6 Ways to Experience the Other Amalfi, Amalfi, Italy (B)

Amalfi is a jewel on the coast: glittering turquoise sea and pastel houses hugging the cliff-face in vertiginous beauty. But in summer it is also a claustrophobic tourist magnet which, in its desperate attempt to fulfil the filmic fantasy of Italia, conceals real life beneath a shiny facade of artistically arranged tat in souvenir shops and preening waiters dolling out 10 euro spritz to adoring foreigners. But it’s not all been filtered to over saturation like an attention-seeking Instagram post. Here are some suggestions of places where you might actually hear some Italian being spoken.

These can be accessed almost directly from the beach, or off the crowded main street cluttered with brightly coloured plastic chairs and tables (look for a wooden arrow pointing up some stairs). Step out of a world in polychrome and into narrow alleys and winding stairs whose dusky white walls haven’t been touched up for tourist appreciation. The ‘touristic’ areas of Amalfi are actually rather limited – the Piazza del Duomo, the main street and the beach, so unless you really have no curiosity you’ll probably find yourself venturing up a staircase or two. That being said, we were almost alone as we endevoured to lose ourselves not just horizontally but also vertically. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).