By Positano a place that makes you dream.
I love this part of Italy. This is not my first article about this beautiful country, so it would be more accurate to say that i simply love Italy ; but espacially Positano, for relaxation, pebble beaches, boat rides, pretty little alleys, colors and scents.
Landing in Naples, 50km away, and driving along the coast, to admire the most beautiful scenery of the Amalfi coast, until Positano, the Journey takes about an hour and a quater, when the traffic is not dense, it can be a first option (to avoid during the high season, or then be patient) and it’s so beautiful.
You’ve already seen those pastel colored houses nestled around a creek. To get the best view of this enchanting setting, arrive by boat, you will understand what made me fall under the charm and why i return there very often. From Naples you will find different ferry companies that make the daily Journey, at the end of my article i leave you the link, if you want to consult them.
I used to stay in a hotel that is right next to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, the Church with its majolica dome via Mulini, street. This Church is so representative of the village that it appears very often. Inside is the Byzantine icon of the twelfth century, according to legend, carried in a ship, which ran aground near the coast, was abandoned on land, after the sailors persuaded to have heard the voice of the icon ask them to leave it here : Pose Posa (stop here), which is why the name of the village, Positano.
This street is one of the busiest, because it leads to the beach or takes you to the heart of the village ; go to via Cristoforo Colombo, you will have a panoramic view of Positano. In the evening when the calm returns, it is the best moment to make a little stroll.
It is also the place, ceramic shop and lemon products in all its forms one of the best known : Limoncello. The famous lemon liqueur from the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi coast.
The beaches, the biggest, the one you see when you arrive by boat, is not the one i recommend for swimming, too much passage, even if it is very nice this succession of parasols with all these colors. The beach fo Fornillo is nicer, more secluded, you reach it by the road via Positanesi d’America, where you will see the towers built to protect the village from invasions : the Tower Trasita and the Tower Clavel which is the point that marks the end of the bay of Positano. Another beach that has its charms is Arienzo beach near the Villa TreVille hotel, accessible by boat.
To have a drink, you have the Bar Franco of the hotel Sirenuse, its restaurant La Sponda is a good address too. This hotel is mythical, opened in 1951 by the Sersale Family, it is almost perfect, it just has a flaw, it is not cheap. The Villa TreVille hotel i discovered last year is also an exceptional place to have a drink and see the Sunset over Positano. For italian specialities, by the beach, and a great welcome, you have the restaurant Chez Black.
The village of Amalfi is 25 minutes by boat from Positano. On the Amalfi coast, there are many villages to discover, each with its own charm, its own site to explore. I wanted to see Amalfi, less jet-set than Positano, but nevertheless just as interesting, its alleys are charming, its square and its cathedral San Andrea are to be seen.
Amalfi was one of the four Maritime Republics that in the Middle Ages (839-1135) had contacts with the East. Witness of its glorious past the cathedral. It is the heart of Amalfi, it is here that the relics of the body of San Andrew are kept, in the crypt. The relics arrived in Amalfi in 1208.
The ceilings of the baroque crypt can be admired, as well as the representation of the Passion of Christ and gilded stucco décorations by the artist Vincenzo de Pino.
The bronze door offered by the merchant, Amalfitain Pantaleone di Mauro, was made in Constantinople in 1057, a masterpiece.
Conclusion, if you like the crowd, from mid-June to mid-September, it is for you, you will not be disappointed, and for more tranquility, the rest of the time will be perfect to stay in Positano.
Arrivederci !
The addresses :
Franco’s Bar and Restaurant La Sponda : via Cristoforo Colombo 30, 84017 Positano. Tél : +39 089 875 066.
Villa TreVille Hotel : via Arienzo 30, 84017 Positano. Tél : +39 089 812 2401.
Chez Black : via del Brigantino 19, Positano. Tél : +39 089 875 036.
Ferry Companies : Gescab, Alilauro, Alicoast.
