Local Knowledge

Taxis

Hotels can organise a road or boat taxi for you depending on your destination. For the return journey, either go down to the village dock, where there's usually a boat taxi stand awaiting your custom, or call the hotel to arrange a return by road. In Positano, the road taxi rank is at the top of the village, the boat taxi down at the right hand side of the dock. Boat taxi's aren't an option in inland Ravello – the road taxi rank is right in the centre.

Tipping culture

10–15 per cent is appreciated.

Siesta and fiesta

8.30pm–9pm is when most tend to head out to eat. Afterwards, bars and clubs stay open until midnight or 1h.

Packing tips

The Amalfi Coast is navigated by thousands of steep steps – heels won't cut it, so pack some flats to stash in a bag when the stilettos come out; walking boots for serious yompers. Hats and head scarves which aren't likely to flee at the first sign of a breeze are a good investment for travelling by speedboat.

Recommended reads

Giovanni Boccacio's bawdy classic, The Decameron mentions Ravello and the gardens of Villa Rufolo in one novella. More contemporary, John Steinbeck's 1953 novel Positano is set in and around the town of the same name. For fans of the macabre, John Webster's bloodbath of a play The Duchess of Malfi is a not-quite-true story, based on the machinations of the 16th-century Amalfi aristocracy.

Cuisine

Spaghetti alla anything is the star player on any Amalfi menu, but it would be a crime not to have it with fresh seafood from the daily catch – spaghetti alla vongole (clams) and prawn or mussel linguine are Mr & Mrs Smith's favoured foodstuffs. If you don't have a fish-friendly palate, the towns of Montepertuso and Nocelle are excellent destinations for meat and local produce. Some villages have their own specialties – Nerano is famous for black spaghetti con zucchini and Sorrento-style gnocchi comes with a deliciously rich, mozzarella and tomato sauce. The Amalfi Coast is also the homeland of limoncello – the sweet meringue-ish liqueur made from the lemon trees that grow all over the cliff sides.

Currency

Euro

Time zone

GMT +1 hour

Dialling codes

Country code: +39. Area code for Salerno province: 089

Do go/don't go

The coast road can be crammed with coaches in the summertime, but the pay-off is the palpable buzz in the air during this time of year. March–May and September–October are quieter periods, and often the weather is still good. Winter can be romantic, although some hotels are closed in the low season.