Positano: The Amalfi Coast

On our third full day in Italy we headed out for the ride up the Amalfi Coast. Our first stop was Positano, “the most photographed fishing village in the world. This fabled locale is home to some 4,000 Positanesi, who are joined daily by hordes arriving from Capri, Sorrento, and Amalfi, eager to celbrate the fact that Positano is, impossilby there. The town clings to the Monti Comune and Sant’Angelo and has been called by artist Paul Klee ‘the only place in the world conceived on a vertical rather than a horizontal axis.’ It’s arcaded, cubist buildings, set in tiers up the mountainside, reflect the sky in dawn-color walls: rose, peach, purple, some tinted the ivory of sunrise’s drifting clouds. In fact, the colors on these Saracen-inspired dwellings may have originally served to help returning fishermen spot their own disg in an instant.” – Fodor’s Naples, Capri & the Amalfi Coast

I had heard stories about how scary the bus ride along the Amalfi Drive could be and was a little nervous about it. As we slowly made our way along the twisting mountain road I did hold my breath at times but was happy that it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. You’ll have to tune in next week when I talk about the second leg of the trip up to Amalfi…on that drive I prayed quite a bit!

We got off the Sita bus at the top of Positano and walked down to the bottom of the town. The Fodor’s book said to make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and that your back and legs are strong enough to negotiate the daunting and ladderlike scalinatelle (lots and lots of stairs). Since we had walked all over Capri, Pompeii and Herculaneum, we figured we could handle it. When we first got off the bus we ended up heading up first to check out some of the houses and just wandering around to see how people lived. We ran into an older woman who had just been shopping and offered to help carry her bags but she said she was fine (although I don’t believe she spoke a word of english). I felt a little better about how much I was huffing and puffing on these stairs when I noticed that even she was also finding it a bit of a challenge (of course she was older and carrying bags but still found it reassuring). I can’t imagine having to go up and down these stairs every day. I see why they don’t buy more than a day or two of grocieries as you would never be able to lug it back home.