Some places were just made to be photographed. The Amalfi Coast is painted in pastel colors, all little villas and lemon groves and winding cobblestone staircases clinging to steep seaside cliffs. It’s the kind of impossible picturesqueness that doesn’t feel entirely real to anyone who didn’t grow up there.

When you’re imagining Italy as a “boot,” this famous stretch of Medeterranian coastline lies at what would be the front of the ankle, about halfway between Rome and the southern coast. Tourists flock to the colorful towns clustered along this coast for a heady mix of sunbathing and limoncello, and the region is only slightly less famous for its ceramics and seafood.