Why the Amalfi Coast is at its tranquil best in spring

Long regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, the Amalfi’s ruggedly dramatic mountains tumble into the sea, with ruined towers, churches, multi-domed cathedrals and fondant-coloured villages clinging like medieval limpets to their lower reaches. It’s all quite lovely – so it comes as no surprise that everyone wants to visit. And herein lies the problem.

In the winter, most of the Costa Amalfitana hotels and restaurants close. In the summer, the crowds (not to mention the heat) can be overwhelming. You can’t move in the small towns or along the narrow twisting roads between them, especially when the cruise ships line up in the nearby port of Naples and literally thousands of passengers disgorge, piling onto the buses that take the hairpin bends through the Lattari (Milky) Mountains Nature Park, making their way down to that delectable coastline.

There is a moment, though, when you can get the place very nearly to yourself. And that moment is now.

Amalfi itself is a town, as well as a coastline. From my balcony at the elegant Hotel Santa Caterina, I could look across to the terraces of pink, cream and ochre houses above the little port, down to the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Salerno and, squeezed into every available space, the orange and, especially, lemon trees weighed down with fruit at this time of year.

Amalfi lemons (known as Sfusato Amalfitano) are huge, highly prized by chefs for their intense flavour and used as a rather attractive cup by the local ice-cream sellers for that gelato al limone. But then, you would expect the flavours of Amalfi to be as delectable as its coastline. Besides the lemons, you’ll find the freshest of seafood, soft Mozzarella di Bufala cheese, the finest pizzas, pastas and risottos and pastries that are quite irresistible. And, of course, Amalfi is home to that wickedly delicious elixir known as limoncello.

Charming as it is to sample these delicacies at a table on a cobbled street as you watch the world go by, Amalfi is far more than a mere delight for the senses. It has, in fact, an unexpectedly important place in Mediterranean history. Long before Venice reigned supreme, it was a Maritime Republic. In the 9th-11th centuries, it ran the region’s shipping, trading in grain and slaves, silks and timber as far afield as Egypt and Syria.

The resulting wealth built a magnificent cathedral with discernible Arabic and Byzantine influences. They could even afford the relics of St Andrew, Christ’s first apostle, who is buried in the cathedral’s fantastically ornate crypt, from which “manna” has sweated from the tomb into a crystal ampoule for some 750 years. (No one is exactly sure what this is but it’s generally regarded as a sign of grace.)

At this time of year, it’s easy to get to the nearby towns and villages – no small consideration as driving times quadruple in the summer. The closest is Atrani, a tiny fishing village, one of Italy’s smallest, but nevertheless with its own clifftop cathedral. Minori is famed for its beautiful sandy beach backed by a charming promenade. Ravello, up in the hills, has breathtaking views of the coastline and the Villa Rufolo – a palace that at its height in the 13th century boasted more rooms than the days in a year – has gardens so beautiful that Wagner declared them, on a visit in 1880, to be the epitome of “the magical garden of Klingsor”.

The best way, though, of exploring the coast with its dramatic mountains, caves, inlets, secluded beaches and quaysides, is surely by boat. This was, of course, the way the ancient Greeks and Romans would reach the lovely nearby town of Positano – a popular spot to vacation in the ancient world.

Its archipelago of Li Galli was the legendary home of Homer’s sirens and one of its islets was purchased by Ballets Russes dancer, Léonide Massine, and was bought by Rudolf Nureyev after her death. Nowadays, it takes just 30 minutes to reach Positano by ferry from Amalfi and there are ferries, too, from Amalfi to Napoli, Salerno and the Isle of Capri.

The Mediterranean waters are shimmering in the sunshine at this time of year, as the Amalfi wakes up, refreshed after its short winter nap. The perfect moment, then, to heed that sirens’ call and step into spring sunshine in a place where la vita is as dolce as you could wish.

Essentials

Anna Selby was a guest of Hotel Santa Catarina (hotelsantacaterina.it) which has double rooms from £388 per night, including breakfast.

Various airlines fly from the UK to Naples, including EasyJet from London Gatwick (from £16 one way; easyJet.com); Ryanair from Manchester (from £23 one way; ryanair.com) and TUI from Glasgow (from £10 one way; tui.co.uk). EasyJet will also fly twice weekly from London Gatwick to even-more-convenient Salerno from 13 July.