Positano is a fishing village on the Amalfi Coast, Italy. According to legend, the village is a love gift from the Sea God Poseidon to his beloved nymph Pasitea. So it can’t be anything but beautiful and for a good reason it’s called “the pearl of the Amalfi Coast“.
Ph. Depositphoto.com/Maugli
Sightseeing in Positano
We all know Positano for its colorful houses climbing the hillside, the narrow winding roads, the steep steps, and the blue sea (it has earned the blue flag for many years). However, there’s much more in this town than that!
It exhibits memorabilia from its rich past, like the Saracen towers built to protect the village in the Middle Ages against the Saracen incursions and the villas of the XVIII Century, now converted into luxury hotels; the majolica tiled dome of Santa Maria Assunta is known worldwide.
Ph. Depositphoto.com/dmussman
Positano is the most important climbing site in Southern Italy, with more than 200 itineraries and various degrees of difficulty.
In Positano, you can find many paths for hiking, among which the most important is the “Sentiero degli Dei“, the path of the gods, that runs from Bomerano to Santa Maria di Castello. Walking between the sea and the sky, amidst lemon and olive orchards, admiring the scenery below and around you, you can arrive in Nocelle in about one hour.
You can also walk to Vallone Porto, an amazing oasis with waterfalls, and fauna and flora indigenuous to this valley.
Not far from Positano, on a day trip, you can visit Ravello, Amalfi, Capri, Pompei, Sorrento, Naples, Paestum and the Vesuvius.
In the evening, if you want to relax after a day of hiking, trekking, or sunbathing, don’t miss the sunset from the little square in front of the Church of Santa Croce.
And, if you hire a boat, mind the “Li Galli”, an archipelago of 3 rocky and lonely isles, inhabited by mermaids, that since time immemorial have been charming and seducing sailors with their singing.
Ph. pululante on flickr (flic.kr/p/oUNLUT)
Events in Positano
August 14-15: Festa dell’Assunta. According to legend, a ship carrying a sacred image of Mary got stuck in the bay of Positano and couldn’t leave until they donated the icon to the town of Positano. On the night of the 14th there’s a parade of illuminated boats to the nearby beach Fornillo and back to Spiaggia Grande. On the night of the 15th, there are fireworks on the water.
Last Saturday of September: at the Fornillo beach there’s the “Fish Festival” to celebrate the end of the Summer. Boats are arranged to get there.
Where to eat?
Mediterranea cuisine: Rada Restaurant, Casa e Bottega, La Tagliata (a farm).
Vegetarian: Restaurant da Gabrisa.
Accommodation
Positano is a tourist town, so you can find plenty of accomodation here. We suggest Villa Tre Ville, Poseidon and Covo dei Saraceni.
How to get to Positano?
By car: take the motorway A3 Napoli/Salerno; take the exit Castellammare di Stabia, follow the direction to Penisola Sorrentina. When you are in Meta di Sorrento, follow the directions to Positano.
By bus: you can take buses to Positano from Naples, Salerno, Amalfi. Check: http://www.sitabus.it/
By plane: the nearest airports are Capodichino (Naples) and Pontecagnano (Salerno)
By train: the nearest railway stations are in Naples (Central Railway Station) and Salerno.
By hydrofoils or ferries: check www.metrodelmare.com
| After Praiano the road widens, the walls become higher and no other villages can be seen. You feel as though you are lost, you ask yourself whether you may have taken the wrong direction.
So you stop, cross the road and lean over the wall, to look at the sea. If you have stopped at the right point, you will enjoy a dazzling, mysterious and fantastic view of Positano: it will become your guiding star. You start moving again and after a few kilometres, you arrive. You walk along a winding road enveloping the house like a ribbon and at the end of it the road starts going down like a spiral until you reach Piazza dei Mulini. A few metres down you find yourself on the big beach, you turn round and you have the sensation of being on a stage, surrounded by clusters of houses which make the setting for the biggest show of life. You then have to choose to be a spectator, a protagonist or just a walk-on. It is only up to you: myth does not impose on you. From a pamphlet by Positano Municipality |
