The Story Behind the Travel Photo: Positively Positano & Amazing Amalfi
- Feb 26
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 28
You couldn't have built a better movie set: perched precariously on the side of a cliff that's part of the Lattari Mountains, more pedestrian than roadways, neighbors who still hang out the window to gossip (despite the high tourism), family owned businesses, Vespas zipping around, small outdoor cafes serving espresso.
Getting there is and adventure, a journey from the north: Milan, Rome, Naples, Sorrento. You could drive yourself, but what to do with the vehicle when you get there? You could be driven there, but it could expensive but it's a great option. But a fun way is to get to Sorrento and take the bus.
First, fair warning: when we say that Positano (as well as the entire Amalfi coast region) is perched on the side of a mountain, we are not kidding. The highway hugs the edge, giving you wide-eyed views of the drop off the side into the Tyrrhenian Sea, which may be a beautiful color blue at that point. People with issues with heights may have to decide whether this region is good for them.
On the other side, the mountain continues up, leaving you to wonder how residents get around with slopes one side and drops on the other. In a minute, you'll see the solution: Vespa brand motor scooters zip by you so fast you think it was a mosquito that just whizzed by. In fact, you can sit on the side of the road for a good half hour and be entertained like you were watching social media. Look for genuine arguments: people jumping out of cars and off the Vespas, gesturing wildly while cursing each other out in varying dialects of Italian. Just when you think there is going to be a physical fight, they jump back onto their vehicles and race off. Locals hardly give it a glance while visitors are standing that with their mouths open.
Meanwhile, we had originally journeyed from New York to Milan, taking a train to Rome, caught a very local train to Naples, transferred to another local train to Sorrento, where we caught the bus. Technically, we were staying in Praiano, the next town over, so visiting Positano necessitated taking the bus back and forth.
If you are now used to taking public transportation consistently, Europe will give you a fast tutorial on how to get around without a car. Even in an area, that looks like it's remote (it's really not, it's one of the hottest tourist spots in Italy), the transportation system is designed to support the tourist traffic (no pun intended). How do you get this information? Let us introduce you to your local tabacchi: a combo tobacco shop, convenience store, newsstand and most importantly, your bus stop. You can buy bus tickets (or tokens, or whatever you need, although now there are apps). More importantly, you can talk with the staff and get lots of local information about what to see, where to eat and what else to do.
Now know that the locals in and around Positano are going to support each other in the tourism business. You want to go to dinner? My friend runs a restaurant. You need a taxi? My cousin has his own car. You really want a guided tour? My in-law has his own van. It is a total network, one that you can take advantage of.
What To Do in Positano
Staying in Positano is easy: it is a tourist destination and you can easily book a hotel or rental unit. Either way, you're living like a local: the area is small enough to explore in a few days, provided your legs are strong enough. Be prepared for step stairs and small walkways, with hundreds of buildings crammed into a small area. But in a way, you'll feel safe. Someone always seems to be nearby. Try to stay either close to the middle or the bottom, coming up only if you want to visit the town of Amalfi.
Now, what to do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. This is one of those travel adventures where you rest up so that you can continue on to Naples, Rome, Milan, Florence and/or Venice where the pace is a little quicker because there are more places to visit. But in Positano, the vibe is to relax, stroll, take an excursion to Capri or Amalfi (the town), sit at the cafe sipping limoncello or espresso and shop.
The Positano beaches are not a mecca for beachheads: they may or may not be sandy enough to fully enjoy the surf (bring water shoes in case you want to wade in the water), but sitting on the sand on a lounge chair with the proverbial drink with an umbrella in your hand is totally possible and even encouraged. Cafes and restaurants are right there on the beach ready to accommodate you with snacks, meals, gelato and beverages, so you won't have to go far.
You didn't bring everything with you? That's OK. Positano has it. Hike up a few stairs and start shopping. While you're at it, stay in the shop a while, talk to the vendors, swap stories and get their advice on what to see in the bigger cities. They will know little side streets with great ristorantes, where the best gelato is, even, in a cliche way, the best pizza. And yes, Italians do eat pizza.
What's local? Limoncello. Everyone brags that they make the best limoncello. At first, you're impressed that you're drinking homemade hooch. Then, you start walking around Positano and you notice the lemon trees that are growing in everyone's yard with some of the largest lemons ever, the size of grapefruit. The recipe is quite simple: lemon zest, sugar, water, and neutral spirits. And you are in the region that specializes in limoncello, it was born here. And the lemons here are very specific to this region. In fact, you can sample your way around Positano, just make sure you eat something along the way. Limoncello can sneak up on you. And while you are tasting, make sure you pack a small bottle to take home with you instead of picking up the airport version. Put it in your checked luggage.
What to do in Amalfi
This region is called the Amalfi coast and there is actually a town called Amalfi. Way, way back in time, this was a huge a trading port. Amalfi was kind of the little engine that could, fighting its way throughout history, sometimes being conquered, sometimes retaining its independence, maintaining its status in the trading industry. In 1343, though, a lot of the town was destroyed by an earthquake, hurricane and tsunami and it never came back to being a great port. Like other towns along the sea, what to do but become a resort area, first catering mostly to the rich and aristocracy and then ultimately, a destination for the rest of us peons.
Because Amalfi has a lot of nice medieval architecture from its glory days that were not destroyed, it has a certain charm as a tourist spot. And, unlike Positano, you can enjoy it without having to hike up and down all over the place: the main road lets you off at the foot of the mountain, where a lot of the shops and restaurants are, as opposed to Positano, where the main road is at the top.
The beach, like Positano, has a lot of small stones, so you will want to wear water shoes. And it gets quite bustling: lots of people want to get cool near the water, so if you're planning a beach day, head out early, have someone save your spot while the rest of you get breakfast.
As usual, there are the shops and cafes but if you chat up one of the locals, you'll be able to find a nice spot to eat with authentic cuisine, not what they think tourists want. And of course, everyone claims to sell the best limoncello and pizza da napoli. Have fun going on your own self tasting tour.
Many people stay in Positano and make a day trip to Amalfi. But you can stay in Amalfi, too and reverse the process. To get back to Rome from this area, we decided to take the bus from Praiano, where we were staying further out to Salerno. It sounds a little backwards, but, we took a high speed train from there and actually saved some time not to mention the hassles of taking the bus from Praiano to Positano, transferring from there to the main bus to Sorrento, taking the train to Naples and transferring there to Rome. Not to mention the train was a local one. If it sounds confusing, it was just as tiring. Taking one bus from Praiano to Salerno and getting on a train there, which was very nearby was less exhausting.
Ah, you live and learn. Will there be a next time? Absolutely. We'll stay in Positano this time, do a day in Capri and a day in Amalfi and then try to explore. both Salerno and Sorrento. Now, shall we rent Vespas? Hmmm.
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