Storm clouds gather with threatening speed over the Gulf of Gaeta in Campania, bathing the coast in a dramatic twilight. Soon the wind picks up, the surf grows stronger, and finally, heavy showers lash down onto the beach.
North-west of Naples, the Campanian coast stretches from Monte di Procida to the Gulf of Gaeta. The region is less spectacular than, for example, the Amalfi Coast, but it still has its charm. Here, too, you’ll find many remains of a turbulent volcanic history, such as the fumaroles of the Solfatara in the Phlegraean Fields or the former Roccamonfina volcano. As a result, the land is not only blessed with fertile soil but also boasts magnificent black beaches, like this one at a recommended campsite near Baia Domizia. A little further north near Gaeta, the peaks of the Aurunci Mountains, a karst limestone range, suddenly rise up behind the coast and mark the border with Lazio.
The Aurunci Mountains, a karst limestone range, lie on the border of Lazio and Campania. To the west, the Via Appia runs through the Itri Valley, which Goethe must have passed through on his first Italian journey. To the north-east, the Autostrada del Sole A1 runs through the hinterland. Since 1997, the area has been designated as the Aurunci Mountains Natural Park. This low mountain range sees few visitors, even though it’s excellent for hiking and mountain biking; there are numerous marked roads, hiking trails and tracks that offer quite a challenge. The national park map provides a good overview of hiking trails, mountain bike routes, historical sites and points of interest. Read more
On the Gulf of Gaeta lies the fertile Garigliano Plain, framed to the north by the Monti Aurunci, to the east by Roccamonfina and to the southwest by the mountain range near Mondragone. The dark soils of the plain grow a lot of vegetables, especially tomatoes (which we then find in all varieties as preserves in our supermarkets) or lettuce; along the coast, you can walk along magnificent black sand beaches. Read more
The Sorrentine Peninsula offers world-class panoramas; from its mountainous backbone, you look north-east across the Gulf of Naples with the Phlegraean Fields and the city centre in the background, Mount Vesuvius with the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the middle ground, and the town of Sorrento on the rocky terrace above the sea in the foreground. If I were to hike a little further west over the mountains, I would look out towards promising Capri and, to the south-east, along the Amalfi Coast rising dramatically from the sea. This view at night is also fascinating.
The narrow streets of Positano on the cliffs of the western Amalfi Coast offer little room for vehicles, let alone parking spaces; your best bet is to park above the town centre near the panoramic road and wander down to the beach via the many stairways, passages and winding alleys through Positano’s cubist sea of houses covering the steep mountainsides. Every so often I pass inviting restaurants and bars, charming hotels, old palazzos and shady spots to rest, which I’ll certainly be longing for during the climb back up in the heat of a summer’s day. Positano is no unknown secret; former Chancellor Schröder and other celebrities, the international jet set, artists and early travellers on their Grand Tour have all contributed to the reputation of this impressive place.
On the Amalfi Coast, lushly green with lemon groves, vineyards, or macchia, the houses of Positano nestle against the mountains that rise majestically from the sea. Like cubes, the buildings seem to cling to the rocks – luminous pastel splashes amidst the rich green of the slopes, embraced by the deep blue of the sky and sea. Read more
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