Enjoying the Amalfi Coast – from our car

We were in Salerno, a town in Campania, just below the Amalfi coast during the long May 1st weekend. My younger son had a track race there and we enjoyed exploring the seaside town.

Since my son had never been to the Amalfi coast, he asked if we could have  a”quick stop off” to see it before driving back to Rome.

The correct answer, of course, would have been, “It’s a holiday weekend. Are you out of your bloody mind?” But I, foolish traveloholic that I am, responded, “Sure! Sounds like fun.”

Spolier alert: It was anything but fun.

And yet, we still we had a great time.

All of humanity was out on the Amalfi coast that weekend – and traffic was fierce.

My plan had been to drive from Salerno to Amalfi, park, take a walk around town and then return to Rome. The drive took a looot longer than we bargained on, and there was no hope of parking in Amalfi (or anywhere, really) on that busy day.

So we looped around and simply drove back, stopping at a few scenic roadside rest-stops to enjoy the stunning views.

And stunning, they truly are.

I’ve been to all the towns along the Amalfi coast, and I was happy I got to show it to my son, even in drive-by fashion.

I also got smart about hanging out in wait for a public bus to pass by, and then clinging on to it desperately, which made the driving much easier around those hairpin turns with zero visibility to oncoming traffic. Let’s just say the return was a lot less stressful than the first leg of the trip.

I’ll definitely be back soon – but it will be in early April, or September or October, with lighter crowds.

Nevertheless, an absolutely scenic route … loved our whirlwind drive-by tour of the Amalfi coast!