A coastline to fall in love with

It is not that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better. — Sir Francis Drake

Amalfi Coast & Capri

Italy's most storied coastline

Six days along Italy's most storied coastline — where the cliffs have been stealing hearts for centuries and haven't stopped yet.

This is the coastline that made people fall in love with the Mediterranean. Vertical cliffs covered in lemon groves. Pastel villages stacked against the rock like they grew there. Water that turns from deep navy to impossible turquoise within a boat length. It has been painted, photographed, written about, and fought over for two thousand years — and it still isn't tired of being beautiful.

Six days aboard Vantanera, moving between Capri's polish, Positano's golden light, Amalfi's ancient elegance, and the volcanic calm of Ischia. This stretch of coast is short in miles but endless in depth. Every bay has a story. Every cliff has a restaurant you'll remember for years. And from the water, you see it the way it was meant to be seen — without the traffic, the crowds, or the car parks. Just the coast and the sea and the sound of your glass being refilled.

Naples → Capri

Day 01

You board in Naples. Vesuvius behind you, the bay opening ahead, and within the hour the island of Capri rising from the water like a stage set that nobody would believe if it weren't real. Anchor off the south side. Lunch on deck with the Faraglioni rocks close enough to feel like scenery placed there for your benefit. Evening at La Fontelina — a beach club carved into the base of the cliffs, where dinner lasts as long as the light does, and the light here lasts a very long time.

Capri

Day 02

A full day on the island. Capri rewards slowness. Wander the Piazzetta with an espresso and watch the world perform. Take the chairlift to Monte Solaro for a view that stretches to the end of the earth — or at least to the end of the Bay of Naples, which feels like the same thing. Shop if you want. Don't if you don't. Swim off the boat in the afternoon. Dinner ashore in one of the restaurants where the waiter knows your name by the second course and the limoncello arrives without being asked.

Positano

Day 03

A short sail east along the coast. Positano appears the way it always appears — tumbling down the cliff in pinks and whites and terracottas, looking exactly like the postcard but somehow better because you're arriving by sea. Anchor in the bay. Swim to the beach or take the tender. Walk the steep streets where every turn opens a view that stops you mid-sentence. Dinner ashore — Positano at night, lit from within, the kind of place where you order one more bottle because leaving the table would be a crime against the evening.

Amalfi & Ravello

Day 04

Further east. Amalfi sits at the bottom of a gorge, its cathedral rising above the harbour like an exclamation mark. This was once a maritime republic that rivalled Venice — and while the empire is gone, the confidence remains. Walk the old town. Visit the cathedral. Then up to Ravello, perched six hundred metres above the sea, where the gardens of Villa Rufolo look out over the coast with the composure of someone who has seen everything and is still impressed. This is the cultural heart of the trip — the day that gives the week its depth.

Ischia

Day 05

West across the bay to Ischia — the larger, quieter, less obvious island. Volcanic hot springs, green hills, gardens that smell of pine and jasmine. This is a different energy entirely. No glamour, no performance — just warmth, in every sense. Anchor in a sheltered bay. Swim in thermal waters that have been heating since the Romans discovered them. Let the island do what it does best: slow everything down to a pace that makes yesterday's Amalfi feel like a distant memory.

VO65 Sisi@Aegean 600 - 2024. Photo: Olav Stubberud.

Procida & Return to Naples

Day 06

A final morning stop at Procida — the smallest island in the bay and the one the tourists haven't found yet. Pastel houses stacked above a tiny harbour. Fishermen mending nets. The kind of quiet, lived-in beauty that doesn't try to impress anyone and impresses everyone. A last swim. A last coffee on deck. Then back to Naples, where the city noise hits you like a wall and you realise just how far away you've been — even though you never left the bay.