Positano

Where did we stay? Hotel del Mare Sorrento

The little town of Positano is built on a mountainside of the Amalfi Coast. This popular tourist town has steep little streets all the way down the beach. All the houses are built in the enclave here. There are car parks at the top of the hill as this small town simply does not accommodate anything bigger than a motorcycle or bicycle.

"Positano is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone. Its houses climb a hill so steep it would be a cliff except that stairs are cut in it. I believe that whereas most house foundations are vertical, in Positano they are horizontal. The small curving bay of unbelievably blue and green water lips gently on a beach of small pebbles. There is only one narrow street and it does not come down to the water. Everything else is stairs, some of them as steep as ladders. You do not walk to visit a friend, you either climb or slide." - John Steinbeck (Harper's Bazaar, 1953).

Narrow Streets of Positano

Under the Tuscan Sun

Positano is made popular by movies such as Under the Tuscan Sun. The lead character, Frances, walks on the beach and explores the streets of Positano. She also meets Marcello here.

You can see the cliffside houses of Positano in the background. This is one of the most popular movie locations for Positano. If you are a fan of the movie, explore Positano and take a photo at the railing where Frances is standing at. It also gives great views of the surrounding area and the beach below.

In the movie, Marcello also introduces Frances to Limoncello. This is a Lemon liquer that Positano is very popular for. Families and restaurants usually make their own Limconello. Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as a type of after dinner digestive. Positano shops are lined with lemon souveniers and bottles and bottles of limoncello. It is made from the zest of lemons steeped in alcohol. If you are trying to imagine the taste, to me it tastes similar to a chilled and alcoholic MedLemon. The limoncello will be served mostly in restaurants as a complimentary drink after dinner, as digestif.

Do yourself a favour and buy a few bottles of these. They are fairly inexpensive here and the towns along the Amalfi Coast are definitely known for making great Limoncello.

When life hands you lemons, make limoncello

Drinking Wine at Positano Beach

The Beach Cliffsides of Positano

Mount Vesuvius spotted on the road out of Positano

Goodbye Positano - Amalfi Coast Sunset