AMALFI COAST

From the Editor

Issue 13 started as a road trip. It became something more. The Amalfi Coast is one of those places that resists the magazine format — it's too cinematic, too sensory, too much. The light at six in the morning over Positano is not something you can describe in a pull quote. The limoncello at midnight in Ravello is not something a star rating captures. And yet here we are, thirteen issues in, trying anyway. What we found on the SS163 was not just a great drive. It was a reminder of why we started Just Gerald in the first place: some places are so good they deserve to be documented, argued over, and revisited. The Amalfi Coast is one of them. Start at the top. Read slowly. Then book the flights.

What's Inside

This issue covers the full coast from Sorrento to Salerno, with deep dives into the best espresso in Amalfi town, the cliff-top restaurants of Ravello, the sea cave boat trips from Positano, and the one road in Europe that makes a Ferrari 250 GT look like it was designed specifically for the occasion. We also have a Best Day Ever itinerary — coffee at dawn, cliffs at noon, cataplana at sunset — and a spec ad pitch for the kind of businesses that belong in these pages.

The Correct Car

The SS163 rewards a small car. Not a supercar — the road is too narrow, too twisty, too full of Vespas and pedestrians and tour buses to allow for anything approaching speed. What it rewards is something nimble, something with good steering feel, something that fits in the lane. The ideal is a classic Fiat 500 or an Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider — something Italian, something that belongs. If you must hire something modern, take the smallest thing available. A Ferrari 250 GT would be magnificent but impractical. A Fiat Panda is magnificent and entirely practical. The road does not care about your horsepower.

"The road is two lanes wide in theory, one lane wide in practice, and zero lanes wide when a tour bus is coming the other way."

The Route: Sorrento to Amalfi

Start in Sorrento at 7am. The road is empty at this hour — the tour buses don't arrive until nine, and the locals are still at their espresso. The first section, from Sorrento to Positano, is the most dramatic: the road hugs the cliff face, the sea is 300 metres below, and the light at this hour is the colour of warm honey. Stop at the Belvedere di Praiano for the view. It takes four minutes and it is one of the best four minutes you will spend in Italy. Positano arrives like a film set — the pastel houses stacked on the cliff, the beach below, the smell of lemon groves and diesel. Park on the road (there is nowhere else) and walk down. Have your espresso at Bar Internazionale. Walk back up. Continue east.

"The light at 7am on the SS163 is the colour of warm honey. The tour buses don't arrive until nine."

Ravello: The Detour Worth Taking

At Amalfi town, turn left and drive up. Ravello sits 350 metres above the sea on a ridge between two valleys, and it has been attracting writers, composers, and people with good taste since the 12th century. Wagner wrote part of Parsifal here. Gore Vidal lived here for thirty years. The Villa Cimbrone gardens have a terrace — the Terrazza dell'Infinito — that looks out over the coast in both directions. It is, without exaggeration, one of the finest views in Europe. Go in the late afternoon when the light is gold and the tour groups have left. Bring something cold to drink. Stay longer than you planned.

"The Terrazza dell'Infinito looks out over the coast in both directions. One of the finest views in Europe."

The Rules of the Road

A few things to know before you drive. First: the road has right of way rules that are more suggestion than law. The larger vehicle wins. The more confident driver wins. The person who has been driving this road since birth wins. Second: honk before blind corners — it is not aggression, it is communication. Third: if a tour bus needs to pass, pull over completely and let it. There is always a wall to your left and a cliff to your right. The bus driver has done this a thousand times. You have not. Trust the bus driver. Fourth: park wherever you can. The road has no formal parking. The verge is the parking. This is normal.

"Honk before blind corners. It is not aggression. It is communication."

Bar Internazionale, Positano

On the main road through Positano, Bar Internazionale has been serving espresso to locals and tourists since the 1950s. Stand at the bar. Order a caffè. Pay €1.20. Drink it in two sips. This is the correct way. The bar has a terrace with views over the rooftops to the sea, but the bar counter is where the action is — the barista works with the efficiency of someone who has made ten thousand of these and the pride of someone who intends to make ten thousand more. The espresso is dark, thick, and served at the temperature of a small sun. It is excellent.

"Stand at the bar. Order a caffè. Pay €1.20. Drink it in two sips. This is the correct way."

Bar Il Duomo, Amalfi

In Amalfi town, Bar Il Duomo sits in the shadow of the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea, and the setting alone is worth the visit. The espresso is the standard Campanian style — dark, intense, served fast — but the location elevates everything. Drink it on the piazza steps and watch the morning light hit the cathedral facade. The pastries are excellent: sfogliatella if they have it, cornetto otherwise. This is a bar that understands its position in the world and uses it well.

"Drink it on the piazza steps and watch the morning light hit the cathedral facade."

The Granita Question

In summer, the correct answer to the question 'what should I drink in the morning' is granita di caffè con panna — coffee granita with whipped cream. It is served in a glass, it is cold, it is sweet, it is caffeinated, and it is one of the great morning drinks of the Mediterranean. Every bar on the coast makes it. Order it at 8am, standing at the bar, watching the boats in the harbour. This is not a compromise. This is the upgrade.

"Granita di caffè con panna at 8am, standing at the bar, watching the boats. This is the upgrade."

Il Pirata, Praiano

Hidden in a sea cave at the base of the cliffs below Praiano, Il Pirata is accessible only by boat or by a descent of 300 steps. The restaurant has been here since 1966, when the Castellano family decided that the best location for a restaurant was inside a natural cave with a terrace over the sea. They were right. The menu is seafood — whatever came in that morning — and the pasta is made fresh. The spaghetti alle vongole is the standard by which all other versions should be judged. Book in advance. Take the boat.

"Hidden in a sea cave, accessible only by boat or 300 steps. The spaghetti alle vongole is the standard by which all others are judged."

