The Emerald Grotto

The Grotta dello Smeraldo and other sights along the Amalfi Coast between Positano and Amalfi

About 3km (2 miles) beyond Positano along the SS163 is its sister hamlet of Praiano, also a trendy resort (only much smaller and still little-known) with a majolica-domed church. It's a bit of a Positano-in-miniature that's far less developed and therefore patronized by those avoiding the madding crowds of Positano in favor of exclusive hotels into which they can empty their bank accounts.

Past the village of Furore the bus pops out of a tunnel to ride a bridge across one of the coast's most dramatic gorges, the Vallone del Furore.

The Emerald Grotto

At kilometer-marker 26.4, outside the fishing community of Conca dei Marini, are the stairs (or elevator) down to the Grotta dello Smeraldo (Emerald Grotto). This cavern was formed above sea level (you can tell since it has stalactites and stalagmites, which don't form in sea grottoes), then partially sunk below the water, and the effect of light inside causes the water to glow an eerie green.

It's not quite the Blue Grotto on nearby Capri, but it makes for an interesting diversion—though fair warning: it's hard to keep the boatmen from singing (badly) as they row you around the place (or from insisting that the sunken nativity crèche scene is somehow a "meerical!"). It's open daily 9:30am to 5pm (4pm in winter).

If you don't have a car, you can get here via a boat excursion from Amalfi for about €10.

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