First day in Positano

We didn’t do a lot of research about Positano before we came, mainly choosing it as a base to see the Amalfi coast and Pompei, so we asked Manuela for suggestions of what we should do. The first thing she recommended was a walking tour called discoverpositano. It is run by an Australian woman, Christine, who is married to a local and lives in Positano. She only has small groups, never more than 15 people. We thought that would be a good way to learn about the town so we booked for the first morning. We met her outside one of the many churches in the town and while we were waiting for the rest of the group to gather she was telling us about some of the things to do outside of Positano.

The view from our balcony.

Once the group was gathered we went inside the church and Christine started telling us about the history of the town and the church. We visited several shops, one selling ceramics, one selling clothes and another sandals. We were a bit worried at first that we were being taken to overpriced places and encouraged to buy things but we didn’t spend long in each and it was more an opportunity for Christine to explain the history of each type of shop. She then took us to her husband’s delicatessen where we tried some local produce. Two types of cheeses, some salami, olives and sundried tomatoes. They were the best dried tomatoes we have ever had. Vincenzo then gave a short talk about local wines.

We passed a tree with unusual flowers and even more unusual branches. They were covered in huge thorns. The flower looked a bit like a cross between a magnolia and a hibiscus.

Someone asked Christine what it was and she said someone asks her almost every tour but she hasn’t been able to find out. She has had people promise to find out and let her know but no-one has yet.

She told us about the legend associated with the mountain behind the village. It is hard to tell from the photo but the left hand hole goes all the way through while the right hand one doesn’t. Legend has it that the Madonna was on her way over the mountain to fetch water when she came upon the Devil who offered to blast a hole through the mountain for her. She rejected him and continued on her way. Coming back she found the Devil cursing and only part way through the mountain. She told him her faith was stronger than his power and hey presto a huge hole appeared through the mountain next to the one the Devil was trying to make. We didn’t know the Madonna had spent time on the Amalfi coast!

Next we were off to try some Limoncello. It is a very popular local liqueur made from lemons, and boy does it have a kick. Eleven thirty in the morning was way too early for Claire to have more than a sip, but Peter courageously finished both. He did reject the offers from others in the group though.

Positano has two beaches. The main one where the dock is and another one around a point. The second one is much less crowded and we finished our tour there at a bar called Pupettos where we were served a very refreshing drink that they have named the ‘Christine’. The tour was supposed to take 2 hours but we ended up spending almost 3 hours. It was a wonderful way to spend the morning and it set us up for the next 4 days.

On the way to the second beach

At Pupettos

We returned to several of the places that Christine recommended over the next few days and weren’t disappointed with any of them.