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Maiori: 10 top things to do in Maiori, Italy
Let’s discover the best things to do in Maiori on the Amalfi Coast! Maiori is a charming seaside town known for its long sandy beach—the largest on the coast—as well as its rich history, food, beautiful scenery, the famous Path of the Lemons hike and the lemon farm experience .
1. Take a stroll along Maiori Beach and Lungomare
Maiori Beach along with its seaside promenade or lungomare, as they say in Italy, is the pride and joy of Maiori. Out of all the towns along the Amalfi Coast, Maiori has the largest beach and the longest beachside promenade.
Due to its size, Maiori is often favored by travelers as the place to settle down during their travels around the Amalfi Coast. And having a nice beach is an added bonus for Maiori!
I love seaside promenades. They are my favorite places where I love to go to relax and spend time. Lungomare di Maiori has the perfect length for an easy walk in the morning or a leisurely afternoon stroll.
The beachside features some beach clubs, cafes, and restaurants as well as benches under trees, and play areas for kids. It is THE place to go to watch people do their day-to-day things.
As for the beach, Maiori Beach is divided into two parts just like in every town along the Amalfi Coast. One part is accessible for free but the other part is dotted with umbrellas and beach beds that you can rent out for the day.
We didn’t come to Maiori to have a beach day but we did walk all the way from one end of the promenade to the other. We also walked uphill along the Amalfi Drive road and dot a great overlook of the whole Maiori beach. Those umbrellas look really pretty!
Location: Maiori Beach Maiori Beach – Lungomare di Maiori
2. Stop for breakfast at Pasticceria Napoli
Pasticceria Napoli is a beloved local pastry shop and the best place to go for that iconic Italian breakfast with coffee and freshly baked pastry in Maiori. To me, it looked like all the locals come here!
Pasticceria Napoli offers a wide variety of cakes, pastries, and different local desserts. Try their delicious sfogliatella pastry or Amalfi Coast’s iconic lemon sponge cake – delizia al limone – to start the day on the right note!
We arrived in Maiori early in the morning so Pasticceria Napoli was our first stop here. We ordered a couple of pastries including rum baba, a pastry popular in Naples, together with two cappuccinos and it was the best way to start the day.
Location: Pasticceria Napoli
3. Stroll along and shop local goods on Corso Reginna
Corso Reginna is the main street and lifeline of Maiori. This lively street is filled with a mix of boutique shops, restaurants, cafés, artisan stores, and food markets.
Located within a limited traffic zone, the street is mostly occupied by pedestrians and shop owners. It is one of the best places to go shopping in Maiori and pick up some traditional Amalfi Coast products.
We walked up and down this street countless times. Even if you don’t want to buy anything, you can simply stroll along and observe how locals enjoy their day-to-day lives.
One of the most interesting things about this street is that a river runs beneath the pavement. In certain spots, there are openings in the middle of the street where you can actually see the water flowing below .
Location: Corso Reginna
4. Try Maiori’s iconic pastry, Sospiri al Limone di Maiori
Sospiri al Limone di Maiori translates as Lemon Sighs of Maiori are small spongy pastries filled with tangy lemon cream and covered with a rich sweet glaze of icing sugar.
You can get these iconic pastries in Pasticceria Trieste, a small historic pastry shop that dates back to the 1950s. Sospiri are beloved local treats here in Maiori and they are made of the famous Amalfi lemons.
Trying this iconic pastry is one of the top things to do in Maiori. We visited this tiny pastry shop in the morning, but they didn’t have the sospiri yet, so we came back later and luckily got a couple for takeaway.
We then went to Palazzo Mezzacapo Gardens, sat down on a bench, and tried the sospiri. I love how these pastries have a perfect balance of sweet and sour. They are moist, rich in flavor, and I really enjoyed them.
Location: Pasticceria Trieste Pasticceria Trieste
5. Stroll the historic Palazzo Mezzacapo Gardens
Hiding in the heart of Maiori town Palazzo Mezzacapo Gardens are historic gardens next to Palazzo Mezzacapo, a 19th-century palace built for the wealthy Mezzacapo family.
You can stroll the scenic lush gardens for free but they do have opening times. We came here to sit on a bench under a tree and eat the sospiri pastries we bought in the nearby Pasticceria Trieste.
The botanical garden is actually rather small but packed with lots of beauty. It features a small cascade, a fountain, other water bodies, vibrant flowers, pathways, and benches hiding under large trees.
This is the perfect place to come to hide from the scorching summer sun and enjoy some tranquility. I especially liked the view of the terraced town and the Maiori church hanging high above the sea-level garden.
Location: Palazzo Mezzacapo Gardens
6. Have lunch under lemon trees at Ristorante Pineta
Ristorante Pineta in Maiori is a historic eatery that has been around for more than a century. If you are looking for unique things to do in Maiori, then visiting this restaurant for lunch or dinner is the thing you are looking for.
Established back in 1903, Ristorante Pineta has been a beloved place to gather for lunch for locals and nowadays for tourists as well. Its most unique feature is the spacious terrace all covered by charming lemon trees.
Having lunch with lemon fruit hanging above your head is a bucket list thing to do on the Amalfi Coast. Lemons are one of the symbols of the Amalfi Coast area and are incorporated into the day-to-day life of locals in different ways.
We visited this restaurant on a weekend in August and came here shortly after it opened when it was still almost empty. Got some cocktails and pasta dishes – ravioli for me and the local ndunderi pasta dish for my wife. It was all wonderful!
