The vertical village of the Amalfi Coast
Positano is the image that most people have of the Amalfi Coast: a cascade of pastel coloured houses, pink, peach, white and yellow, that tumbles down a steep gorge to the sea, with bougainvillea on the terraces and boats on the beach. In the 1950s John Steinbeck wrote that it "is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone".
Once a poor fishing village, it became a destination for artists and writers after the war, and then one of the most glamorous resorts in the Mediterranean. The town is a maze of staircases and narrow lanes lined with shops selling linen clothes, the "Positano fashion", and handmade sandals. At the bottom the Spiaggia Grande is overlooked by the church of Santa Maria Assunta with its majolica dome. A path leads to the quieter Fornillo beach, and boats go to the Li Galli islands, where legend places the sirens.
Tip: wear comfortable shoes, Positano is all steps; arrive by ferry from Amalfi or Sorrento to avoid traffic and see the town from the sea.
Where it is
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