An hour’s drive from the sand and grime of Naples lies a glittering coastline so breathtakingly beautiful that it has served as the backdrop to many a centuries-old myth.
The irresistible lure of the small towns within swimming distance of the Tyrrhenian Sea has long been a draw for writers, enchanting everyone from Virginia Woolf to John Steinbeck, who flocked to the Amalfi Coast in search of sunlight and inspiration.
The base for my literary pilgrimage is Palazzo Avino (prices start from €500 per night; palazzoavino.com), affectionately called ‘The Pink Palace’, a 12th-century wonder of peach-coloured stone, perched on a tranquil hilltop in Ravello. Run by sisters Mariella, Attilia and Mariavittoria Avino with Wes Anderson-esque attention to detail, the hotel’s signature pink hue adorns everything from the ruffled parasols to the menus.
With its Michelin-starred restaurant, chic boutique and private beach club, the hotel is among the best on the Amalfi Coast. Small details matter a lot here: names are remembered, welcome notes are left, bookmarks are placed next to your bed for reading and sweet treats are left under little glass cloches in your room, as if the Sugar Fairy has paid you a visit. The overall feeling is one of being comfortably cocooned. On arrival I am greeted by Richard, Mariella’s sausage dog, whose namesake, German composer Richard Wagner, wrote the second act of his opera Parsifal after an inspiring turn through the gardens of nearby Villa Rufolo.
Over an espresso with Mariella that afternoon, she tells me why Ravello is such a magnet for writers. “It is off the beaten track and has retained the Italian village feel. It is very serene here and somewhere you can connect with nature and with yourself.” Quiet, pristine and heartbreaking, Ravello worked his magic on American author Gore Vidal, who fell so deeply in love with the place that he bought a stark white villa perched precariously on a cliff that he named La Rondinaia (the Swallow’s Nest). ). Treated with deference by locals and eventually made an honorary citizen, Vidal entertained everyone from Lauren Bacall to Leonard Bernstein at wine-soaked soirées in his villa, which can be rented for around £1,000 a night.
Some of literature’s most memorable characters originated on the Amalfi Coast. While staying with her lover at the Albergo Miramare in Positano in 1952, American thriller writer Patricia Highsmith got the idea for her antihero – the charming sociopath Tom Ripley – after seeing a man walking alone on the beach one morning. ‘Everything was cool and quiet, then I saw a lone young man in shorts and sandals with a towel over his shoulder. There was an air of pensiveness about him, perhaps of unease,” she wrote. You can still stay at the Miramare ( miramaremaiori.it ), with a crimson facade and an enviable position overlooking the bay, where pastel-colored houses cling defiantly to the hillside.
In her 1955 novel, The talented Mr. RipleyHighsmith used the imaginary seaside town of Mongibello as a stand-in for Positano, where Ripley weaves his way into the lives of glamorous gadabout Dickie Greenleaf and his girlfriend Marge. For the recent Netflix adaptation – Ripley – stylishly shot in black and white and starring the brilliant Andrew Scott – Mongibello was recreated in the small town of Atrani, near Ravello, which has seen a huge increase in Airbnb bookings since it aired in April knows. Chosen for its labyrinthine maze of stairs, paths and corridors, Ripley’s creators closed downtown Atrani for a month in October 2021 to faithfully recreate the book’s early 1960s setting.
Shortly after Highsmith’s revelation, another American writer was bewitched by Positano’s charms. Flying high through the success of east of Eden, in 1953 John Steinbeck traveled to the fishing village on a Harper’s Bazaar assignment, staying at the “spotless and cool” Le Sirenuse (sirenuse.it). Still owned by the same family, the hotel prides itself on its Steinbeck connection, leaving a sky-blue reprint of his Harper’s article in every room. In it, Steinbeck describes the terror of winding through the Amalfi Coast on a road that was “corkscrewed to the edge of nothingness,” clutched in his wife’s arms and “crying hysterically.” The journey hasn’t gotten any less dangerous over time, but the rewards when you get there are worth it. As Steinbeck eloquently put it, Positano “is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you’re there and becomes glaringly real after you’re gone.”
