Buongiorno travelers!
I hope everyone had a nice weekend and enjoyed the Halloween holiday because another Monday is here!
For today’s post, my brother Matthew is back to share with students and teachers the wonderful Amalfi coast in southern Italy. Shall we dive right in?
Sun. Surf. Sand.
These three words are often associated with the beaches of Hawaii or California, but maybe not Italy. It’s time we change that and take a look at the Amalfi Coast, Italy’s verdant jewel in its azure crown.
Teachers looking to take a trip outside of more typical destinations like Rome, Florence or Venice should consider looking into this coastal section of the country. A southern portion of cliffs and beaches in the Salerno province of Italy, Amalfi has a lot to offer students on their educational student tours to the region.
Listed as a UNESCO World heritage site back in 1997, this stretch of coastline offers unparalleled views of the Mediterranean. With massive stone cliffs, winding coastal roadways, and countless small fishing villages, this area is steeped in Italian seagoing culture spanning generations.
No place embodies this area’s beauty and history more than Positano, an enclave at the heart of the region. A medieval port, Positano has held on to much of its character and history over the ages. Now a popular tourist destination, visitors are free to wander its cobbled alleys, visit its ancient churches, and take boats out onto the gorgeous seas that lap at its shores.
There are also catamaran and powerboat excursions to numerous islands and grottos up and down the coast, as well as the abundance of lemon fields where generations of families have harvested the fruit to make the regions world famous limoncello liqueur.
If anyone is looking for a celebrity endorsement, take a gander at what John Steinbeck had to say back in the day:
“It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”
When you visit on your student tour, you’ll see that he was absolutely right!
Teachers looking for educational stops shouldn’t forget that nearby Naples is home to the National Archaeological Museum as well as the incredibly preserved sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Students can also hike up to Mount Vesuvius, which towers over the towns below, or take a day trip out to nearby Sorrento.
Whether you come to soak up the sun and relax, see the historical sites, or go town-hopping, the Amalfi Coast offers a gorgeously alternative look at life on the Italian coast. Before long, it’ll be beckoning you to come back to its pristine shores.
Until next time,
Matthew.