The Amalfi Coast is not a beach holiday, and it is not a city break. It's stairs. Thousands of them, cut into limestone cliffs, connecting lemon groves to fishing villages to Michelin-starred terraces 400 metres above the sea. What you pack matters more here than almost anywhere else in Italy.
After a decade of leading walks between Positano and Amalfi, here's what actually earns its place in the suitcase.
§Footwear — the single most important decision
Bring one pair of proper walking shoes with grippy soles. Not fashion trainers, not espadrilles. Salomon or Merrell trail shoes are perfect. The Path of the Gods is a real hike, and even a simple walk from your hotel down to a beach club can involve 200 steps of polished, sometimes-wet stone.
For evenings, women should skip anything with a heel over 3cm — most Amalfi restaurants are up or down a flight of stairs from wherever you parked. Leather sandals or dressy flats do the job beautifully.
§For boat days
A private boat around Capri is one of the best things you can do on the coast. Bring a light long-sleeve linen shirt (the wind on the ride over is cooler than you think), a hat that won't blow off, reef-safe sunscreen, and a dry bag for your phone. Swimsuits under your clothes save a lot of time.
§Dinners in Ravello and Positano
Amalfi dressing is 'elegant casual' — think linen, muted colours, no logos. Men wear a collared shirt and chinos; women a summer dress or good trousers. Nothing here needs a tie or a jacket, but nothing here should feel like the beach either.
§The small things that matter
A refillable water bottle (the tap water in Amalfi and Positano is excellent), a portable phone charger for long boat days, a light rain shell for surprise afternoon showers between June and September, and — crucially — motion-sickness pills if you're prone to it. The drive from Sorrento to Positano has 300 curves in 40km.