2011 Amalfi Coast Adventures: Positano . . .

Positano bites deep. 

It is a dream place that isn't quite real
when you are there

and becomes beckongly real
after you have gone.

 by John Steinbeck

(Harper's Bazaar, Published article in May 1953)

Apparently Positano was a poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century and it wasn't until a published article about Positano by John Steinbeck in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953 did the town begin to attract large numbers of tourists.  I found a copy of his article HERE and loved it. 

I think John Steinbeck's article was interesting because it was written in the 1950's but he really writes in a way that a Slow Traveler of today would.  That being that he noticed things that only a Slow Traveler notices after they have spent enough time in one place to notice them.  Here's another excerpt from his famous article:

"In a few days we became aware of Positano's greatest commodity - characters. Maybe they aren't marketable, but Positano has them above every community I have ever seen. Yes, Positano flourishes with characters."

I think that the main attraction that I'll find in Positano will be the town of Positano itself. It captivated, Travel Channel Host, Samantha Brown, so much that all she could say when she first saw Positano was "you had me at Buon Giorno . . . you had me at Buon Giorno."

Positano is so beautiful that you can find her in several movies, my favorite of which is in the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, with Diane Lane. In fact, I had to watch it on Netflix recently. 

Once a sleepy fishing village, Positano has become a favorite of the rich and famous with its' chic (and pricey) hotels and small boutiques.  There are limestone cliffs, draped with these pastel colored houses which seem to flow gently down the rugged cliffs to the pebbly gray sand beach of the Marina Grande and down onto the turquoise green Tyrrhenian sea.  Talk about your picture perfect postcard.

There are steep pedestrian only lanes, shaded with vines of bougainvillea and they say that even on the off season the village maintains its charm.  It is recommended that you wear comfortable shoes when venturing out to explore the steep and narrow streets here.  I love this next excerpt from John Steinbeck's famous article:

Again, Positano is never likely to attract the organdie-and-white linen tourist. It would be impossible to dress as a languid tourist-lady-crisp, cool white dress, sandals as white and light as little clouds, picture hat of arrogant nonsense, and one red rose held in a listless whitegloved pinky. I dare any dame to dress like this and climb the Positano stairs for a cocktail. She will arrive looking like a washcloth at a boys’ camp. There is no way for her to get anywhere except by climbing.

Once I am able to recover from that initial "wow" reaction that I'm sure I'll get from my first sight of Positano, I want to visit the town's main church, the Santa Maria Assunta with its distinctive majolica tiled dome.  This triple naved layout church took shape in the 18th century when it was built over the remains of a 13th century Benedictine abbey.  Inside, located above the high altar is the La Madonna Nera (Black Madonna), a Byzantine icon.  Legend has it that this came to Positano on the waves of the sea after a terrible storm. 

On the seaside, I'll also find two ancient defensive Towers, Torre Trasita and Torre Sponda.  They were used for defensive purposes against pirate assaults.

Yes, it seems that Positano does in fact bite deep . . . . next up the town of Amalfi.