Being in Salerno, I had to take the opportunity to visit the Amalfi coast. What better way than to take a ferry to its namesake location. Here are 6 free things to see & do in Amalfi that kept me busy for the day.
Amalfi Cathedral
Located in the centre of town, and visible from far out to sea is the Amalfi Cathedral. With its gorgeous bell tower soaring into the sky, it cannot be missed. Construction began in the 9th & 10th centuries on top of an older temple. Additions and remodels have taken place since.
Today’s version has an absolutely gorgeous façade of coloured stone and marble. The interior is peaceful and beautiful and worth a walk through, especially if it is mid day and the crowds in town are fierce.
There is a crypt that one can pay to go in, I however did not on this day. I was able to descend the staircase and peek inside. It looks marvellous, much like the one in the Duomo in Salerno but on a smaller scale.
Window Shopping
I personally have no business doing any shopping, as my suitcase is at its limit. However, I took great pleasure in window shopping and looking at all of the beautiful Italian wares from gorgeous leather handbags and sandals, to brightly printed clothing.
Just about everything seems to have lemons as the theme 😊 Ceramicas, magnets, totes, well pretty much every souvenir you could think of, there was a version with lemons.
The Beach
I was surprised to see a little beach area eeked out of the tiny coastal space. With the town being so little and literally built on top of itself, real estate is at an all time premium.
But beach there is! Right smack dab in the front of town, is a large beach club. For free however, you can descend a staircase and have your own little piece of rocky beach and go for a swim to cool off from the hot summer’s day.
Explore
This might sound boring, but let me tell you, it is far from it. I was lucky enough to take the first ferry over, so when I arrived there were minimal people already in the town. I took advantage of that fact and wandered up, down and through every little alley, nook and cranny I found. Because of the architecture, most of these streets are way to tiny for cars, so you are quite literally walking into dark cavernous tunnels and such.
It was so much fun! I had no idea where I was going, no idea what I would see and no idea if I was even allowed into some of these spaces.
Getting lost in a place is one of my all-time favourite things to do. Try it!
Market
There is a little tiny market right behind city hall, not to be missed. The only people here when I went were locals, mostly women, vying for attention at the four or five trucks that had pulled up to sell their wares. If you really want to see what the locals eat and purchase, markets are the perfect place to explore.
The smell from the buckets of olives was divine! So many different types of beans. There was a flower stand, a two fruit trucks that were just about empty. And they came with a lot of produce, but beside the trucks were piles of empty crates, that’s telling of how much stock they sold in this wee little haven.
Piazza del Duomo
Right in front of the Cathedral is the towns largest square called the Piazza del Duomo. Here like many Italian piazza’s you will find a marble fountain. Feel free to fill your water bottle, this water is so fresh and cold and tastes delicious!
All around the square are cafés should you feel hungry or thirsty. Best of all, is to take a breather on the huge staircase of the Cathedral and get your people watching on. And if you are super hot and tired, refresh with an iced lemon dessert.
Before I took this day trip to Amalfi, I did no research what so ever. I wanted to walk into this experience with no preconceived ideas of what I was going to find. Amalfi is a charming little seaside town that I am glad I visited. I would suggest arriving as early as you possibly can. By 11:00am the streets were packed and it was getting too crowded for me. I hopped on the 1pm ferry returning to Salerno and basked in the breeze all the way back.
