Maiori

Charming town nestled among towering mountainsides

Maiori has the longest beach on the Amalfi Coast. A full kilometre of sand and shingle stretching along the seafront. That’s a rarity here, where most towns cling to cliffs with just enough flat ground for a harbour and a handful of umbrellas.

The town spreads out rather than climbing vertically. Wide streets, a generous promenade, and space to breathe. Italian families come here for the summer, returning to the same holiday homes year after year. The beach clubs are relatively affordable. The restaurants serve proper portions. This is where locals choose to unwind.

Maiori was heavily damaged in a 1954 flood that tore through the valley, which explains why much of the town looks postwar rather than medieval. The Chiesa Madre di Santa Maria a Mare survives from earlier centuries, its majolica-tiled dome visible from the beach.

The Torre Normanna stands at the eastern end of the beach. This defensive tower dating back to 1300 is now home to a restaurant and small ceramics museum. Climb it for unreal views along the coast and back into the Valle del Reginna, where terraced lemon groves climb towards Ravello.

This stretch of coast has drawn filmmakers for decades. Federico Fellini worked on Roberto Rossellini’s films here in the 1950s, when Oscar-winning actors regularly descended on the area for various productions. But modern audiences might recognize this same dramatic coastline from Harry Styles’ music video ‘Golden’.