By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
My obsession began in 2007 when I first learned of my Positanesi heritage. I received a postcard in the mail, from my grandfather, of the picturesque fishing village with a pyramid of colored houses creeping up the mountainside of the Amalfi Coast. It was love at first sight; however, it was not until the end of July of 2017 before I was able to personally set foot in Positano. After staring at sheer cliff faces that met jagged rocks breaking the surface of the ocean during the winding car ride down the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento, I finally planted my feet on Positanesi soil. My heart filled with pride, tears welled in my eyes, and the moment became surreal, I had finally made it. I stood on the side of the bustling street, as droves of day-trip tourists stepped around me as I took in the quaint town. I stared up at the seemingly never-ending cluster of houses with the sapphire sea and the Byzantium Church of Santa Maria Assunta to my back. The heat was sweltering, and I had a long walk up the mountainside to my hotel room. I quickly discovered my love-hate relationship with the everlasting staircases carved into the mountainside. Although the literal thousands of steps nestled between houses made for some breathtaking pictures, they were terrible for hauling luggage. You will quickly discover that these stairs are ancient. No step has the same width or height, making it impossible to get into a rhythm, and the steps are worn down in the middle from hundreds of years of people walking on them. It is one of the many things that add to the antiquity and authenticity of Positano. Once settled in, I visited my cousin’s villa, where they offered me shots of espresso and prepared me a meal of grilled octopus with purple potato sauce and shrimp and squid risotto stuffed in lemon the size of a cantaloupe. Yes, you read that correctly, a lemon the size of a cantaloupe. Lemons are a reoccurring theme of this town, where they boast the size and flavor of the lemons grown on this mountainside that are a staple in the local cuisine. Aside from some of the best cuisine, I experienced in Italy, and picture-perfect views, Positano possesses some of my favorite beaches. Although crowded, the Spiaggia Grande is a breathtaking beach offering one of the best views of the town. During the summer months, the pebbled beach is filled to the brim with beach chairs and umbrellas with the nearby shops and restaurants dotting the beach packed full of day-trip tourists. I quickly fell in love with the beach the locals frequent here, Spiaggia Fornillo. Placed at the bottom of another winding and ancient staircase, the trek down the mountain is worth visiting this rocky less crowded beach. Positano at night is a surreal experience. With the droves of day-trippers gone, you can sit peacefully and enjoy the lights of the houses that make the mountainside glow. Positano is a place that neither words nor pictures can quite capture. The beauty is something that needs to be experienced by one’s own eyes. Positano deserves so much more than to be a day-trip destination. To capture the full experience of a Positanesi, you need to absorb the views and eat the cuisine for as long as possible. When my great-great-grandparents left Positano it was a struggling fishing village. I could not help but wonder what they would think of how their once-sleepy hometown has become a day-trip tourist mecca and has been dubbed the “Jewel of the Amalfi Coast.” I am forever grateful for the connections I made in this town, and for being able to finally experience my cultural connection to Positano in person rather than through stories. When leaving Positano, I turned around in the seat of the car to catch my last glimpse of before it was out of sight, and I fully grasped what John Steinbeck once wrote about Positano, “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.”