This photo journal features the charming Amalfi Coast village of Positano. It was a last minute addition to our tour itinerary & what a great decision that was! We sacrificed a little time in Capri & the added cost was minimal. Dina had to scramble to get enough mini-buses to take us there as our big bus could not handle the extremely narrow, winding coast road.

THE AMALFI COAST: undoubtedly one of the most stunning stretches of Italian coastline, traces the 42km shoreline of the Tyrrenhian Sea (see map). It lies at the foot of the Lattari Mountain range, the backbone of the Sorrentine-Amalfi peninsula which straddles the Gulf of Salerno & Gulf of Naples. Amalfi Drive is the 50kms of scenic narrow road (Hwy 163) between Positano, at the west end, & Vietri sul Mare on the east end of the Amalfi Coast. The gorgeous but nerve-racking drive takes you through a dramatic landscape of great tuff cliffs diving down into the magnificent blue sea, sheer drops, & villages of pastel cottages clinging perilously to cliff sides, their terraces often brimming with brightly colored flowers. Every turn provides a different & stunning panorama & each town has something spectacular to offer. This narrow highway, also known as the “Blue Ribbon”, links all of the towns along the Amalfi Coast, & is a road much loved by motorcyclists who love the thrill of its successive hairpin bends. (If you want to leave the driving to someone else, you can take a blue SITA bus that runs between Salerno, or Sorrento & Amalfi.)

The view of the Amalfi Coast is unbelievably beautiful from nearly any vantage point, but from the sea, they say it is gorgeous beyond belief. You may want to take a cruise or rent a speed boat. (There are rental kiosks near the beach in Positano.) For a small fee you can tie up in the harbors of the towns along the coast. If the seas are calm & the mood strikes you, you could even go to the Isle of Capri for lunch ;o)

The Amalfi villages are charmingly known as “nativity villages” because Christmas crib-making is a popular tradition here. Every church, street & village builds its own nativity scene using a variety of techniques, from the simple traditional ones (papier-mâché, clay & ceramic, cork…) to the more sophisticated modern ones (moving shepherds, visual & stage effects…).

The historic town of Amalfi east of Positano, the first major settlement on the coast, & undisputed ruler of the seas in the 12th century, was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. [The UNESCO citation is here: http://www.sitiunesco.it/index.phtml?id=542] The town's gradual decline from power has in no way diminished the beauty of its historic monuments such as its Duomo (cathedral). Do visit Amalfi if you have the time. I wish we could have ;o( Did you know that Amalfi gave the world the book of maritime regulations known as the Tabula de Amalpha? and, did you know that the Amalfitans invented the magnetic compass & were responsible for its widespread use in the Mediterranean by the mid 8th century?

POSITANO: Positano, located on the Amalfi Coast 10 miles east of Sorrento, is arguably one of most enchanting & romantic places in the world & a famous tourist destination. It has the typical characteristics of the other towns of the Amalfi Coast, but even more so - the historic center located in the higher part of the town, linked to the harbor & beaches by an infinite series of steps & steep winding roads, & cubic pastel cottages & buildings plastered against the rugged cliffs.

Like Amalfi, the true history or origins of Positano is debatable, however, one popular legend says that Positano was founded by Poseidon, the Greek God of the Ocean, who created Positano for the nymph Pasitea, whom he loved.. (In Latin, Poseidon was known as Neptune.) We do know that the Phoenicians & Greeks, traveling westwards, landed in Positano. A rich Patrician Villa which was built near the beach during Roman times has since been buried by gardens & by Our Lady of the Assumption church. Positano was an Amalfi Republic port in medieval times & prospered in the 16th & 17th centuries when many villas were built. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times & more than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia & America.

Positano was "discovered" after WWII when Gen. Mark Clark* stationed troops in nearby Salerno. During the first half of the 20th century, Positano was a relatively poor fishing village that was visited by painters & writers. Then it began to attract large numbers of visitors in search of Bohemia in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953, & a full-scale tourism industry was born. [*Clark, an American from New York, commanded the Fifth Army in the Italian Campaign during WWII. More info abut the rest of his illustrious career is available here: http://korea50.army.mil/history/biographies/clark.shtml]

Today, tourism is the major industry in Positano. Smart boutiques dot the village, & bikinis add vibrant colors to the gray pebble beach. Two of its hotels, Il San Pietro & Le Sirenuse, are frequently cited as among the best in the world. Prices are high & have been rising sharply over the past few years. Speaking of 'steep', the village itself is also impossibly steep, because the main part of town sits in an enclave on the cliffside leading down to the coast. Wear comfortable walking shoes & leave the heels at home ;o)

Did you know that - photogenic Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), & Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)? And, Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation here?

Great background info & photos on Positano can be found here: Be sure to check out the albums listed in the tab on the left. http://touritaly.org/tours/Positano/CostieraAmalfitana.htm