A Moorish-style hillside village on the southern strip of the Amalfi Drive, Positano opens onto the Tyrrhenian Sea with its legendary (now privately owned) Sirenuse Islands, Homer's siren islands in the Odyssey, which form the mini-archipelago of Li Galli (The Cocks). Once, Positano was part of the powerful Republic of the Amalfis, a rival of Venice as a sea power in the 10th century. It's said that the town was "discovered" after World War II when Gen. Mark Clark stationed troops in nearby Salerno. Like many European resorts, it began as a sleepy fishing village that was visited by painters and writers (Paul Klee, Tennessee Williams) and then taken over by visitors in search of bohemia, until a full-scale tourism industry was born.
Today smart boutiques dot the village, and bikinis add vibrant colors to the gray beach, where you're likely to get pebbles in your sand castle.
Positano is not only seashore: by pleasant excursions you can visit some suggestive areas of the mountains over the town. At a distance of 3 Km. from the centre there is the hamlet of Montepertuso (Hole Mount) so named after the Virgin Mary appeared inside a hole in the mountain. From there you can climb over a stairway of 1,700 steps leading to Nocelle (Nuts). From that village it starts the renown "Sentiero degli Dei" (Gods' Way) with some wonderful views over the whole Amalfi Coast, absolutely unique and unforgettable. Or you can reach the beautiful promontory of San Pietro (st. Peter) where is the church with the same name. You can go higher and higher, up to the mountain of Sant'Angelo a Tre Pizzi (St.Angel at three peaks) where are the highest places of the coast, all over 1,400 meters. |
