Colorful towns of Amalfi Coast, scenic beaches hidden in small coves and the famous Costiera Amalfitana, one of the most panormic roads in Europe, in the season terribly crowded, from autumn to spring almost empty and eagerly awaiting for visitors. Today I will tell you why you should visit the Amalfi Coast during low season and what it’s like to have a famous beach in Positano almost exclusively for us. Come and see for yourself!
Naples and the Amalfi Coast, is considered the most beautiful coast across Italy and one of the most beautiful in Europe, each year are becoming more popular among tourists traveling to Italy. Few years ago a direct flight connected Polish largest city with in Southern Italy was only a dream, today this flight is in offer of Wizzair from Katowice and Warsaw, as well as in offer of EasyJet from Krakow. Moreover, the great advantage of these connections is the fact that they don’t fall out with the distribution for the period of late autumn, winter and early spring. This means that the Campania region is within two and a half hour flight throughout the year, which gives us a lot of opportunities, especially out of season. In this post I’ll show you Amalfi Coast in mid-March and I’ll try to convince you that you should visit this wonderful place inscribed on the UNESCO list even when from beaches disappear hotel’s sunbeds. Beautiful views, azure sea and colorful towns climbing up the rocks are available throughout the year.
Amalfi beach seen in mid-March 2016 r
On the Amalfi Coast I stayed exactly at the end of the second and beginning of the third week of March 2016. Although first day greeted me by a terrible wind and terribly cloudy sky, next one offered us big glimpses of the sun. Temperature during the day allowed me to wear thin cloak and ankle shoes. Rain occurred only fleeting, but intense. Cloudburst ongoing half an hour hit me in Positano, but after the sudden rain came out beautiful sun. It happened that when the sun heat us up, took off my coat and walked only in blouse shirt. But a padded jacket, was in a suitcase and not once was anticipated, mainly for evening walks. Also came in handy headscarf, tied usually as a delicate scarf, which once served me as a substitute of a cap when the cold wind mercilessly gave its toll on one of the first evenings.
Amalfi – stairway to heaven
Legend says, that Hercules fell in love with nymph named Amalfi. But unfortunatelyshe died and distraught Hero travered whole world searching for decent place to rest for the beloved. Finally he reached the coast, hidden among the rocks, which beauty captivated him to such an extent, that in honor of his beloved he called it Amalfi and chose a burial place for nymph.
Amalfi is the largest and most well-known town of the Coast. Once trading and economic power, in Byzantine times independent, prosperous republic featuring an enormous naval fleet. In the twelfth century, Amalfi was conquered by the Normans, and two centuries later suffered heavily during strong earthquake and don’t regained its former glory. Today it’s a popular resort, where without any problem in high season you’ll see stars and celebrities from the front pages of international newspapers.
Built on the plan of the triangle main village square – Piazza del Duomo – the fountain in the middle is the heart of Amalfi. You will find here a couple of trendy cafes and restaurants, ideal for crouching and watching life rolling around. It’s hard to believe, but Amalfi is also the ordinary people living in old houses with pastel-colored, tightly squeezed between the sea and the surrounding hills. Narrow streets, often precipitous and covered with countless steps hide boutiques, gift shops and numerous dining options. But the real treasure and pride of the Amalfi is the magnificent cathedral of St. Andrew, which origins date back to the ninth century, although till now from ancient building was not much left, and the final form of the building has gained only at the end of the nineteenth century. If you didn’t choose to spend 3 euros for entry fee, you absolutely have to climb up the impressive stairs (57 steps) from the top of which you will enjoy a beautiful view of the town. Further, on the back of the building encourage the narrow streets, through which you can walk and climb higher. Needless to say, that even in the high season they aren’t so popular among the tourists, as the main piazza 😉
Ice cream lovers no need to worry, that during low season won’t be able to buy and try beloved delicacy. Ice cream parlors operate substantially throughout the year. In December in Naples I ate ice creams too. In gelateria visible on picture above you must try the wild strawberries ice cream.
Green squares delight the colors of spring.
Being in Amalfi at low season doesn’t bypass the beach. From the top of the breakwater has a beautiful view of the village nestled at the foot of high hills. Beach at Amalfi is rocky and not very big, but completely empty has a lot of charm, especially when the waves crashing on coastal rocks.
Positano – town of colorful houses
“Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are
there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.” – John Steinbeck
Whom doesn’t admire the cascade of colored houses with steeply sloping hills to the sea? Although Positano isn’t the main town of the Amalfi Coast, it certainly deserves to be called the pearl. Suspended on the slopes, surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation, recognized visitors beautiful scenery and the incredible atmosphere of the holiday resort, even if part of the numerous restaurants and cafes, both on the beach, as well as those hidden in the midst of charming streets, is still closed. The extraordinary beauty of Positano made known quoted above John Steinbeck, who wrote about it represented the town as a place almost unreal, because so beautiful. Not surprisingly, the colorful buildings surrounding three sides of the black, sandy – pebble beach has become an movie set for such as “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and the infamous “Under the Tuscan Sun”. Interestingly, in the second one we see Positano’s off-season.
