The best Amalfi Coast shopping
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If la dolce vita were a sartorial trend, the Amalfi Coast would be its birthplace: expect to see big sunglasses, lots of linens, kaftans, wide-brimmed hats and, of course, Capri pants galore. You can find all this and more along the coast – the best souvenirs to take home are tinned anchovies, from a town particularly famed for them, colourful ceramics in all shapes and sizes, and concoctions from a historic perfumery.
Positano and around
Safari
This tiny squeeze of a shop is situated at the bottom of Positano’s steep and narrow main drag, just above the beach; you’ll need to keep a sharp eye out to find it through the crowds. The sandals here are all handmade and range from basic models (classic thongs or spider web designs) in plain leather to glittery numbers weighed down with sparkly crystal and ‘pearls’. Somewhere in between there are very pretty – and elegant – beaded versions. Prices start at around €45, rising to treble that for the most elaborate designs.
Contact: 00 39 089 811440; safaripositano.com
Open: March to December, daily, 9am-9pm
Prices: ££-£££
Emporio Sirenuse
Carla Sersale’s classy little boutique is part of Le Sirenuse hotel, situated just across the road from the main entrance. It offers a mod take on the dolce vita lifestyle through women’s and menswear and home accessories, and is one of those shops where you will covet just about everything you see. For women there are floaty kaftans and dresses, silk Capri pants and ultra-chic swimsuits; for men, swimming trunks in Allegra Hicks fabric, linen jackets, cashmere jumpers and panama hats; for the home, Carlo Moretti’s gorgeous glasses from Murano and Asian-inspired hand-embroidered cushion covers.
Contact: 00 39 089 812082; emporiosirenuse.com
Prices: £££
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Maria Lampo
Stuffed with shops touting flowing linens and hippy-chic kaftans, Positano became famous for its bespoke tailoring and dressmaking in the 1960s, and it is from that era that the iconic mannequins that stand in the window of this shop date. Maria Lampo started her business sewing made-to-measure trousers just after World War II and earned a reputation for working as fast as lightning (‘lampo’ in Italian). Her daughters now run the business, fashioning bespoke garments for men, women and children; Colin Farrell and Dustin Hoffman number among the past customers.
Contact: 00 39 089 875021; marialampo.it
Opening times: Daily, 9am-1pm and 3pm-8pm
Prices: ££-£££
Carthusia
There are many souvenirs of Capri that will conjure up memories of a glam holiday in the sun (Capri pants, beaded sandals, flowing linen kaftans) but none so seductive as a bottle of artisanal scent by Carthusia, a perfumery founded in 1948. Using secret recipes handed down from the monks of the Carthusian Certosa di San Giacomo and the blossoms of indigenous plants such as wisteria, jasmine and lemon and acacia, scents such as ‘Aria di Capri’ and ‘Capri Forget me Not’ will bring back those halcyon summer days long after your holiday has finished.
Address: Via Caramelle 10, Capri
Contact: 00 39 081 8370529
Open: March to December, daily, 9am-8pm (closes 10pm in July and August)
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Praiano to Amalfi
Liuteria Scala
Praiano is home to the workshop of master luthiers Pasquale Scala and his son, Leonardo. They specialise in classical, romantic and baroque guitars, mandolins, lutes and colascioni (a type of long-necked lute), decorating them with exquisite inlays and rosettes fashioned from mother-of-pearl, shells and bone. It is the level of craftsmanship, the intimate knowledge of wood and centuries-old techniques that make their instruments so unique, and anyone with even a vague interest in stringed instruments should visit the workshop. Of course, the instruments are for sale and make for spectacular souvenirs to take home.
Contact: 00 39 089 874894; liuteriascala.com
Price: £££
La Scuderia del Duca
The history of papermaking in Amalfi dates back hundreds of years, but it is a tradition that has been slowly dying out; of the dozens of cartieri (paper making factories) that once inhabited the area, there are only two left. However, this enticing little shop gives a glimpse of the products that were once so sought-after, and they still make lovely gifts: traditionally-made paper and paper products along with writing and desk accessories, leather bound books, prints of Amalfi and the local area, and other covetable souvenirs to take home.
Contact: 00 39 089 872976; carta-amalfi.it
Opening times: November to March, Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm; April to October, Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm
Prices: £-££
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Atrani to Vietri sul Mare
Cetarii
Weathered, authentic Cetara is home to one of the most important tuna fishing fleets in Europe, which lands vast quantities of ‘tonno rosso’ (bluefin tuna), plus a fleet of smaller boats that haul in the silvery anchovies for which the town is particularly famed. Down by the harbour, this little shop is the best place to stock up on the delicacies produced in the local canning factories; jars of tuna fillet in extra virgin olive oil, anchovies packed ‘sotto sale’ (in salt) or olive oil, highly-prized ‘colatura’ (a salty, liquid anchovy extract unique to this area) and mackerel fillet preserved in oil.
Contact: 00 39 089 261863; cetarii.it
Open: Daily, 9am-1.30pm; 3.30-9pm
Prices: £-££
Ceramica Artistica Solimene
Ceramics have been made in the Vietri area since Roman times, and today the town is chockablock with stores selling colourful glazed majolicas. This factory (famous for its naïf designs featuring animals and fish) lies just on the edge of the town, housed in a striking building designed by a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright’s. Inside, it’s an Aladdin’s Cave of bargains, almost overwhelming on first glance; plates, platters, bowls, jugs, mugs in every shape and size are stacked precariously on the floor and stuffed onto shelves. The selection of ‘seconds’ (mostly with minor defects) are particularly good value. No room in your suitcase? They will ship your goodies home.
Contact:00 39 089 210243
Open: Daily, 9am-7.30pm (Sat and Sun, closed lunchtime)
Prices: £-££
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Ravello
Museo del Corallo
This area of Campania is renowned for its artisan-made cameos, and Giorgio Filocamo’s little shop, tucked away in a corner of Ravello’s Piazza Duomo, is a good place to buy one of these exquisite pieces. Trained by his grandmother, Filocamo has been making cameos and jewellery using the highly-prized local red coral since he was a young boy and boasts the likes of Hilary Clinton and Pierce Brosnan among his customers. He is also amassed a haul of some 600 cameo and coral pieces from all over Italy which are displayed in the small museum at the back of his shop.
Contact: 00 39 089 857461; museodelcorallo.com
Open: Apri-Oct, daily, 9am-8pm; winter hours vary.
Prices: ££-£££
