DESTINATIONS ITALY | EUROPE
TAILOR-MADE SHORT BREAKS EUROPE | UK | MULTI-CENTRES
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ABOVE: Breathwork coach Maria Betteghella OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Driving the coastal route; the Passage of the Monks, Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel; La Locanda della Canonica chef Gino Sorbillo; Dei Cappuccini Suite with Sea View PICTURES: Richard Waite
their latest news, as he guides us through the centre to the grand facade of St Andrew’s Cathedral, so named because it houses the apostle’s relics. He highlights points of interest, talking us through the area’s melting pot of influences from centuries of Greek, Byzantine and Arab settlers – each leaving a little of their own food and culture behind – offering a fascinating introduction to the history of La Divina Costiera (The Divine Coast). Even in the shoulder seasons, Amalfi heaves with tourists, so suggest clients swap summer for spring or autumn instead. Winter even offers a sunny, if not scorching, alternative, and the Anantara property is one of few that remain open after the peak season has ended, closing only for a couple of months between mid-January and mid-March. We slip away from the busy
squares into a small ceramics studio and workshop, poised to learn about another Amalfi tradition. The hole-in-the-wall shop is crammed with floor-to-ceiling shelves sagging
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under the weight of plates, bowls, jugs and vases in bright turquoise, reds and yellows. I scuttle through, scared one
wrong move might send the highly prized, hand-painted pieces crashing to the floor, to a small back-room studio where local ceramicist Maurizio Sersante has set up tiles and glazes for us to have a go. He’s the second in this three-
generation family business, taking after his father and passing the skill on to his son, and explains with a little help from Google Translate how to follow the traditional pattern. It’s harder than it looks under his expert hands, but after an hour of quiet concentration, I produce something passable enough to merit being fired in the kiln that sits in the corner of the workshop. Once again, this place has injected a moment of peace into a packed day. Just like Longfellow’s monks, there must be something in the Amalfi air that leaves us all feeling placid, satisfied and most of all, serene.
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