Amalfi

Amalfi can be seen in half a day to a day, and it works as a base for Ravello, Positano and Salerno. The town was a maritime republic, and what it kept is the cathedral of Sant'Andrea above the harbour, an arsenal where galleys were built and a paper mill that is now a museum. All of it fits into a few streets, so the rest of your time goes to the trails above town and to the coast.

From Naples a direct bus runs here: direct SITA bus, line 5080 (Amalfi–Agerola–Castellammare–Naples), about 2 h 15. The Amalfi Coast's own airport has only limited flights, so Naples is the hub you actually arrive through. Inside the town you need no transport, since the old core is done entirely on foot, uphill and down, and the bus only comes into play for the neighbouring towns.

The town reads from the harbour towards the hill: Marina Grande and the pier, then the Duomo at the top of a broad staircase, then the narrow streets behind it, and through the valley above town runs a path named for the paper mills that once worked there. It leads up to Pontone and to the trails for the Torre dello Ziro and the Valle delle Ferriere. Positano and its beaches have a page of their own; from here you reach it by bus or ferry.