The siren call of Amalfi is as powerful as ever for writers. André Aciman van Call me by your name Fame – the man who made us look at peaches in a new light – has written his latest novel, The gentleman from Peru, in a luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast. Published in April, it is a silk-spun tale of lost love and déjà vu that, at less than 200 pages, can easily be inhaled while sitting poolside. Long before Aciman set hearts racing with his provocative prose, the English writer DH Lawrence was already in action. According to legend, he started writing Lady Chatterley’s lover in 1926 while staying at the Hotel Rufolo in Ravello (hotelrufolo.it). Eager to see where inspiration struck, I took the same stomach-churning journey along the coast as Steinbeck, closing my eyes in fear as kamikaze cars sped around the bends and passed within millimeters of my shuttle bus. It is a nerve-wracking experience that leaves you ashen and with yellow legs.
Walking in Lawrence’s footsteps through the sunlit avenues of Villa Cimbrone – a favorite haunt of Virginia Woolf, whose flower beds were designed by her friend and lover Vita Sackville West – it is easy to see how Ravello captured his imagination. I’m a little late for the wisteria, but enjoy the sight of purple irises bending their heads towards the sun, and the heady scent of roses in the English garden, passing fountains, nymphs, temples and statues along the way. I pause for a moment to admire the wonderful view from the observation tower over the Bay of Salerno, which Vidal said was the most beautiful view in the world “on a clear winter day when the sky and sea are so vividly blue that it is impossible to to say one thing from another.” It is a clear May day and both the sky and the sea are dazzlingly blue and seemingly endless. You have to have a heart of stone not to be impressed by it.
Rooms with a view
These quaint eateries along the Amalfi Coast live up to the hype…
Rossellinis
No trip to Palazzo Avino in Ravello would be complete without dinner at the Michelin-starred Rosselinis restaurant, where you will be treated like a visiting dignitary. The party starts with a flute of champagne to the sounds of a mandolin. The best way to experience Chef Giovanni Vanacore’s food is through his tasting menu that highlights local produce. The lemon ravioli is a thing of beauty and the silky sea bass cooked in clay is playfully theatrical. Its light touch is complemented by local wines picked by sommelier Luigi Nitto, including the hotel’s own wine – Maraviglia – a seductive white blend with tropical notes. palazzoavino.com
La Sponda
Le Sirenuse is the grande dame of Positano and the restaurant is quite spectacular. With perfect views of the glittering dome of Santa Maria Assunta and the ice-colored houses clinging to the hillside, the city below you shimmers like a mirage at night. A tangle of climbing plants adds to the romance of the room, as do Franco and Andrea, who serenade guests on guitar and mandolin. The food is refined and touches the heart of Campania. The lemon risotto with capers and cloudy Neapolitan babà are not to be missed, and the wine list will please even the pickiest of oenophiles.
Lo Scoglio
If you like your lunch with an adventurous side dish, Lo Scoglio is worth seeking out. The family-run restaurant in the seaside town of Marina del Cantone is a boat ride from Positano. Led by Chef Tommaso De Simone, the emphasis is on local produce, so the seafood is wonderfully fresh and the vegetables are often pulled from the ground that morning from the family farm. Sit on the wooden terrace overlooking the big blue and enjoy the catch of the day, poached in ‘acqua pazza’ (‘crazy water’), a tomato-herb flavored broth. siren.it
Glicine
Giving La Sponda value for money in the beauty sector is Glicine, the jewel in the Amalfi crown, nestled in Hotel Santa Caterina. The terrace of the Michelin-starred restaurant is decorated with wisteria and climbing plants and offers beautiful views of the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea. If you’re in the mood for a dazzling feast, Chef Peppe Stanzione won’t disappoint. Its flavors combine the best of its Salerno heritage with Asian influences, so expect tuna in a sake and soy infusion, done with painterly precision. hotelsantacaterina.it
Maria Grazia
If you’re a fan of Stanley Tucci (who isn’t?) and enjoyed the Searching For Italy episode where he devours a bowl of spaghetti alla Nerano, then a visit to Maria Grazia is a must, as the namesake of the restaurant invented the restaurant. dish from 1952. The modern classic combines spaghetti with fried zucchini, provolone cheese and basil and is a masterclass in simplicity. Tucci enjoyed his at Lo Scoglio, but if you want the OG dish, head to Maria Grazia on the other side of the beach in Marina del Cantone, which can be reached by boat from Positano. ristorantemariagrazia.com