Positano Information
I love almost EVERYTHING about Italy. I love the land, the sea, the people, the language, the colors, the museums, churches, art galleries, food and wine! I cannot think of anything that I do not love about the nation!
On this page are photos of a trip to Positano, Campania Italy and the Amalfi Coast that my husband John and I took in October 2005.
Please view ALL of my Italy travel photos at http://tonileefiore.smugmug.com/?preview=1
Scroll down to the bottom of this page for helpful travel links & other great information!
The following information taken in part from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positano
Location
Positano is a small town on the Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana), in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. Positano was a port of the Amalfi Republic in medieval times, and prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia.
View of Positano facing northwest
History
Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in Harper's Bazaar in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."
Scala (stairway) from the town center to the beach
Main Sights
The church of Santa Maria Assunta features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated.
Another view walking down to the beach, facing southwest
Culture
Positano has been featured in several films, including Only You (1994), and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July of 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home of singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and was where most of his best known work was composed. Also, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.
Beautiful Positano-a view from the beach!
Today, tourism is the major industry in Positano. Two of its hotels, Il San Pietro and Le Sirenuse, are frequently cited as among the best in the world.
The town Of Amalfi, Campania Italy
Helpful Travel Links
Amalfi Coast~http://www.amalficoast.com/Positano Life~http://www.positanolife.it/en/
Amalfi Coast Web~http://www.amalficoastweb.com/
Slow Travel Italy~http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/notes/southern/pk_amalfi.htm
Italy Heaven~http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/positano.html
Italy Positano~http://www.italy-positano.com/
Positano Online~http://www.positanonline.com/