Positano Re-Post

Photos by H. Darr Beiser     

Positano, from the Eden Roc Hotel

     Positano, on the Amalfi Coast in Italy looks like it does in every post card image you have seen. That’s because it stays the same. Nothing is allowed to change. Nor should it be. No building permits in 25 years. No exterior changes allowed. The perfectly arranged houses stacked on the hill look as if they had started on a blank canvas where the white the artist decided to add some color. Paint some red, some umber, some mustard and cheerio, some bright pink and yellow and then throw in some beautiful terra cotta tiles as accents. And then the Mediterranean sun comes up to light the set like a professional theatrical production. When a friend on Facebook responds to a photo and says “I can see the balcony of the hotel where I stayed in on my honeymoon 12 years ago,” that’s exactly what he is seeing.  It’s a snapshot frozen in place. Throw in some animation -- a lot of PDA, lyrical language, laughter, black leather jackets, a street procession following a mass, a shop owner making you a panini with slabs of cheese a half an inch thick. And you’ve got Positano.

    

     We stayed at the Eden Roc Hotel which had shining marble floors and a brilliant blue and lemon yellow décor. The suite was dolce indeed—a living room with a balcony, a king-sized bedroom, and an enormous bathroom with double sinks and a Jacuzzi tub. We stayed four nights (206 Euros per night).

    

Path of the Gods. Hike it and Earn a Spremuta all'Arancia.

     Positano is in the perfect position for pleasing day trips.  We had heard the best hike on the Amalfi Coast is the Path of the Gods, starting way up in the mountains in a little town called Nocelle.  While the views are entirely Godly, the hike was quite devilish. Along the way we met a young Scotsman from the Highlands. He appeared suddenly and said he had taken the higher trail and this was the point where the two trails converge. My husband said “You mean you took the high road and we took the low road?” Off the trail in Nocelle reward yourself at Il Chiosco del Sentiero deglie Degli with bruschetta and an exquisite refreshing drink of spremuta all’ arancia. 

Amalfi Town-Great Place to Wait for a Bus

     
     Trip from Positano to Amalfi Town and Ravello. My advice—never, never on a Sunday.  We were told we could take the bus from Positano and then transfer to a bus to Ravello.  True, just be prepared for the fact that none of times will be anywhere close to the “bus schedule.”  Sometimes the bus (SITA) comes early and sometimes it comes late, and on Sunday you are likely to wait an hour between buses. Amalfi was a once great port city of 60,000 that rivaled Genoa. But since the devastating tsunami of 1343, it’s a bit “less than.” To the degree that you can say that about any place on the Amalfi Coast. You still have your sweeping vistas of the serene sea with a backdrop of cliffs and houses with million dollar views. But Amalfi's unfortunate destruction created some much needed space for a transportation hub which has become tour bus central.

Mellow Ravello--Piazza on a Sunday

     Ravello, on the other hand, is very famous for its gardens and villas and peace on earth. I got really tired there in the piazza with the trees shaped like umbrellas.  We sat in the sun at Caffe Calce and became like one of the sedated cats we see so frequently or a dog without the energy to bark.  But oh boy bellissima all right. 

Slumbering Cat Joined us for Lunch in Ravello

     Back in Positano eat at Chez Black and you’ll be enjoying the food and scenery will be the same as it was in 1960.  Let a car pick you up and take you high in the hills to La Tagliata for dinner. It's not a restaurant, it's mama's kitchen.  Mama will keep sending out dishes until you are at the point of exploding.  

     You don’t have to rush to Positano because it will stay the same until you get there.  But by all means go.