Atrani is separated from Amalfi by just one rocky promontory, yet it receives a fraction of the visitors. The village occupies a narrow ravine where the Valle del Dragone reaches the sea, with a small piazza right on the beach and medieval lanes climbing steeply on both sides. It has a scale and character that the more famous town has largely lost — laundry hangs between the buildings, cats sleep on doorsteps, and the bars and restaurants serve local people rather than tourists.
The piazza is directly on the beach, and there is good swimming from the rocks and the small beach itself. The church of Santa Maria Maddalena, with its majolica-tiled dome, is the main landmark. Atrani makes an excellent and much cheaper alternative base to Amalfi for exploring the coast — the walk between them takes about ten minutes along the shoreline path.