Scala Holidays

Scala’s a traditional spot on the slopes of Italy’s famous Amalfi Coast. Its winding streets meander past family-run trattorias and a charming main piazza. The surrounding scenery’s pretty special, too. On one side you have a dense crop of chestnut trees, and on the other, a series of coves that are punched into the steep coastline.

Scala’s just 10 minutes’ drive from a pair of sand-and-shingle beaches. To the west, Amalfi’s main beach – Marina Grande – has rows of sunloungers and umbrellas, plus lively restaurants strung out along the promenade. For a quieter spot, look east to Minori. This quaint little patch has colourful fishing boats dotted across the sand, and pedalo rental from the watersports centre.

The town’s full of hand-painted ceramic signs directing you to major sights. At Scala’s heart is the 12th-century Duomo of San Lorenzo – a Romanesque building with intact mosaic floors. The crumbling ruins of the 12th-century Basilica of St Eustachio, meanwhile, look down from the top of town.

This place makes a good base camp for exploring the Medieval towns of the Amalfi Coast – and two of the most famous stop-offs are within 10 minutes’ drive. There’s Ravello, where the duomo dates back to the 11th century, and boasts grand bronze gates and a pristine white marble interior. And in Amalfi, the brightly-coloured houses climb up the hill around a 9th-century cathedral, which shows off an ornate Arab-Norman facade.