Campania · Salerno
Amalfi
The first Italian maritime republic and the coast it named, six meters above the sea between cliffs that close around the duomo's steps.
Known for
MARITIME REPUBLIC
The first of the four Italian maritime republics, capital of a duchy that ran Mediterranean trade routes between 839 and around 1200.
SANT'ANDREA
The cathedral above sixty-two steps holds the apostle Andrew's relics, brought from Constantinople in 1208 after the Fourth Crusade.
AMALFI PAPER
Parchment-grade carta bambagina made in the Valle dei Mulini since the twelfth century, still produced in two working mills today.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J13°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J27°
- J31°
- A31°
- S27°
- O22°
- N18°
- D15°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Andrea, 27 June
Why come
Amalfi sits at the mouth of a deep gorge in the Lattari mountains, six meters above the sea, four thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine people on a stretch of coast that carries its name. The town was capital of a duchy trading with Byzantium, North Africa and the Levant before Pisa and Venice eclipsed it, and the Tavoliere Amalfitano, drawn up here, codified Mediterranean maritime law in the eleventh century for ships far beyond this shore. The gorge structures the town as much as the sea does: the centro is stacked on the narrow flat ground at the gorge's mouth, the cathedral staircase climbing straight up from the piazza, while the valley behind runs inland and upward, its stream once turning the wheels of the paper mills before the water reaches the harbour below.
Upper gorge and lower marina were parts of one working town, the water dropping from the mills to the boatyards to the sea. The coast was UNESCO-listed in 1997 and the commune is Cittaslow. What made Amalfi a capital was the same terrain that now makes it a resort: a sheltered cut in the mountains with deep water at its foot, close enough to the sea to build ships and drawn up on to the rock to keep the town off the water's threat.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Amalfi’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 9m by car.
Bari / Brindisi (BRI) is about 3h 36m away.
By car from the centre of Salerno 35 minutes, Naples 1 hour or Rome 3h 23m.
Coming by train into Salerno? Amalfi is about 37 minutes away by road.
What to see
Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea
Romanesque facade at the top of the staircase, with the Chiostro del Paradiso attached to one side, striped stone and interlaced arches around a cloister garden.
Museo della Carta
Paper museum in the Valle dei Mulini, set inside a thirteenth-century working mill where the machinery for hand-forming sheets is still operated.
Arsenale della Repubblica
Twelfth-century stone-vaulted shipyard near the marina, the only surviving naval arsenal of the four Italian maritime republics.
Valle dei Mulini
Gorge above the town with the ruins of medieval paper mills along the Canneto stream, a marked walk to the Riserva Naturale della Valle delle Ferriere.
Marina Grande
Town beach below the centro, the working harbour of the medieval duchy and now the ferry pier for connections to Capri, Positano and Salerno.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Amalfi fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
SensiRistorante
Sensi carries one Michelin star, two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.
AliciRistorante
One Michelin star for Alici, and two Gambero Rosso forks (84/100).
La Caravella dal 1959Ristorante
La Caravella dal 1959 carries one Michelin star, plus two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100).
Da GemmaRistorante
Da Gemma has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
Dei CappucciniRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (81/100), at Dei Cappuccini.
GlicineRistorante
One Michelin star, at Glicine.
Il Glicine dell'Hotel Santa CaterinaRistorante
Il Glicine dell'Hotel Santa Caterina holds two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100).
Marina GrandeRistorante
Marina Grande carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Pasticceria Pansa AndreaPasticceria
Pasticceria Pansa Andrea has a place on Italy's historic-locali register to its name.
Hotel Santa CaterinaHotel
Hotel Santa Caterina carries two Michelin Keys, a La Liste score of 99, plus a Leading Hotels of the World listing.
Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand HotelHotel
Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel carries a La Liste score of 91, plus a place in the Michelin hotel guide.
Borgo SantandreaHotel
Borgo Santandrea holds a La Liste score of 95.
Hotel MiramalfiHotel
Hotel Miramalfi has one Michelin Key to its name.
Signature product
Limone Costa d'Amalfi IGPIGP
The sfusato amalfitano lemon; orchards terraced on the cliffs between Amalfi and Vietri sul Mare.
See the towns we cover in the zone of Limone Costa d'Amalfi IGP.
Living here
- Population 4,729
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 1 h 9 min drive
- Regional capital Napoli, 1 h 3 min drive
Common questions
- What is Amalfi known for?
- Amalfi is the first Italian maritime republic and the coast it named, six meters above the sea between cliffs that close around the duomo's steps.
- Where is Amalfi?
- Amalfi is a comune in the province of Salerno, in Campania, at 6 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Amalfi?
- Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 9m by car.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Amalfi?
- About 35 minutes by car.
- When is the best time to visit Amalfi?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Amalfi?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Andrea, 27 June.
- Which other towns are like Amalfi?
- Positano, Capri and Bibbona.
- How many people live in Amalfi?
- 4,729 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 6 m
- Population: 4,729
- Surface area: 5.7 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Amalfi
Positano
Province: Salerno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Capri
Province: Napoli
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Bibbona
Province: Livorno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Castagneto Carducci
Province: Livorno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Maiori
Province: Salerno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Vietri sul Mare
Province: Salerno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
🏛️ UNESCO
More UNESCO towns in Campania
Ascea
Province: Salerno
Two villages, a hilltown at 230 meters and a Cilento marina, with Parmenides and Zeno's Eleatic school in the ruins of Greek Velia below.
Atrani
Province: Salerno
The smallest commune in Italy by area, twelve hectares of stacked houses where the Amalfi Coast pinches shut around a single piazza.
Benevento
Province: Benevento
Sannio capital at the Calore-Sabato confluence, with a 114 AD Trajan arch and a Lombard rotunda on the UNESCO list.
Capaccio Paestum
Province: Salerno
Three Doric temples of 550 to 450 BC on the Sele plain, with mozzarella di bufala DOP on the buffalo flats below.
Caserta
Province: Caserta
Italy's answer to Versailles, built by the Bourbons on the Campanian plain with 1,200 rooms and a three-kilometer water axis.