Amalfi Coast, verdict by verdict

Fifty kilometres of cliffs between Sorrento and Salerno make this Italy's most famous shoreline: pastel towns stacked vertically above the water, a corniche road travelers call equal parts spectacular and terrifying, and the anchor trio of Positano, Amalfi and hilltop Ravello, with Sorrento just off the coast as the practical mainland base.

The scale shocks first timers, because these are small villages absorbing millions of visitors. June to September means shoulder to shoulder lanes, packed SITA buses and ferry queues, and the corniche punishes anyone prone to motion sickness, while a rental car is mostly a parking headache. The costs are the real downside too: Italy's most expensive beds, small pebble beaches that often charge entry, premium parking and restaurants priced for the view, with stairs everywhere including inside many hotels. Winter is quiet to the point that many boats and hotels shut.

When it works, the doing is superb: the Path of the Gods is the coast's great free hike, Capri and the Blue Grotto fill a boat day, and the Pompeii plus Vesuvius ruins loop runs easiest from Sorrento. Three to four days covers the three towns plus a boat day, and the trip rewards planning: come in May, early June or September, move by ferry, and book key restaurants and beach clubs ahead. It suits scenery-first travelers, couples on special occasions, and anyone pairing ruins with the coast.