AMALFI COAST..has it been "ruined" by tourism???

The good old days: https://www.fineartstorehouse.com/p/629/historic-photo-ca-1880-amalfi-32129090.jpg.webp The point being, that we dont like the changes of the last 20 years, I doubt the folks who were there when that photo was taken like the changes over the following 20 years.

Well, you’ll have lots of company there. Seriously, it’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I wouldn’t be discouraged from visiting. It’s possible to plan so that you somewhat reduce your exposure to the crowds. But you WILL have lots of company.

The percent increase that the article also mentions for Puglia is alarming. I will be there again for the third time, so it will be interesting to see how it has changed each of these three consecutive years. I do remember “finding it” by just looking at a map of Italy to see where trains run and planning that next adventure trip for 2024. Now I hear “Puglia” often.

Jean, we will both see what's changing!!!

When we planned our first trip to Puglia, around 2011, I would mention the name and many people had no idea of what I was talking about.....(some still don't!). But the amount of magazines articles and postings on travel websites has skyrocketed....and every one seems to visit the same five or six towns, so there's still hope for people like us who like to explore!!! I can't imagine that even the very popular towns like Polignano would be horribly crowded except in July and August, but who knows?? When we were in Matera two years go, in mid- or late September, we met an Australian couple who had planned a week in Polignano. They left after two days, telling us that the crowds were too immense, because there was a Red Bull festival taking place in the town....they could not even set foot onto that pretty small beach that's in all the photos...

Ekscrunchy, I noticed a difference in Alberobello staying there in the same little trullo both February 2024 & 2025. I’m not planning to go back there this time, but I will be staying at five repeat cities and hoping they’re still as quaint as they were during the previous trips. Even Polignano a Mare goes from serene & gorgeous in the immediate center early morning/evening to a tourists’ day trip busyness by 10am in May.

I bet your trip will be a dream. You know that people tend to get out what they put in; I could have said that better but I think you understand. I'll be curious about Polignano; it's such a gorgeous town. I've never strayed there, only visited on day trips......

I wish you the very best, Jean!

I bet your trip will be a dream. You know that people tend to get out
what they put in; I could have said that better but I think you
understand. I'll be curious about Polignano; it's such a gorgeous
town. I've never strayed there, only visited on day trips......

After 10-14 days in Rome in March 2027, we're taking the train to Puglia, visiting for the first time, for a week, after which we'll fly out of Bari to Munich then back to the US and Chicago. I have my eye on a beautiful ground floor AirBnB in Lecce, situated halfway between the train station and the town--walkable, inexpensive & charming-looking. Some days we'll take the train north, visiting Brindisi, Monopoli or Polignano a Mare, returning to dine in Lecce in the evening. And for the interior, we'll hire a guide to maybe take us to the trulli in Alberobello, or to the WWII memorial in Manduria, where my Air Force father has a tree planted in his honor. Much research to be done!

I am all about avoiding crowds and heavy tourism and while I think that Puglia is beginning to be discovered, there is so much--especially in March--that will still be chill & memorable.

By the way, we've been to the Amalfi Coast 3 times, and our most recent trip last April was plenty busy. Best move I made was hiring a guide--not cheap--to pick us up at our Salerno hotel and drive us to Vietri sul Mare to browse and shop, then up to Ravello for lunch, down to Minori for pastries, then finally back to Salerno late afternoon. Tourists didn't bother us at all--we just had to pay for the luxury of being driven around. Money well spent!

When a place gets so “hot,” it can be a good time for travelers that are comfortable seeking out alternatives to do so. In a way, this helps inspire me to seek out somewhere that might be as beautiful or heck, maybe just a fraction less beautiful, but that I don’t have to share with thousands. I know I won’t run out of those places in the less than half a lifetime I have left to travel. (Went sad there, lol)
I might answer a question differently for someone who really want to experience the Italian seaside depending on their comfort level with crowds and with doing the legwork required to visit an alternative.

In Polignano a Mare I have that specific room at the POSEA B&B where I set the dates of my trip to be able to stay in that specific room because of the amazing large balcony & view. Last year the young man told me I needed to come again because it’s important to do things in “3’s”. I couldn’t time this next trip for that room this time because I’m heading there after a RS tour. So, I will be across the inlet this time.

”I am all about avoiding crowds and heavy tourism…”
Jay, I won’t suggest you travel like I do because few people enjoy switching cities every day or every other day the way I prefer. But, I will emphasize that these little towns change character, so get up as early as possible to be there - ideally by 8am. I’m talking about Alberobello, Locorotondo, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni & Monopoli. Later is still okay for Giovinazzo, Trani, Martina Franca, Lecce & Bari.

Has the Amalfi Coast been "ruined" by tourism? Would that be “ruined” for the residents and non-tourism-related businesses, or “ruined” for tourists who don’t want a short-term visit affected by there having been too many prior or current tourists?

”I am all about avoiding crowds and heavy tourism…” Jay, I won’t
suggest you travel like I do because few people enjoy switching cities
every day or every other day the way I prefer. But, I will emphasize
that these little towns change character, so get up as early as
possible to be there - ideally by 8am. I’m talking about Alberobello,
Locorotondo, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni & Monopoli. Later is still okay
for Giovinazzo, Trani, Martina Franca, Lecce & Bari.

Jean--

Good to know. But you see, that is why I like to base in a specific spot--this time it'll be Lecce--so I can get outside early in the morning and be strolling around while the town is waking up. I absorb this vibe at the Campo de' Fiori market in Rome, where I can watch out my window or terrace as the vendors set up at 6AM. Yes...it gets busier--sometimes chaotic--over the course of the day, but it seems easier to handle when I can experience that early serenity.

Really looking forward to finding a favorite barista in Lecce...

Hey Eks,
Thank you for this interesting article. The Telegraph's other travel stories linked alongside were also compelling. I agree with you 100% about the importance of what attitude we all choose whilst travelling--it ain't just about the destination.

Btw, I got your email requesting that we loan you that guidebook to swingers clubs, the one with all those new passwords to use at the door. That request puts us in a bind, a dilemna. See, Rodolfo and Sandrine made us promise never to give it to anyone. So...
I am done. The ruined.
*PS Mr E--we just spent time here in the Riviera with Renee & Bill from Tacoma. They spoke highly of you even though they weren't high. I think.

Mr. Big Stuff: The best you could do was to speak with Rodolfo and Sandrine???? Those wanna-be managers who, last I checked, were still "bouncing" at the door of the "club" in Benidorm.

Mr. Emiliano Takaguoochi is the director of the entire group of "clubs," and in case you did not know, he and I are LIKE THAT (close-up of two fingers scrunching tightly together)

As for Renee and Billl not being high when you met---if you believe that, you will believe anything.

We just spent two nights last weekend in Minori. For me it was a first return since I came on my first foreign trip as a 14 year old kid on a school trip in Easter 1967. So for me, considerable change!

We were there at a pretty low point in the tourist calendar and Minori was lovely and peaceful although Sal de Riso was consistently busy during the day. However we caught the bus to Amalfi and the crowds were very large on Saturday afternoon. I’m guessing that being the weekend there were a lot of Italian day trippers and weekenders but even so. It was my wife’s first time on the coast and she immediately commented how much more pleasant Minori was than Amalfi.

The Amalfi Coast has been bringing in tourists since Pliny the Younger wrote about the death of his uncle, Plinty the Elder in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

My visits were more recent than that but some time ago, and we certainly had plenty of company then - and it was off-season.

Go and enjoy. Just breathe in before you try to get on the bus.