Atrani Beach

Atrani's beach sits at the foot of Italy's smallest municipality — a compact cluster of medieval houses stacked between two rocky headlands. The beach is split in two by the mouth of the Dragone river (usually dry in summer) and backed by a towering rock wall that creates a dramatic natural amphitheater. The sand is mixed with dark pebbles. Unlike nearby Amalfi, the crowd here is predominantly Italian — families from Salerno and Naples who know this coast beyond the postcard spots. A handful of beach bars serve panini and spritz. The piazza right behind the beach, with its 10th-century church of San Salvatore de' Birecto, is where Amalfi's doges were once crowned.

• bar
• restaurant
• showers
• umbrellas
• sunbeds

5-minute walk from Amalfi through the coastal tunnel. SITA bus stops on SS163 above. No dedicated parking — use Amalfi's.

Walk here from Amalfi through the tunnel under the headland (5 min) — most tourists do not know it exists. The piazza behind the beach has excellent, cheap pizza at A' Paranza. Stay for sunset when the rock wall turns gold.