Tour Two Historic Villages Along the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is undeniably beautiful—colorful villas are set into near-vertical cliffs, fragrant lemon groves are scattered about the rugged mountains, and breathtaking views of the coastline abound. On this six-night self-guided tour of the Amalfi Coast from Great Value Vacations, you’ll see two coastal villages: Sorrento and Positano. The tour includes roundtrip airfare from New York, Boston, or Chicago, hotel accommodations, and a manual-shift rental car. Click here for more information and optional upgrades.

Days 1–4: Your trip begins in Sorrento, a cliffside village with colorful buildings that overlook the Bay of Naples and narrow cobblestone streets lined with orange, lemon, and olive groves. Sorrento has been around since ancient times—the Greeks believed the waters surrounding the village were home to sirens who lured sailors into the rocks with their haunting melodies. While you’re here, you’ll stay a few blocks inland at the Hotel Gardenia, replete with a swimming pool, rooftop terrace, and private balconies attached to each room. There’s no set itinerary, so feel free to explore the village and nearby cities at your leisure.

Some places to check out:

Piazza Tasso, the city’s main square, is just a 15-minute walk from the hotel. The square is lined with restaurants, cafés, and a 17th-century palace.

Vesuvio National Park is located about 21 miles (34 km) northeast of Sorrento. The park centers around Mount Vesuvius, an active stratovolcano best known for the AD 79 eruption that buried Pompeii.

Situated on the opposite side of the bay, the city of Naples is the place to go for high-end shopping and, of course, pizza. The southern Italy staple is topped with a sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella before it’s fired in a wood-burning oven.

Days 5–7: The next leg of your trip takes you to Positano, about a 20-minute drive from Sorrento, where you’ll stay at the Villa Franca. There, you can partake in ocean-themed spa treatments or a Turkish bath and swim in an outdoor pool. Jump on the complimentary area shuttle for some self-guided sightseeing. The town’s white, pink, and yellow houses hug the side of a near-vertical cliff with roads that have been replaced with steep flights of stairs. Positano has its share of ancient history as well—the ancient Romans built several villas and chain restaurants along the coastline, and you can still see the ruins.

Some places to check out:

The Path of the Gods winds through the Lattari Mountains from coastal Positano to Agerola in the interior. The entire walk takes about 4.5 hours, but you don’t have to go very far to get dramatic views of the coastline and Capri in the distance.

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Its ceramic-tile dome shelters several gilded figures and a 13th-century Byzantine icon of the Madonna and Child. Legend has it that the icon was placed in Positano after sailors on a passing cargo ship heard a voice whisper “put me down, put me down.”

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