Private tour of the Amalfi coast from Sorrento

An Experienced English speaking driver will drive you along one of the most scenic coast of the world, Unesco world Eritage site. Photo, stops, commentary and free time to see the villages are part of this memorable experience.

Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the twentieth century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone." Positano rapid growth from a small fishing village to an international destination is credited to the rise of the tourism industry. In addition to the beaches, cliffs, and historic sites, clothing stores and restaurants are scattered throughout Positano, attracting tourists from around the world.

The city starts at the water's edge with a pretty promenade along the Mediterranean and a marina full of colorful boats and their international flags. The focal point of the historic center is the Piazza del Duomo, in front of the striking cathedral. The piazza is clustered with sidewalk cafes and elegant shops, but the sixty steps leading to the church beckon to be scaled to visit the Byzantine style structure that bears Moorish-influenced arches and decoration. Dedicated to St. Andrew, the Duomo di Sant'Andrea is a truly beautiful structure. Inside is the hidden Cloister of Paradise, dating to 1266, with a forest of columns, Arabesque arches and an amazing fresco. The crypt is highly decorated and worth a visit, too.

Italian mariner Flavio Gioia was an Amalfitan who is credited with inventing the modern-style magnetic compass and packaging into a portable container. There is a monument and piazza in his honor here in his hometown. The "tavole amalfitane" are ancient drafts of Amalfi's intricate maritime codes, preserved in the Civic Museum. The town has a long history as a center of paper mills, so be sure to stop into the Museo della Carta (Paper Museum) to see how the pretty products were (and still are!) made by hand. There are still some family-owned paper mills that carry on the tradition.

The town has served historically as a destination for artists, musicians, and writers, including Giovanni Boccaccio, Richard Wagner, Edvard Grieg, M. C. Escher, Virginia Woolf, Greta Garbo, Gore Vidal, André Gide, Joan Mirò, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Graham Greene, Jacqueline Kennedy, Leonard Bernstein and Sara Teasdale. Every year in the summer months, the "Ravello Festival" takes place. It began in 1953 in honour of Richard Wagner. The 1953 film Beat the Devil, directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, and Gina Lollobrigida in her English language debut, was shot in Ravello. To see the incredible Villa Rufolo surrounded by the gardens theater of the open-air stage of the concerts and the duomo dedicated to the patron San Pantaleon.