The case for arriving on the Amalfi Coast by boat

The Amalfi Coast has a road, and in high season that road can test anyone's patience. It also has the sea, which is how the towns were meant to be approached in the first place. Arriving by boat is not only more comfortable; it changes the whole character of the trip.

The coast reveals itself differently from the water. Positano stacks up the cliff in pastel tiers; Amalfi opens around its cathedral steps; Ravello sits high above, its gardens hidden until you climb to them. From a small wooden gozzo or a private launch, you see the shape of the place as its builders intended, without the traffic that defines the corniche in July and August.

The trick is timing. Go early, before the day-trip boats leave the marinas, and the coves are still quiet enough to swim in. A good skipper knows which inlet catches the morning light, where the water is clearest, and which trattoria will send lunch out to the boat or keep a shaded table by the water.

A day at sea also solves the logistics that make the Amalfi Coast stressful. Instead of negotiating hairpin bends and scarce parking, you move point to point on the water, stepping off where you want to be. It is the calmest way to cover a coast that is otherwise anything but calm.

If you are planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast, consider building at least one full day on the water into the itinerary, and think about arriving by sea rather than by road. It sets the tone for everything that follows.