I'm back in Amalfi for the third year in a row, leading a coastal walking holiday for
Explore and I'm loving San Lazzaro in Agerola. 640 metres up, above the tourist fleshpots of Amalfi and Positano,
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| Amalfi |
selling every lemon-based product known to man, Agerola is a group of villages spread around a valley which spills into a steep limestone gorge as it drops over cliffs to the sea. It's a different world from the synthetic tourist culture of the old coastal towns, though you can't deny their prettiness - pastel-painted faded houses piled up above the sea, separated by narrow pedestrian lanes and steps... steps and more steps.
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| Furore from San Lazzaro |
Up in San Lazzaro you find the authentic Italy of the 21st Century; friendly, family oriented, welcoming and a culture quite different from your expectations.
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| Modern Transport |
People stop to say 'Ciao' and hand you fruit from their small, intensive plots of land and you're a welcome visitor rather than a tourist to be exploited for maximum gain. Luna d'Agerola is a gem; an Agriturismo run by the Acampora family. Whilst your visit is an important opportunity for their economy they're not disillusioned and I've never been ripped off.
You feel it's a community on the cusp, however, and I've seen increasing numbers of tourists over the last three seasons. I've walked with groups on footpaths which are becoming better marked and more used.
I hope that the increasing numbers don't bring the less welcome aspects of tourism that you see in the coastal hotspots.
