Located 90 minutes south of Naples, the famed Amalfi Coast seldom disappoints. The jagged Lattari Mountains plunge into the Mediterranean, providing some of the world’s most dramatic scenery. Surrounded by terraced lemon groves, whitewashed villages cling to precipitous slopes, while beneath forbidding cliffs, the resort towns of Amalfi and Positano cluster at the edge of the sea. A narrow corniche traces the indentations of the coastline from Sorrento east to the magical hill town of Ravello. Renowned for the gardens at Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo (the inspiration for the magic garden of Klingsor in Wagner’s “Parsifal”), Ravello is an unhurried place, its civilized ambiance enhanced by a delightful summer music festival. And Pompeii is an easy day trip, connected to Sorrento by train. If you want to visit in high season, make your reservations no later than January. By February, the best hotels start to sell out.

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