Page 70 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

commands spectacular along bluffs and cliff sides to
views of the Bay of 4 Marina Positano. Most of the 24km
Naples on one side and del Cantone involve stunning sea views.
the Bay of Salerno on the
other (hence its name, From Nerano, where TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Saint Agatha on the Two you’ll park, a beautiful 5 Positano
Gulfs). The best view- hiking trail leads down
point is the Convento to the stunning Bay of The pearl in the pack,
del Deserto (%081 878 01 Ieranto and one of the Positano is the coast’s
99; Via Deserto; hgardens coast’s top swimming most photogenic and
8am-7pm, lookout 10am-noon spots, Marina del Can- expensive town. Its steep-
& 5-7pm summer, 10am-noon tone. This unassuming ly stacked houses are a
& 3-5pm winter), a Carmel- village with its small medley of peaches, pinks
ite convent 1.5km uphill pebble beach is a lovely, and terracottas, and
from the village centre. tranquil place to stay as its near-vertical streets
It’s a knee-wearing hike, well as a popular diving (many of which are,
but make it to the top destination. The village in fact, staircases) are
and you’re rewarded also has a reputation as lined with voguish shop
ITALY 4 AMALFI COAST
with fabulous 360- a gastronomic hotspot displays, elegant hotels
degree vistas. and VIPs regularly catch and smart restaurants.
a boat over from Capri to Look closely, though, and
The Drive » From Sant’Agata dine here. you’ll find reassuring
sui Due Golfi to Marina del signs of everyday reality
Cantone it’s a 9km drive, 5 p73 – crumbling stucco,
the last part involving some
serious hairpin turns. Don’t The Drive » First, head streaked paintwork and
let the gorgeous sea views back up that switchback to occasionally a faint whiff
distract you. Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi. of problematic drainage.
Catch the SS145 and then the John Steinbeck
SS163 as they weave their way visited in 1953 and was
so bowled over that he
wrote of its dream-like
qualities in an article for
DETOUR: Harper’s Bazaar.
NOCELLE 4 p73
Start: 5 Positano The Drive » From Positano to
A tiny, still relatively isolated mountain village above Praiano it’s a quick 6km spin on
Positano, Nocelle (450m) commands some of the the SS163, passing Il San Pietro
di Positano at the halfway point,
most spectacular views on the entire coast. A world then heading southeast along
apart from touristy Positano, it’s a sleepy, silent place the peninsula’s edge.
where not much ever happens, nor would its few
residents ever want it to. If you want to stay, consider
delightful Villa della Quercia (%089 812 34 97; www. 6 Praiano
villadellaquercia.com; Via Nocelle 5; r €70-80; hApr-Oct; An ancient fishing vil-
W), a former monastery with spectacular views. lage, a low-key summer
Nocelle lies eight very windy kilometres northeast of resort and, increasingly,
Positano.
a popular centre for the

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