· Street View & Discovery · 2 min read ·
Amalfi Coast: Mediterranean Cliffs and Historic Pastel Villages
50-kilometer stretch of mountainous coastline in southern Italy. Known for sheer limestone cliffs plunging into the Tyrrhenian Sea, lemon groves, and pastel towns.
Coastal area in the Campania region, Italy
The Amalfi Coast (Italian: Costiera amalfitana [koˈstjɛːra amalfiˈtaːna] or Costa d’Amalfi) is a stretch of coastline overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno. It is located in the Province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy, south of the Sorrentine Peninsula and north of the Cilentan Coast.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, it is one of Italy’s most popular seaside destinations. It is named after the town of Amalfi, which has historically been its main geographical and political hub.
During the 10th–11th centuries, the Duchy of Amalfi existed on the territory of the Amalfi Coast, centred in the town of Amalfi. The Amalfi coast was later controlled by the Principality of Salerno until Amalfi was sacked by the Republic of Pisa in 1137.
Like the rest of the region, the Amalfi Coast has a Mediterranean climate, featuring warm summers and mild winters. It is located on the relatively steep southern shore of the Sorrentine Peninsula, leaving little room for rural and agricultural development. The only land route to the Amalfi Coast is the 40 kilometres (25 mi) long Amalfi Drive (Strada Statale 163) which runs along the coastline from the town of Vietri sul Mare in the east to Positano in the west. Thirteen municipalities are located on the Amalfi Coast, many of them centred on tourism.
