Luxury Vacations in the Amalfi Coast & the Bay of Naples

In Homer’s Odyssey, the Li Galli islets are home to three sirens who lure sailors to their doom, and the peninsula they are part of has enchanted visitors ever since, from early Grand Tourists to the honeymooners of today.

Pastel-hued houses cling to near-vertical cliffs scented with lemon groves; grand villa hotels are crammed with antiques; rocky terraces are clustered with retro sun umbrellas; hidden grottos glow ethereally from within. While the Amalfi Coast Road — the 50km Strada Statale 163 that winds from Sorrento to Salerno — has become as famous for its traffic jams as its vertiginous views, it is also possible to travel around the peninsula by boat, as well as make day trips to über-glamorous Capri and ancient Pompeii, with its newly restored frescos in the Villa dei Misteri. In high summer, rooms are like gold dust and lunch spots such as La Fontelina beach club (on Capri) and Da Adolfo beach shack (near Positano) need booking. Don’t miss the Duomo in Amalfi, the people-watching in Positano and the garden estates of Rufolo and Cimbrone in Ravello — or a snorkeling trip to the crystal-clear waters around Li Galli.