Molo Beverello has served as Naples' primary maritime gateway since the 13th century, when Angevin rulers fortified the harbour to control Tyrrhenian trade routes. Today the terminal dispatches more than two million passengers annually toward the Sorrentine Peninsula, where 50 kilometres of UNESCO-protected coastline rise vertically from the Gulf of Salerno. The stretch between Positano and Amalfi encompasses 13 coastal villages, each perched on limestone cliffs that were carved by tectonic uplift during the Pliocene epoch. Geologists estimate the vertical relief averages 400 metres per kilometre of shoreline, creating the Mediterranean's steepest inhabited coastal terrain. Amalfi Coast boat tours from Naples depart year-round from berth stations 1 through 4 at Molo Beverello, where hydrofoils and traditional gozzo vessels navigate the 45-nautical-mile route in approximately 90 minutes. The Lattari Mountains form a natural barrier that isolates coastal settlements from inland infrastructure, rendering maritime access the most efficient corridor until the Amalfi Drive was completed in 1853. Modern operators follow the same nautical charts Amalfitan merchants used during the republic's 11th-century naval dominance, when the Tavole Amalfitane codified Mediterranean maritime law for three centuries. The volcanic islands of Ischia and Procida mark the western boundary of the gulf, while Punta Campanella defines the southern terminus where the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the Gulf of Salerno. Positano's vertical architecture illustrates adaptive construction methods refined over eight centuries. The town's 400 structures occupy a 90-degree slope, connected by 1,700 stone steps that predate motorised transport. Majolica-tiled domes reflect Byzantine influence from the 10th-century basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, where a 13th-century Byzantine icon remains the centrepiece of the nave. Amalfi's Piazza Duomo anchors a medieval urban grid that once housed 70,000 residents during the republic's peak in 1000 CE, when its merchant fleet controlled grain routes between Sicily and Constantinople. The Arsenale vaults, constructed in the 12th century, could shelter 10 galleys simultaneously and now display original maritime instruments and navigation charts that shaped Mediterranean commerce for 300 years.