The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline of about 25km in the Gulf of Salerno in Campania, Italy. It is famous worldwide for its natural beauty and colorful villages.
The famous coast takes its name from its most important city-village, Amalfi, the historic Amalfi Republic's historic capital, which is now a small and beautiful tourist destination. Also notable on the coast are Positano and Ravello's towns, both top holiday destinations chosen by the American 'jet set' of the mid-20th century. The coastal municipalities are connected by the famous state road 163.
The area has been a tourist destination since the time of the Roman Empire. Numerous artists and public figures have chosen the coast as a recreational area, including Giovanni Boccaccio (who alludes to it in the Decameron), Richard Wagner (who was inspired by Ravello to create the scenery for Parsifal), M.C. Escher, Greta Garbo, and John Steinbeck (who wrote Positano, a novel in 1953 in which he characterized the town). In Amalfi, the Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Johan Ibsen wrote his most important work, A Doll's House (1879).
Furthermore, in Maiori, Roberto Rossellini, one of the most important directors of neo-realism, shot several films such as Paisà (1946), La macchina ammazzacattivi and Viaggio in Italia (Journey in Italy) with Ingrid Bergman. In 2007 Roberto's daughter, the actress Isabella Rossellini, was made an honorary citizen of Maiori.
The Italian poet Renato Fucini wrote of this place: 'The day of Judgement, for the Amalfitans who go up to Paradise, will be a day like all the others'.
The Amalfi Coast has been a World Heritage Site since 1997.
The main towns of this spectacular rocky coastline are coming from Sorrento: Positano, Praiano, Amalfi and Ravello.