Of all the towns along the Amalfi Coast, Positano was the one I was most excited to visit. The colorful town sits among the hills and offers breathtaking views of the coast. The scenery is absolutely stunning.
Because of wildfires, the road to Positano was closed while we were in Italy. That meant we had to take a boat instead of a bus and I’m so glad we did. We stood toward the back of the boat on the top floor, so we were able to take in amazing views of the coast and Capri as we made our way to Positano. The boat left for Positano at 10:30 a.m. and headed back to Sorrento around 5 p.m., making it an easy day trip.
Once we arrived, we were greeted by some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever experienced. While Positano is a popular shopping destination (it has a family-owned ceramics factory and is also famous for its handmade linens), we spent most of our time soaking up the views. We made our way up the winding roads to the top of the hills and stood there for quite some time mesmerized by what we saw.
I loved the beautiful, tiled dome of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, so we decided to make our way inside and check it out. The church dates back to the 10th century when it was a monastery. It was abandoned for some time before receiving a makeover in the 18th century. According to Rick Steves, The parish is well-known for its Black Madonna painting:
“The Black Madonna icon-like painting above the altar was likely brought here by Benedictine monks in 12th century. But locals prefer their romantic legend: Turkish (or Saracen) pirates had it on their ship as plunder. A violent storm hit; it was sure to sink the evil ship. Then the painting of Mary spoke, saying “Posa, posa” (“Lay me down”), and the ship glided safely into this harbor. The pirates were so stricken they became Christians. Locals kept the painting and the town became known as “Posa-tano” (after Mary’s command).”
After walking up and down the hilly roads, we worked up quite the appetite. We had a wonderful meal at Buca di Bacco, which sits right along the beach and boasts beautiful views.
I had delicious pasta with pesto that I was happy to discover tasted very much like the pesto my mother makes. The basil used was extremely fresh and the pesto wasn’t overly oily like you’ll sometimes find in the states. James ordered the fried ravioli appetizer as his entree and loved the dish. Of course, we had a bottle of the white vino de la casa with our meal.
After lunch, we spent time walking along the beach and dipping our toes in the water. In hindsight, I wish we would have brought our swimsuits along. There is a small section of public beach for sunning and swimming. You can also rent a chair and umbrella along a small, private section of the shore.
We loved romantic Positano and would have liked to spend more time there, but going for the day seemed to be the perfect amount of time for our trip. You can check out James’ amazing photos (which put my iPhone pictures to shame) of Sorrento, Pompeii and Positano over on his blog. I can’t wait to get some of his pictures printed!