ferry day, the sections below cover the essentials: ferry vs bus from Sorrento, the right time to climb the 62 cathedral steps, where to buy actual hand-pressed limoncello (not the airport version), and the Atrani secret most day-trippers miss.
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