Legends say that the Virgin Mary chose this town as her resting place after a captain beached his boat upon its shores. It is said that one of the captain’s paintings on board told the captain it wanted to be thrown into the sea, it whispered to him, ‘posa, posa’, which in English means ‘let me down, let me down’, thus, leading to the naming of this town, Positano. Positano’s leading landmark, the church of Santa Maria Assunta was built at the exact location where the painting was washed ashore.
It wasn’t until the 20th Century when Positano really began to flourish after the only road – the SS163 – was built to connect the Amalfi Coast (Positano aso.) with the rest of Italy. Over time, the once tiny fishing village radically changed and flourished to become one of Italy’s chic holiday destinations attracting many celebrities and artists, such as Liz Taylor, Picasso and Zeffirelli who all fell in love with this town.
Positano is a wonderful place to explore for a few days. If however, you are stuck for time, it is still a destination worth visiting for only one day. Here’s how…
First of all, how to reach Positano?
The best way (and the way we did it) is to reach Positano by Ferry. We started our journey in Nola and took the ferry from Salerno (Trip duration, 75min; 1 stop in Amalfi Town; ca.11€ for a one-way ticket). On the ferry you will see beautiful picturesque villages that are dotted along the Amalfi Coast and once you arrive into Positano you will have the most epic view of the town from the sea. To book your tickets visit: travelmar or check the routes on rome2rio.com. There are also ferries departing from Naples and Sorrento, but these routes are not as picturesque and don’t pass all the nice villages along the Amalfi Coast.
Once we arrived, our first challenge was to find a hotel where we could leave our luggage, as we were not staying in Positano that evening. First thing to be aware of though is… trust no one! The day before we arrived I rang some hotels to ask if we could leave our luggage with them while we explored Positano for the day. They confirmed with us that it was possible and we could leave our luggage in their deposit room with the other hotel luggage. However, when we arrived, the management changed their mind and for whatever reason we weren’t allowed to leave our luggage with them. After a short discussion, the hotel manager finally gave us the number of one of the luggage boys and for a €10 per case deposit fee, we were able to store our luggage with them.
Typical souvenirs include: Colourful ceramics painted in many colours and some with the famous Amalfi lemons, a bottle of Limoncello, for the ladies a piece of Positano fashion ‘Moda Positano’ or, a pair of the most beautiful sandals in the world from ‘Safari Sandali.’
[custom_font font_family=“Abril Fatface“ font_size=“35″ line_height=“35″ font_style=“normal“ text_align=“center“ font_weight=“100″ text_decoration=“none“ text_shadow=“no“ color=“#000000″]Time for an
italian breakfast[/custom_font]
Start your day right with a delicious Italian breakfast! Once we made our way through the centre of the old town we arrived at one of the most spectacular and luxurious hotels in Positano, Le Sirenuse – a must see place! From here, you have one of the most spectacular views over the town and the crystal blue waters below; you could call it the Santorini of Italy 🙂 Not only is the hotel great for the views, but it is also designed in true Amalfi Style with an abundance of colours from the façade to the floor tiles. By the time we arrived it was already 11am so the kitchen was closed for breakfast. Luckily for us, the waiter was very kind and brought us some pasties, including delicious croissants that were leftover. Accompanied with two cappuccinos it was the perfect start to the day! Better still, we only had to pay the coffees, thank you Le Sirenuse Hotel!
Panoramic view from our table at Le Sirenuse Hotel
La Sponda Restaurant @ Le Sirenuse Hotel. This Michelin-star restaurant offers a mix of Mediterranean cuisine with fresh local dishes. The amazing dining area turns into a fairytale by night, lit-up by the light of 400 burning candles.
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at the same time[/custom_font]
After our panoramic breakfast, it was time to take to the city and explore the steep and narrow streets filled with colourful boutiques and souvenir shops. Although your wallet becomes lighter, your muscles become stronger from walking up and down all those stairs. It’s definitely a different kind of work out.
I highly recommend visiting these streets: Via Cristoforo Colombo, Via dei Mulin and Viale Pasitea.
Street: Via Cristoforo Colombo
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Passing La Zagara, it’s impossible to resist the delicious sweets that they have on offer. Everything was so tempting! We decided to sit in the outdoor area of the restaurant with its ornamental ceramic tiles and cosy furniture, surrounded by many citrus and orange trees, all reflecting the ‘Amalfi’ way of living.
What sweet should you eat? La Delizia al Limone! It is an Italian sponge cake filled with lemon cream and Limoncello syrup, covered in a whipped lemon cream glaze. So delicious!
La Delizia di Limone @ La Zagara
Typical Pottery Shops in Positano
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It was definitely worth it, walking up the long Viale Pasitea under the hot sun to reach our next spot, the beautiful and stylish Casa e Bottega. This boutique café/shop has a marine-inspired interior with bright whitewashed walls decorated with turquoise pottery and fish-shaped lamps. They serve really fresh organic food (most of which gluten free) and smoothies. For example, you can order the zucchini pasta made with a homemade pesto sauce and for smoothy lovers – such as myself – you can choose between different exotic combinations, such as the ‘Yellow Passion’ made with mango, apple, ginger and pineapple. Yum! After such a delicious and healthy lunch, you’re sure to leave this place feeling good!
Ok yes, they also have a counter for those with a sweet tooth, such as an assortment of cakes, cookies and sugared almonds. Apart from the delicious food options and smoothies they also sell a range of beautiful homewares.
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In general, the Amalfi Coast isn’t famous for its beaches, but instead for its authentic charm that attracts hoards of fashionistas and tourists wanting to spoil themselves a little in the Italian chic lifestyle. Of course however, there are beaches, and one in particular – Spiaggia Grande beach (one of the largest beaches on the Amalfi Coast) – ticks all the right boxes in terms of relaxation next to crystal clear waters and amazing views. Beware though, as it can become quite busy during peak season times. For a quieter and less crowded beach you can visit instead Fornillo Beach, which is reachable by turning right when walking down the seaside path Via Positanesi d´America.
[custom_font font_family=“abril fatface“ font_size=“35″ line_height=“35″ font_style=“normal“ text_align=“center“ font_weight=“100″ text_decoration=“none“ text_shadow=“no“ color=“#000000″]If you have more Time[/custom_font]
For those staying longer than a day, you should definitely make the trip to visit the secret and small isolated mountain village, Nocelle. From its main square you have one of the most spectacular views of the entire Amalfis Coast, and in the distance, you can even see the island of Capri. The easiest way to reach this tiny village is via a pathway with approximately 1500 steps starting from the beach of Arienzo, or by local bus from Positano (30 minutes, €1,20, 17 daily). If you have a car you can easily follow the signs from Positano.
Even a Daytrip to Capri is possible.
After our beautiful day in Positano it was time for us to leave the Amalfi Coast for Naples where we spent the evening.
How to get to Naples? You have the possibility to either take the Sita Busses from Positano to Sorrento and then from Sorrento you take the ferry to Naples, or from Positano you can take one of the three direct high-speed ferries.
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