Ask anyone about the Amalfi Coast and you’ll hear the same three names: Amalfi, Positano and Capri. (Capri isn’t technically even on the Amalfi Coast, but it always makes the list.) We visited all three on this trip, and they’re absolutely worth seeing. They’re also packed with tour groups, souvenir shops selling the same limoncello in the same ceramic bottles, and beach clubs with beach club prices.
At the end of May we were staying in Atrani, the tiny town right next door to Amalfi, and one day we decided to give the big names a break. We headed east, to Minori and Maiori: two lived-in seaside towns connected by an old footpath through the lemon groves.
That day gave us lemon slushies on a farmer’s terrace, a lemonade stand run by a kid with a crate of lemons, and the most memorable meal of our entire trip. Here’s how to do it yourself.
1. Take the public bus to Minori
Start the day on the blue SITA bus heading east toward Salerno. Minori is the next town after Atrani, about a 10 minute ride along the coast road.
Heads up: you need a ticket before you get on. We bought ours in Amalfi town, by the fountain, from a man wearing an orange SITA vest. They cost €1.50 for a one-way ride. Tobacco shops (look for the “T” sign) sell them too.
My tip: buy three per person. You’ll use one to get to Minori, one to ride from Maiori back to Minori after lunch, and one to get home. Trust me, you don’t want to be hunting for a ticket seller in a small town while your bus pulls away. Don’t forget to stamp your ticket in the little machine when you board.
2. Walk the Path of Lemons from Minori to Maiori
From Minori, follow the signs for the Sentiero dei Limoni, the Path of Lemons. It’s an old mule track that connects Minori to Maiori through terraced lemon farms, and it has some of the best views of the Amalfi Coast I saw all trip.
Warning: the walk is about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) with roughly 500 ft (150 m) of elevation gain. It’s paved the whole way (I did this urban “hike” in my Birkenstocks), but there are a lot of stairs. Most of the climbing comes at the start, so pace yourself. Bring a hat and water, and pack your swimsuit for the afternoon. With stops, it took us a bit over an hour.
Within the first few minutes, we had to step aside for a few very fit men running down the stairs with crates of lemons balanced on their heads. It was seriously impressive, and humbling, considering those same stairs were giving me a decent workout with no crate at all.
For centuries, this is how lemons got from the terraces down to the sea, where boats carried them off to markets across the Mediterranean. Seeing it still done by hand (or rather, by head) was a very cool glimpse of how traditional life here still is. We visited at the end of May, which seemed to be harvest season. Amalfi lemons are picked several times a year, but the main harvest runs from March to the end of July, so late spring and early summer are your best bet for seeing this.
Don’t forget to turn around as you climb. About ten minutes in, there’s a stone wall with a view straight down onto Minori’s beach, pier and church domes. That’s your photo spot.
Then the path flattens out and heads into the groves. The lemons here grow under wooden pergolas covered in netting, so a lot of the walk is in dappled shade, with huge, knobbly lemons hanging right over your head.
3. Stop for lemon slushies on a farmer’s terrace
Along the way you’ll pass a few farms offering lemon tours. We didn’t do one. Instead, near the highest point of the walk, we were welcomed onto the terrace at Il Limoneto di Marianina, a lemon grove serving lemon slushies, lemonade and lemon cake.
Picture a few wooden benches under a canopy of lemon trees, with the coastline in the distance. You’ve earned it by this point, so take your time.
4. Support the original lemonade stand
A little further along, as the path starts heading down toward Maiori, we stumbled upon a young boy with a crate of lemons and a few bottles, selling lemonade to anyone walking by. The original lemonade stand, Amalfi Coast edition. Obviously we stopped.
5. Have lunch at Il Quadrifoglio in Maiori
The path ends by dropping down past the Collegiata di Santa Maria a Mare, Maiori’s big church with the majolica-tiled dome, and straight into town.
As you come down into town, you’ll pass a restaurant called Il Quadrifoglio. Stop there for lunch. It’s a casual bar and restaurant with lemon-print tablecloths, and the lemons aren’t just decoration. Order the lemon specials:
- Ravioli calamari e gamberi in salsa di limone: handmade ravioli with squid and shrimp in lemon sauce (€18)
- Scaloppina al limone: thin cutlets in a bright lemon sauce (€12)
This was the most delicious and memorable meal of our entire Amalfi Coast trip. Lemon sauce pasta is very rare to find outside of this region, and it was absolutely incredible. We also shared the house Quadrifoglio salad (€12), loaded with buffalo mozzarella, crispy bacon, corn, cherry tomatoes and hard-boiled egg, which was a good call after all those stairs.
6. Coffee and dessert at Sal De Riso in Minori
After lunch, hop on the bus back to Minori (ticket number two). If you have a sweet tooth like me, don’t skip your afternoon coffee and dessert.
Sal De Riso is a patisserie right on Minori’s seafront, opened by pastry chef Salvatore De Riso in 1989, with an incredible selection of local desserts. Before you sit down, go look at the display cases. It’s like a jewelry store, but for cake.
We had a tiramisu and a Delizia al limone amalfitano, with coffee, on their outdoor terrace. The delizia is the Amalfi Coast’s signature dessert: a dome of sponge cake filled and covered with lemon cream. The tiramisu arrived as a flight, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a coffee crema on the side.
Needless to say, I’m still thinking about both.
7. Spend the afternoon at the beach
You have two options here.
- Stay in Maiori: Maiori has a much bigger public beach, where you can just lay your own towel down for free. If you go this route, have dessert first and swap the order of the bus ride.
- Head back to Minori (what we did): Minori’s beach is smaller, but you can rent a beach bed and umbrella for €10. Compare that to the beach clubs in Positano.
We spent a few hours cooling off in the refreshing sea and relaxing on the beach, then hopped back on the bus to Atrani, where we were staying (ticket number three).
Was it worth a day away from the big three?
Absolutely. This day felt authentic in a way that’s hard to find in the famous towns. I got a decent workout, ate the best meal of the trip, and saw a side of the Amalfi Coast that exists outside of the Instagrammable hotspots, touristy shops and overpriced beach clubs.
See Amalfi, Positano and Capri, by all means. But if you’re spending more than a couple of days on the coast, give one of them to Minori and Maiori.
So, are you adding the Path of Lemons to your next Amalfi Coast trip?
Where we walked, ate and swam
- Sentiero dei Limoni: the Path of Lemons, from Minori to Maiori
- Il Limoneto di Marianina, on the path: lemon slushies, lemonade and lemon cake
- Il Quadrifoglio, Maiori: lemon ravioli with squid and shrimp, scaloppina al limone
- Sal De Riso, Via Roma 80, Minori: delizia al limone, tiramisu, coffee
- Minori beach: beach bed and umbrella for €10
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