We crossed the Monti Lattari, a limestone mountain range that separates Naples from the Amalfi Coast. The road rose away from the city through dark hills before plunging toward the sea. Below, the Bay of Naples lay in moonlight, broken by the outline of the port and the glow of the shoreline.
On the final turn, Atrani appeared through a rock tunnel, its bridge illuminated against the purple night, houses cascading toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. Beneath the bridge, a narrow opening led to 80 whitewashed steps and winding passages to the lobby of our hotel, where the receptionist was waiting with a clunky key. “You travel light,” he said, smiling.
