Have You Ever Wondered if it Snows on the Amalfi Coast?

When you imagine the Amalfi Coast, what does it look like? Do you see rugged beaches bathed in warm summer sunshine, colorful beach umbrellas fluttering in the breeze and the sparkling sea? Or perhaps a bougainvillea draped terrace or trees dripping with lemons. Well that is absolutely what it is like on the Amalfi Coast … most of the year! But what about the winter? Does it ever snow on the Amalfi Coast?

Many of you have asked that question over this past month, as I’ve shared several videos and photos of blustery weather and snow on the Amalfi Coast over on the Ciao Amalfi Facebook page. The answer is yes it absolutely does snow on the Amalfi Coast! However, it is a rare occurrence, and usually only happens about once every winter. This January has been an exception. We’ve had several snowy days that have caused a bit of havoc in the higher towns on the coastline like Agerola, Furore and Tramonti.

When Does it Snow on the Amalfi Coast?

A cold snap usually arrives in December, just in time for the holidays. Three years ago there was an incredible snowfall on New Year’s Eve day that even reached the beaches on the Amalfi Coast! You can see more photos of this beautiful snowfall (including our fluffy orange cat Puffy playing in the snow!) in this blog post. If it is going to snow, it generally happens between December and January. By February the temperature is already starting to rise and the days become noticeably longer.

Where Does it Snow on the Amalfi Coast?

Except for rare occurrences like that New Year’s Even snowstorm, snow usually only falls on the higher elevations of the Amalfi Coast. It’s not uncommon to see the mountaintops dusted with snow like the photos I’m sharing in this post. Towns like Scala, Ravello and Tramonti are more likely to get snow than sea level towns like Amalfi or Minori. Positano has such a massive elevation change from the beach to way high in the mountains of Montepertuso that sometimes it can indeed snow in Positano. Just at the higher elevation frazioni of Montepertuso and Nocelle.

Since it happens so rarely, it’s a nice surprise to wake up and find snow-capped mountains or a dusting of snow on the ground. Have you seen snow on the Amalfi Coast? Share your photos over at the Ciao Amalfi Facebook page!