Amalfi used to have large beaches, but sea erosion and landslides have reduced the beach to two narrow strips on either side of the harbor. Most hotels on the waterfront have small private beaches carved out of the cliffs. You can also take the footpath to Atrani, an easy 15-minute stroll eastward, to the pretty beach there.
From the harbor at Marina Grande you can rent boats -- with or without driver -- to explore the nooks and crannies of this beautiful coast. Or you can sign up for an excursion. The most popular is the one to Grotta dello Smeraldo. Cooperativa Sant'Andrea (tel. 089-873190; www.coopsantandrea.it) offers a regular beach service to Duoglio and Santa Croce, only a few minutes away from Molo Pennello; boats leave every 30 minutes between 9am and 5pm. They also have a regular service to Grotta dello Smeraldo leaving every hour between 9:30am and 3:30pm.
Amalfi is also a great starting point for a number of beautiful hikes. The most famous and popular is the pleasant and easy walk along Valle dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills), which is the valley of the Torrente Canneto, Amalfi's stream. Head up Via Genova from Piazza del Duomo and continue on as the street turns into a trail up the narrow valley of the river. The picturesque walk will lead you to the area known locally as the Mulino Rovinato (Ruined Mill), about 1 hour away. The area is so named because a great number of paper and flour mills used to reside in the valley. The flour mills were put out of business by the development of the pasta industry farther north in Torre del Greco, Torre Annunziata, and Gragnano, where the conditions were more favorable. In contrast, the paper mills continued to prosper until recently, and some are still active today.
The more demanding hike to the Vallone delle Ferriere was a favorite with 19th-century visitors doing the Grand Tour, who considered this valley one of the most beautiful areas in the whole of southern Italy. In fact, the valley has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, precisely because of its unique environment. The local limestone mountains were once at the bottom of the sea and have a dolomitic geology. The peculiarities of the area's geophysical configuration have made it into a sort of Mediterranean "lost valley," where plants and animals survive that have disappeared elsewhere on the European continent. Keep your eyes open for the special local fern Woodwardia radicans, a species alive since the quaternary or even the tertiary period, before glaciation. It shouldn't be too hard to spot: Its leaves grow up to 2m (8 ft.) in length. However, only a few plants remain. Other rare plants are pinguicola hirtiflora, a small carnivorous plant; and saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. Among the rare animals are several species of salamander, such as salamandrina dagli occhiali and tritone italiano, as well as a variety of birds. To reach the Vallone delle Ferriere, take the trail to the Valle dei Mulini and continue upwards as the rocky trail traverses through citrus groves and by picturesque waterfalls. The going is good but quite steep as you finally reach the ancient Ferriere (Iron Mills), with their imposing walls partly hidden by growth. Already extant in the Middle Ages, they were active until the 19th century. If you are in good shape, you can climb even farther up to the waterfalls; the climb is short but steep. Allow 6 hours for the round-trip on the 12km (7.5-mile) trail.
A less demanding hike is the famous Via degli Incanti (Trail of Charms), which connects Amalfi to Positano. The trail is indeed bewitching, wending through the cultivated terraces and citrus groves of the Amalfi countryside. The hike is easy, with some moderately taxing passages, but due to its length -- about 25km (16 miles) -- most people choose to do only a section of it, or plan on doing the whole trip over several days. In either case, going from Amalfi to Positano is more demanding than going from Positano to Amalfi, so plan your hike accordingly. From Amalfi, follow the Via Maestra, the road that climbs through the outskirts of town; the trail is well marked.
