The Italian Riviera was good for my feet. In Sorrento I bought custom made sandals and on the Amalfi beach I enjoyed a foot massage, which I purchased before remembering that I have insanely ticklish feet. I managed not to kick the masseuse, but I gave my stomach muscles a work out as I tried not to giggle.

Like Positano, the small town of Amalfi is very beautiful, yet touristy. What I found on both the Italian and the French Riviera is that for every tourist hot spot (ie. Nice, Monaco, Cinque Terre, Amalfi, Capri) there are a dozen equally beautifully but significantly quieter towns where their charm is not hidden underneath a horde of tourists.  It should be noted, I am a beach snob, an unavoidable consequence of growing up in South East Queensland where beautiful beaches are a short drive north or south of my hometown and stunning islands are only a short ferry ride away (Moreton Island, Stradbroke Island and Fraser Island to name a few).

Amalfi’s beach is not beautiful. The sand is grey and the water is nice enough, but the waters up in Monterosso, Manarola and Levanto are much more beautiful. The small town is very, very crowded with tourists (myself included) and as a result, I wouldn’t go there to relax, per se.

I was happy to have experienced the Amalfi Coast drive and enjoyed strolling through the town and admiring their abundant use of mosaics, but an afternoon in Amalfi was enough for me. I was so lucky to be able to see so many parts of Italy’s beautiful coastline, but next time I’m looking for a European beach break you’ll find me in Levanto.

Price: 10 Euro. A little steep, but this is to be expected in Amalfi. It was also a novelty and made the trip to the otherwise pretty average beach much more memorable. It’s not a holiday if you don’t spoil yourself sometimes!