DK Travel : Naples & the Amalfi Coast

From one perspective, this area is an anomaly, at once one of the earth’s most beautiful and yet most accursed places. It has been the choice of the great and wealthy as their playground, while also being the scene of some of the greatest natural disasters and the grittiest human misery. Perhaps these irreconcilable twists of fate are at the root of the Neapolitans’ famously optimistic cynicism. The city of Naples itself is a vibrant urban setting, almost non-European in its intensity, while the beauty of the surrounding coast has been known to make grown men weep.

Simposium

The table is communal, waiters are in period costume, and the entertainment and food are based on historic eras. Book ahead.
Soft Drinks

The usual range of choices is available, but an interesting Italian cola-type drink is Chinotto.
Soggiorno Imperia

This simple place is homey and clean, offering kitchen and laundry facilities. No breakfast is served, but it’s handy for popular Piazza Bellini, where there are great cafés, and to all the sights of the old centre. Be prepared to climb several flights of stairs, however.
Solfatara

Another phenomenal geothermal playground that will fascinate budding geologists. This congealed lava cap plugging up a dormant volcano is an expanse of hissing, fuming, bubbling terrain like nothing you will have seen before. There’s also a campsite with restaurant right on the spot – you get used to the sulphur smell in a day or two (see Solfatara, Pozzuoli).
Solfatara, Pozzuoli

Located just above the town, another crater of a dormant volcano presents an otherworldly landscape. It was called the Forum Vulcani (Vulcan’s Forum) by the Romans, who also found its sulphurous spewings fascinating.
Sophia Loren

An indefatigable love goddess since her star began to rise in 1954 in L’Oro di Napoli (The Gold of Naples) , “La Loren” went on to become a Hollywood star.
Sorrentine Peninsula

If you take the funivia (cablecar) from Castellammare di Stabia up to Monte Faito there are startling views from the top, as well as the beginning of numerous nature trails, some of which eventually lead as far as Positano.
Sorrento

In this resort town bathing platforms have been constructed, with lifts or steps leading down to them from several hotels, but unless you are a hotel resident you will have to pay for this option. Elsewhere along the peninsula there’s a fine beach to the east, at Meta di Sorrento, while to the west, there’s a small sandy beach at Marina di Puolo and another at Marina di Lobra (see Sorrento).
Sorrento

Palisades and grand hotels notwithstanding, there is no getting around the fact that Sorrento can be chaotic. Yet, popular in song and literature, the town has been a resort since the 1700s – Casanova and Goethe are two notable past visitors – and there is still charm to be found in the old streets.
Sorrento to Positano

Follow the signs to Santa Agata sui Due Golfi and then Colli di Fontanelle. Eventually, you will get your first glimpse of Positano.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and extra charges.
- under €20
- €20–30
- €30–40
- €40–50
- over €50
Hotel price categories

For a standard, double room per night (with breakfast if included), taxes and extra charges.
- under €100
- €100–150
- €150–200
- €200–300
- over €300