You probably have seen more than once the famous beach in Positano, where in the summer to find a scrap of free space is almost impossible, and the price of renting a sunbed with umbrella dizzy you? It was a picture I saw when I first visited the coast in the second half of July 2010. At that time beach, this seemed to me repulsive. Buzz and crowds are not my climates, especially if I’m aware that Italy is full of wonderful places, which even in the middle of summer tend to be empty. Imagine my delight, therefore, when in March, coming down the winding streets, I saw the beach illuminated by the spring sun and almost completely empty. I counted on it literally eight people! I wenton it and stood delighted. Such Positano is just as heartfelt. I walked back and forth stopping every piece and savoring a magnificent view senses till from behind the mountains emerged ominous clouds ordering the retreat to one of the cafes. If you just get hungry here or in one of the neighboring towns, go ahead and put on fish and seafood. Even the off-season local restaurants offer delicious, freshly catch. According to what I say from the first blog posts, if the place is functioning out of season means that serves good food. Why? Because without local customers wouldn’t have survived, and they know where to eat and what to avoid like the plague.
Arthur enjoys the March sun on the almost empty beach in Positano.
Me and them. The whole beach just ours.
In this section, there was absolutely no one.
You know what else is amazing in this time of year? You can see the real, everyday life. Such as those frozen scene below – fishermen, who in my eyes arrived to the shore, and then preparing the boat for the next catch. Does in the crowd of private boats and tourist boats you can easily see such a scene? I don’t think so.
Joining the cafes to stay dry during cloud bursts I wondered to coffee with or without sfogliatelle. Does in Positano, one of the most touristic towns in Italy, you can eat tasty? Fortunately, my beloved sweet delicacy of Neapolitan cuisine was perfect, and a price of 2.50 euro didn’t differ much from the standard.
And that’s it. The time after the storm. Are these streets without people aren’t beautiful?
Oh, here I caught one guy. August don’t you dare reach here ever! : )
Let’s leave for a while Positano, Amalfi and my beloved Ravello, becouse they don’t have monopoly for all attractions. Let’s look in a few places, tempting out season’s empty.
Beach / fjord in the town Furore
Before the season construction and renovation can be seen everywhere : )
My black model posed gracefully on the beach in Minori. Waiting for the season a number of boats are the perfect place for a cat lazing.
Green squares in towns delight the eyes with numerous flowers.
Early spring doesn’t mean the absence of color. Citrus trees are covered with ripe fruits.
Café and restaurant tables still empty, but ready and inviting guests.
Maiori
Small beach in the area of Maiori in mid-March 2016.
Amalfi Coast in low season – pros and cons
I asked Małgorzate Ewe Mikrut a Polish woman living near Sorrento, who organizer weddings to Poles and leads the Facebook group Italy – direction Sorrento, Amalfi and Cilento and privately my sincere friend about visiting the Amalfi Coast in low season.
IbN: What – apart from lower prices and smaller amount of tourists – speaks for visiting the Amalfi Coast in low season, and what is the downside this solution?
MEM: Of course, in the low season we have smaller selection of hotels and restaurants, there’s also less of entertainment organized by the local municipality. For those wishing to explore the Il Sentiero degli Dei or the Valle delle Ferriere the low eason is ideal time, trails aren’t difficult, but in the summer on a trip is too hot. Currently, airlines offer flights to Naples at very attractive prices, so it’s worth to go to the coast during the Christmas time and see the beautifully illuminated towns and the nativity scenes, of which are known town from Naples to Salerno. You can see it even in roadside, natural caves, for example, in Positano and also onfountains, underwater like in Amalfi. Very famous in this period is Salerno, thanks to his artistic lights. Temperatures are always above zero, so you can go ahead and take the whole family, the kids will love it! Unfortunately, it’s less bus connections with the Coast from November, but that’s slight change. You can’t go to Capri from Amalfi, there are only connections from Sorrento and Naples, and in the event of bad weather didnt run at all.
IbN: When it starts and how long is the “beach season” on the Amalfi Coast?
MEM: My first sunbath in the new season I remember during the Easter holidays in April. Everything of course depends on the weather, which unfortunately cann’t be ordered, but when weatheris good sunbathing is guaranteed. We can easily say that season duration is from May to November. For example this year, but I remember that, in previous years was similar. And all the structures on the beach are open from June to October. Always, at every beach has to be a fragment designed for all, where you don’t pay fee for renting sunbeds and sun umbrella.
Beach near Meta Sorrento 1st of November 2016. © Małgorzata Ewa Mikrut
Beach Amalfi 31st of October 2016. © Małgorzata Ewa Mikrut
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