A postcard from Positano

We like to take every opportunity for a trip along the Amalfi coast and we would like to share a postcard from Positano with you to help explain why we are drawn there.

Positano sits on the coastline of Amalfi, Campania in Italy, and is without doubt very beautiful. Perhaps arguably, it's true beauty lies in the journey to reach it and there are a number of options.

By bus:

If you choose to travel by bus then you can take one from Sorrento or Salerno.  Although the journey is quite a long one and at time as little 'hairy-scary' (check it out at YouTube), if you catch the Sorrento bus, sit on the right hand side and you'll get the most amazing views of the coast. Or from Salerno, sit on the left. The bus will drop you off at the top of the town from where you can catch a taxi or another bus.  Positano receives thousands of visitors throughout the year and every day and couldn't possible house all the transportation used to reach it! The walk from the top is a long winding one but one worth taking if you are up to it.

To get back to your bus you can get the bus from the centre and it is clearly visible from the many people who wait to catch it! At peak season you can expect a bit of a wait, sometimes up to a few hours. It will cost you about 1 euro.

By car:

This is how Enzo and I travel to Positano.  From Formia we take the Autostrada south towards Naples until we see signs for Sorrento.  Follow these signs and you will travel along the coast line, and we really do mean the coastline.  It is rather difficult to stop for photo opportunities because there really aren't that many areas to pull in.  The roads are at times, very narrow and of course you are up against the manic driving habits of the Italians. Still, it is an adventure!

Enzo and I stop where we can especially when the weather is being kind.  Where else would you be able to look across the Bay of Naples, overshadowed by Vesuvio in the distance. 

We have as yet, not had any difficulty parking, however, we never attempt to go to Positano in the height of the summer if we can avoid it.  An already 3 hour long journey could take you all day.  So if you are considering a journey by car during the summer time, why not also consider a stop over to make the most of your time in Positano.  You'll be able to reach Amalfi which is larger than Positano and equally beautiful.

By ferry:

You can reach Positano by ferry.  We have not done this route, it is more expensive but we are told that the expense is well worth it due to the amazing views of the coastline from the sea. As soon as Enzo and I take this route, we will be letting you know all about it!

There are ferries which connect Positano to Amalfi and Positano with Salerno. Check out the unified public trasport tickets which are available through Campania Unico.

The route to Positano will take you through a few pretty towns and the only true way to understand exactly the journey you are undertaking, is by taking a look at a map:

There is only one way to reach the Amalfi coast.  The road takes you through Montechiaro, Sorrento, Priora, San Pietro and Calitta.  Of course you may not have a chance to stop and you may be looking seaward at the countless vistas of the azure blue.  Enzo and I have made this route many times and every time it simply takes our breath away.  By day or by night the scenes are stunning and understandably the reason why we take our visitors there and they in turn are delighted to have experienced the trip.

Once you reach Positano and are able to park your car, you are immediately confronted by copious amounts of tiny shopping opportunities. I say tiny because each of the shops is quite small but packed full of treasures and tokens for you to aquire and later gaze upon with fond memories.

Yes, Positano will fill you so full of wonder that it will sit inside your memory forever.

Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta	Positano streets	Marina Grande

The streets of Positano are made up of cobbled steps leading you this way and that.  Making your way to the Marina Grande beach you'll discover the Church of Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta with its quickly recognisable, majolica dome.  The church is around 800 years old, dating back somewhere in the 1200's. Once inside you'll discover little chapels and nativity scene (presipi) on permenant display.  It is here that I must point out, much to the disappointment of my mother, that you may wish to take some time looking upon the nativity scene to spot the three kings, one of which has found himself in a little difficulty and I will say no more.  Except, it did make us laugh - a lot!

If you are on a budget when you visit Positano or Amalfi, be warned, due to the large amount of tourists who pass through, eating in Positano can be expensive.  However, the service and food is often impecable perhaps due to the amount of competition. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and often the menus are in an assortment of languages.  One one of our many visits we stopped close to the beach to enjoy some seafood pasta, a caprese salad and a pair of baked artichokes.  Swilled down with some wine, the bill came to over 100 euros.  That may sound steep to some but you can rest assured that the food in Positano will be always be fresh.

If you get time, continue south along the only road available and eventually you will see Amalfi, the town that this area of Italy is named after.  We liken it to a seaside version of Naples because it is vibrant and stuffed full of character and characters! Oh, and it's where we stuffed ourselves full of gelato - one of the best in Italy so far.  In fact the whole area made such an impression on us, following our last visit we decided to have a little of the Amalfi coast permenantly in Paradise, much to the delight of many of our guests.

Just some of our visitors	A little piece of Positano

We have quite a collection of photographs to indulge ourselves but for now we hope we have managed to indulge you as we look forward to our next trip.  Hopefully, striking truckers and limited supplies of gas considered, we will be sharing our next adventure to the Amalfi coast with Congressman Bill Borski and his wife.  We're rather hoping that it's their first visit because we can't wait to see Positano all over again.  This time, through their eyes.

In the distance, Amalfi	A perfect sea view	Enzo rests above the beach

Finding 'Mecca' in Amalfi	Lighting a candle	Solerno coming home from Amalfi