The pearl in the pack, Positano is the coast�s most photogenic and expensive town. Its steeply stacked houses are a medley of peaches, pinks and terracottas, and its near-vertical streets (many of which are, in fact, staircases) are lined with flamboyant shop displays, jewellery stalls, elegant hotels and smart restaurants. Look closely though and you�ll find reassuring signs of everyday reality � crumbling stucco, streaked paintwork and even, on occasion, a faint whiff of drains.
An early visitor, John Steinbeck wrote in 1953: �Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn�t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.� More than 50 years on his words still ring true.
Things to do :
Ferry trip to Paestum or Ischia and Capri (including the Blue Grotto) during summer months.
Or if you are after luxury, charter a private motor-boat with Charter La Dolce Vita [3] and you can design your own itinerary with the captain. Suggested ideas include departing Positano for a full-day tour to Capri, circling island with the grottos or out to Ischia, or along the Sorrento Coast or just cruising along the Amalfi Coast.
Soak up the beauty on either of Positano's two beaches: Fornillo, the smaller, more secluded beach is accessible either by a set of stairs from the grotto above or via a path from Spiaggia Grande. Fornillo has a more laid back atmosphere with four beach bars lining the shore and no ferry traffic. Spiaggia Grande, the main beach and ferry port, is the hub of activity in Positano. Don't miss it, but don't forget there is much more to Positano.
Water taxi & private excursions. Catch the splendour of one of Italy's World Heritage from a privileged point of observation and avoid your holiday being spoilt by local traffic.
Buy:
- Lemons, extra large.
- All sorts of lemon products.
- Colorfully painted tiles.
- Colorful silks.
- Limoncello (lemon liqueur produced mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples and the coast of Amalfi and Islands of Ischia and Capri)