Location: Ristorante Pineta
7. See Maiori from above at Santuario Santa Maria a Mare
Church of Santa Maria a Mare is a landmark site and a must-visit place in Maiori. Situated on a small hill inside the town, the iconic yellow-and-red church has been an ever-present symbol of Maiori.
Even if you are not interested in visiting churches, this is a place you have to include in your itinerary. Accessed by a long stairway from the town center, the terrace in front of the church offers magnificent panoramic views over the Maiori town.
Luckily, we arrived here when the church was open so besides admiring the colorful rooftops of Maiori, we also got to peak inside the majestic church.
Santuario Santa Maria a Mare features a gorgeous tiled dome just like every major church along the Amalfi Coast but my favorite was the gilded coffered ceiling covering the central nave. Just look at those details!
However, one of the church’s centerpieces is a wooden statue of the Madonna a Mare or Madonna of the Sea. The locals believe it has protective powers over the people here in Maiori.
Although the Maiori church dates far back to the 12th century, it has been rebuilt and enlarged many times over the centuries. This was one of my favorite places in Maiori – I spent quite some time standing on the terrace and enjoying the views!
The footsteps of the church also mark the beginning of one of the most famous hikes on the Amalfi Coast – Sentiero dei Limoni or Path of the Lemons. After visiting the church, we continued our day with the iconic hike to Minori, the nearby town.
Location: Santuario Santa Maria a Mare
8. Hike the famous Sentiero dei Limoni to Minori
Sentiero dei Limoni or Path of the Lemons is a historical path along fragrant lemon gardens and one of the famous hikes along the Amalfi Coast in Italy. The small scenic coastal path connects two nearby towns – Minori and Maiori.
The path is only 2 kilometers long one way (1.2 miles) which is a manageable distance for travelers with different fitness levels. However, the path goes over a 100-meter high hill between the two towns so there will be some climbing involved.
We did this hike starting from Maiori town. The hike starts next to the Santuario Santa Maria a Mare church in Maiori and finishes down in Minori town. We then explored Minori for a bit and walked by the coastal road back to Maiori.
The famous hike is known for its panoramic views of the coastline and the Tyrrhenian Sea as well as the surrounding lemon groves where you can see the local pride and joy – the famous Amalfi lemons (sfusato amalfitano).
The path is mostly paved and historically was created to transport lemons and other goods between the two twin towns. Even today donkeys are used as means of transportation along the path. We saw them during our hike!
Around the midway point, there was a small lemon farm Agricola Ruocco with a bar where they offered lemon granita or lemonade. We stopped here to sit down under the lemon trees to have a glass of each. I recommend their lemon granita. It was very good!
If you hike one way over the hill and come back by the coastal road, it will take about 2 hours. But we explored some places in Minori town so the round trip took us the whole afternoon. I highly recommend this hike !
Location: Path of the Lemons
9. Savor the iconic bruschettas at Casa Ferraiuolo
Here’s a hidden gem in Maiori – Restaurant Casa Ferraiuolo! This charming, family-run restaurant in the heart of Maiori offers the most flavorful Italian bruschettas you will find on the Amalfi Coast!
Their iconic bruschettas are perfectly crispy, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with various fresh ingredients sourced from around the Amalfi Coast.
If you are looking for the best place to have a glass of wine or a cocktail and some Italian snacks then run to Restaurant Casa Ferraiuolo! The restaurant opened in the late afternoon when we visited.
Their bruschettas are large, delicious, and perfect for sharing. You can choose from more than 10 different types of bruschettas, and they will bring them to you on a wooden board. We got three and it was enough for the two of us.
By the way, apart from a large selection of wines, they offer some truly unusual combinations on their drinks menu. Just look at the drink , my wife got when she ordered something called ‘After Shower’, haha!
Location: Restaurant Casa Ferraiuolo
10. Hike up to Castello di San Nicola de Thoro-Plano
If you still have some time and energy left, I recommend visiting one of the most impressive historic landmarks in Maiori – Castello di San Nicola de Thoro-Plano.
The 9th-century fortress stands atop a hill deeper inland overlooking the coastal town of Maiori and offering the most spectacular views of the peninsula. You can access it from Maiori center by a well-marked stairway.
The castle, however, is not really a castle but rather Medieval stone walls with defensive towers built as a shelter for locals to go to when pirates arrived to loot their homes down by the coast.
The castle is actually a family-owned rural property. After a 20-minute uphill climb from Maiori up to the castle, we were greeted by an elderly man who oversees the Medieval castle. And he lives there tending to his orchard, garden, and rabbits!
There is no entrance fee but you are free to leave donations or buy some of his local products. With the help of Google Translate, he showed us around the whole property and all the traditional buildings he and his family have restored and preserved.
We were the only ones visiting and we felt welcomed! He also gave us some figs from his garden.
There isn’t much left of the medieval fortress but the atmosphere and the views are definitely worth it. It seemed like a peaceful oasis for this man to live in and he seemed really happy. This is definitely a unique place to visit in Maiori!
Location: Castello di San Nicola de Thoro-Plano
11. Lemon Farm experience at Fratelli Ruocco farm
A "family-run lemon farm" they offer the opportunity to live a unique experience in their lemon groves, to discover the origins, traditions, flavors and perfumes of the authentic Amalfi Coast."
The farm is situated exactly in the middle of the Path.
They offer different services
Lemon tour with tasting of lemonade, lemon salad, lemon marmalade and limoncello.
or light lunch under lemons with seasonal products of their farm. This lunch includes a mixed starter (local cheese, salumi, vegetables...), lemon dessert, coffee and limoncello.
Book your experience at : spaccanapoliexperience@gmail.com
My last TIPS
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