The Amalfi Coast and Capri, privately
Vertical, spectacular and logistically demanding. Best produced with boats rather than cars.
Why it needs producing
The Amalfi Coast runs along the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the province of Salerno, where the Lattari Mountains drop almost straight into the sea between the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno. Its towns and villages, among them Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello and Scala, sit on terraces cut into the cliff, with citrus groves and vineyards planted wherever a level spot could be made. UNESCO inscribed the Costiera Amalfitana as a World Heritage cultural landscape in 1997.
That is the appeal, and it is also the difficulty. Cliff-set villas, boat days to the Faraglioni off Capri, and a logistics problem of narrow roads and limited berths reward being produced rather than booked. We plan the kitchen, the provisioning and the movement of people by boat before the family arrives.
Villa, yacht or both
A stay here usually starts with one decision: a house on the cliff, a yacht, or both. A villa gives the family a fixed kitchen, a terrace for long meals and a settled place for Shabbat. A yacht turns the coast into a sequence of anchorages and makes Capri and the smaller towns easy to reach from the water. Many families split the week, with the villa as the base and the boat for the days at sea, and one team producing both. Our journal piece on villa or yacht sets out how families usually choose.
For a house, the questions are practical: how far the kitchen is from the dining terrace, how many steps lie between the road and the front door, and whether a second kitchen or a service area can be set up for the culinary team. On this coast, access matters as much as the view.
How a stay is produced
- Coastal villas and yachts, often combined in one week
- Kosher meat, wine and specialty goods consolidated and shipped ahead, usually through Rome or Milan
- Produce, fish, bread and dairy sourced locally within the agreed standard
- Gateway: Naples
- Tenders, drivers and transfers planned around narrow roads and limited berths
- A KCT producer on location, running the program so that the family does not have to
The kitchen and Shabbat
The kitchen is kashered and equipped before the family arrives, and run by the culinary team with a mashgiach, at the level of kashrut agreed with the family in advance. Every wine served is certified kosher. The fish, vegetables, herbs, lemons and bread are bought locally, close to where the family is staying, and the long-lead items arrive before the first meal.
Shabbat is built into the week from the start rather than fitted around the boat schedule. Families who want Shabbat on board can read Shabbat at anchor, and the standard behind every table is set out in our kosher standards.
When to go
The Italy seasons apply here. May and June are green, warm and uncrowded. July and August bring long days and a warm sea, and high summer is when the coast is at its liveliest. September and October bring softer light and the harvest. Villas and berths are in demand in high summer, so it helps to plan early. See when to go for every destination.
Combining land and sea
Many families pair the coast with another part of Italy, or with a wider Mediterranean week. Read private villas and yachts, the wider Italy page, and the guide to building a kosher culinary itinerary in Italy, then begin a conversation with Avicam.
Begin a conversation
Tell Avicam where you would like to go and who is traveling. We discuss honestly whether KCT is the right team, and how an engagement would be structured. We reply as soon as we can.