Ristorante Rossellinis, Ravello

In the Hotel Palazzo Avino in Ravello, Rossellinis has two Michelin stars and a terrace that looks out over the coast from 350 metres. The cuisine is Campanian — local ingredients, classical technique, the kind of cooking that makes you understand why Italy has more Michelin stars than any other country. The tasting menu is the correct choice. The wine list is excellent. The view at sunset is worth the price of the meal on its own. This is the occasion restaurant on the Amalfi Coast — the place you go when you want to mark a day as exceptional.

"Two Michelin stars and a terrace at 350 metres. The view at sunset is worth the price of the meal on its own."

The Lemon Question

The sfusato amalfitano lemon is the reason the Amalfi Coast has a cuisine. It is larger, sweeter, and more intensely fragrant than any other lemon in Italy, and it grows on terraced groves that have been cut into the cliffs since the 10th century. The correct way to eat it is in pasta — spaghetti al limone, made with butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmigiano — or in limoncello, made with the zest steeped in pure alcohol. Both are available everywhere. Both are better here than anywhere else. Buy a bottle of limoncello to take home. It will not taste the same, but it will remind you of the terrace at Ravello and the light on the sea, and that is enough.

"Buy a bottle of limoncello to take home. It will not taste the same, but it will remind you of the terrace at Ravello."

The Limoncello Spritz

The Limoncello Spritz is the Amalfi Coast's contribution to the aperitivo canon, and it is better than it sounds. Limoncello, Prosecco, a splash of soda, ice, and a slice of the sfusato amalfitano lemon. It is cold, it is sweet, it is slightly sour, and it tastes exactly like the place it was invented. Order it at any bar with a terrace. Order it at sunset. Order it twice.

"Cold, sweet, slightly sour, and tastes exactly like the place it was invented. Order it twice."

Bar Calypso, Positano

On the beach at Positano, Bar Calypso has the best aperitivo setup on the coast: a terrace directly over the water, sun loungers that convert to bar seating at six, and a Campari Soda that arrives in the correct glass with the correct amount of ice. The crowd is mixed — locals who have been coming here for twenty years, tourists who found it by accident, and the occasional person who arrived by boat and decided not to leave. The Limoncello Spritz here is made with house limoncello, which is better than anything you can buy. The view is free.

"The crowd is mixed — locals who have been coming for twenty years, tourists who found it by accident, and the occasional person who arrived by boat and decided not to leave."

The Campari Soda Argument

There is a school of thought that says the Campari Soda is the correct aperitivo everywhere in Italy, and the Amalfi Coast is no exception. It is bitter, it is cold, it is red, and it arrives in the small pre-mixed bottle that Campari has been producing since 1932 — the bottle designed by Fortunato Depero, the Futurist artist, which is one of the great pieces of industrial design in Italian history. Pour it over ice. Add a slice of orange. Drink it on a terrace. The Limoncello Spritz is local and excellent. The Campari Soda is universal and correct. You do not have to choose.

"The Campari Soda bottle was designed by a Futurist artist in 1932. It is one of the great pieces of industrial design in Italian history."

6:30am — Granita di Caffè, Sorrento

Start in Sorrento, before the town wakes up. Find a bar — any bar — and order a granita di caffè con panna. Stand at the counter. The barista will have been here since five. The granita will be cold and dark and sweet. The whipped cream will be fresh. This is the correct breakfast for a day on the SS163.

7:00am — The SS163, Westbound

Leave Sorrento at seven. The road is empty. Drive west toward Positano. The light is gold and low. The sea is 300 metres below. Stop at the Belvedere di Praiano. Take four minutes. Continue.

8:30am — Espresso in Positano

Park on the road above Positano. Walk down to Bar Internazionale. Order a caffè. Stand at the bar. Drink it in two sips. Walk back up. The town is waking up. The boats are leaving the harbour. The light is now white and sharp. This is Positano at its best — before the crowds, before the heat, before the day becomes a performance.

"Positano before the crowds, before the heat, before the day becomes a performance."

12:00pm — Il Pirata, Praiano

You booked this in advance. Take the boat from Praiano harbour. The cave restaurant is at the base of the cliffs. Order the spaghetti alle vongole. Order the grilled fish. Order the house white. Eat slowly. The cave is cool. The sea is outside the entrance. There is nowhere else you need to be.

"The cave is cool. The sea is outside the entrance. There is nowhere else you need to be."

3:00pm — Amalfi Town

Drive to Amalfi. Walk the cathedral. Walk the paper museum — the Museo della Carta, in a 13th-century paper mill, is one of the best small museums in Italy. Buy a sheet of handmade paper. Walk back to the piazza. Order a caffè at Bar Il Duomo. Sit on the steps. Watch the afternoon.

5:30pm — Ravello

Drive up to Ravello. Go directly to Villa Cimbrone. Walk to the Terrazza dell'Infinito. The coast is below you in both directions. The light is gold. The tour groups have left. Stay here for thirty minutes. This is the best view on the Amalfi Coast.

"The coast is below you in both directions. The light is gold. The tour groups have left. Stay for thirty minutes."

8:00pm — Dinner in Ravello

Book Ristorante Rossellinis for the occasion, or find a smaller trattoria in the village for the local experience. Order the pasta al limone. Order the local wine — Furore Bianco from Marisa Cuomo, the best white on the coast. Eat slowly. The evening is warm. There is no reason to hurry.

11:00pm — Limoncello

Walk back to the hotel. Pour a glass of the limoncello you bought this afternoon. Sit on the terrace. The coast is dark below you. The lights of the villages are on the cliffs. The sea is invisible but present. This is the correct end to the day.

"The coast is dark below you. The lights of the villages are on the cliffs. The sea is invisible but present."