June 28, 2018

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists!

FILED IN: Italy, Travel

If you’re wondering How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, you’ve come to the right place! In order to enjoy a more laidback experience of the Amalfi Coast, we opted to stay in one of the less touristy towns, Maiori. We also traveled in Spring, which makes for less tourists, but can be uncertain on the weather front.

When we landed in Rome, we picked up our rental car from Enterprise at the Rome (FCO) Airport. The drive from the airport to our parking lot in Maiori was about 3 and a half hours. This drive is definitely not for the faint of heart – narrow, windy roads, with very confident Italian drivers.

“The first evident traces of stable settlements date back to the period of ancient Rome to which we owe the original name of Reghinna Major given to the watercourse that flows into the inlet of today’s Maiori as opposed to Reghinna Minor given to the smaller course of water that flows into the nearby inlet of Minori.” – maiori.it

Where to park in Maiori, Amalfi Coast

The owners of our Airbnb were extremely helpful and booked a place ahead of time for us to park the rental car for our 3 night stay in Maiori. The parking place is called Paolillo Aldo (Via Nuova Provinciale Chiunzi, 150). They shuttled us to the end of the stairs to our Airbnb. You can also pay them to help you carry your luggage (per bag) up the 300+ stairs it takes to get to Casale della Nonna (worth it). We carried our smaller bags and paid them to carry my big luggage. The guy didn’t even seem to break a sweat!

How to see the Amalfi Coast – Where to Stay

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, where to stay – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall
How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, where to stay – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall

Casale Della Nonna was truly magical! The terrace overlooking Maiori is absolutely epic. We insisted enjoying our breakfast out there every morning. Depending on how many people you’re traveling with, there are 3 different options.

La Casa degli Artisti – (the one we booked, sleeps 4) // La Casa dei Contadini – sleeps 5 // Il Casale della nonna – the whole place, sleeps 9

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, where to stay – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall

When we arrived to the house the sun had just finished setting, so we didn’t get to see the gorgeous view from our terrace until morning. There was awelcome basket waiting for us in the kitchen. For an extremely small fee, especially compared to the amount of food provided, you can have this waiting for you as well. It included a pot of homemade tomato sauce and meatballs, bag of pasta for you to prepare, salad, grilled veggie platter, huge ball of smoked mozzarella and tomato slices, bread, fruit, espresso grounds and some other snacks! Some of the fruit and veggies were grown in the garden on property. There was also wine and limoncello in the refrigerator made by the hosts! The food lasted us 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts and a couple snacks.

How to see the Amalfi Coast – Explore Maiori

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, Maiori – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall

We made breakfast, enjoyed it on the terrace (of course), got ready and headed down the stairs into town. The weather was perfect for a sundress. A lot of the shops close to our place were closed since it was Sunday, but once we got to the main drag closer to the water a lot more places were open. We enjoyed a walk along the shore and sat on the dock for a bit.

“Unlike the vast majority of the other municipalities of the Amalfi Coast , Maiori has a wide and long beach which is surrounded by characteristic terraces planted with citrus fruits.”

We wandered in and out of a bunch of adorable little corners of the town. I definitely recommend you do the same! We also decided to walk up the stairs a bit further from out place, through all of the lemon groves. It’s seriously one of the most beautiful walks!

Where to get food in Maiori

We decided we would grab some food to prepare at home and stopped in a market called Le Bonta Alimentari, where a man said he would make us lasagna from scratch if we would come back in an hour. We agreed, ended up grabbing some bread and fruit for breakfast the next day and a bottle of wine for dinner on our walk back to our place, killing some time. After an hour we grabbed the lasagna and it was worth the wait! It was 15 euros for 4+ servings of super fresh homemade lasagna.

We got gelato from Geljada gelateria – I got pistacchio and stracciatella in a cone. It was the perfect mid-day snack!

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall

How to see the Amalfi Coast – Positano

We took a ferry to Positano. You can purchase tickets at a window right by the water — we purchased a ticket to Positano (12 euros / person one way), which has a boat change in Amalfi, before heading to Positano. Here is a handy website with the schedule! The view of all of the little towns from the water is pretty spectacular. We ended up getting a small bottle of Prosecco on the boat from Amalfi to Positano because there is always reason to celebrate, right?

In all honesty Positano is adorable and has stunning views, but is SUPER touristy. One of the unexpected and most exciting things about Positano is the amount of sea glass and washed up pieces of tile on the shore. I spent a good 30+ minutes picking up treasures along the water.

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, Positano – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall

We grabbed lunch at a place right by the beach called Hotel Bucca Di Bacco. We shared Tuna Carpaccio, Fried Ravioli with Ricotta & Salami, a Cheese & Charcuterie board, and a half bottle of wine. It was delicious, not spectacular, but our server was wonderful. I would say to stick to the Ravioli and perhaps the Cheese & Charcuterie Board. The view is nice and the upstairs of the hotel is really cute (head upstairs to the bathroom). We walked our way up the narrow windy streets alongside other pedestrians, scooters, buses and cars – past assumedly shops to see some pretty epic views.

Visit Minori

After we made our way back down, we bought another ferry ticket to Minori (the town right before we would arrive back to Maiori). We were on a mission to try Sal De Riso, so we asked the gal behind the counter what the most popular items were and got her 2 recommendations (one to eat at the counter and one to have back at our place after dinner). We enjoyed the Pear Cake before walking back to Maiori!

How to see the Amalfi Coast and avoid tourists, Minori – from California to Italy by Corey Marshall

It was a quick walk, but slightly sketchy walking alongside the cars on a little bit of pavement, but it was part of the adventure!

On our last morning in Maiori, we made breakfast, finished packing and were on our way. One of the guys who worked at the parking lot came up to the Airbnb to grab my luggage and direct us to our ride back to our car. We unpacked the shuttle, repacked our car, paid them and were on our way to Tuscany! Check out my Tuscany travel guides here!

Looking for more Italy travel inspiration?

Happy Travels,

Corey

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Growing up near Pasadena, CA, my creativity blossomed as I delved into the LA food scene, food styling, photography, and storytelling. Now, I curate content centered around food, beverage, and travel, while indulging in hobbies like thrifting. Italy holds a special place in my heart, where I found love and embarked on a new chapter in Bologna. Join me on this creative journey of food, travel, and love.

@coreymarshall

@californiatoitaly

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