POSITANO ~ Italy

From the moment I arrived in Positano, I was in love.  I read that it is the most photographed fishing village in the world and I can see why.  There is something magical about the place.  
We enjoyed exploring each alcove and store as we traveled down intricate winding roads to the sea.

  

Like most of these small fishing villages we traveled to, I find myself unable to find words to describe their endless beauty and enchantment.  I found myself standing on this lovely beach looking back at rows of vertical houses, tourist dining al fresco, and an artist trying to capture the beauty of his surrounding on canvas.  I felt like I was on a movie set or having a wonderful dream that I never wanted to wake from.

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is an important part of Positano’s cultural, religious and architectural landscape. The church is one of the town’s most prominent and photographed sights, as it is located right in the center of Positano just a few steps from the  Marina Grande beach.   The church’s colorful majolica tiled dome is one of the town’s iconic symbols, its intricate pattern of yellow, green and blue tiles shining against the blue sky and Mediterranean Sea.

Standing here looking up at these building stirs something deep inside me. It’s beauty can’t be captured with a camera but as I look at these photos, I find myself  transported back to the beach  and I can smell the salt air and feel the breeze on my face.  I love the way John Steinbeck wrote about Positano in Harper’s Bazaar in 1953.

‘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’. And later in the article, ‘In a few days we became aware of Positano’s greatest commodity – characters’.

Steinbeck, a master of observation, goes on to reveal many more details about life in Positano. This town, built into the cliffs on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, won the affections of Steinbeck along with many other writers and artists throughout the 20th century.

      

This is one of my all time favorite photos.  After winding our way though a maze of shops and restaurants, we came out onto Spiaggia Beach.  I started walking toward the water and saw this man in a bright red sweater painting.  I took this picture and then hurried on to the beach.  I wish I would have had the time to sit  and watch him.          

                                                                                                                   

That is one of the downfalls of having  only a few hours to explore at each port.  If I had to choose one place to return to, I think I would choose the Amalfi coast though Cinque Terre would be a close second.

Antica Sartoria  has beautiful flowing clothing that just screams  Positano.     The shop was full of beautifully embroidered cotton and silk clothing in the most beautiful colors.  They have an online catalog if you want to check out some of their merchandise you can see it here.

My beautiful daughter

Me

I just had to add this picture of the restroom in Positano since the restrooms in Europe fascinated me. It was not uncommon to find restrooms like this throughout Italy.  If you will look at the red stickers between the doors, you will notice that one stall is for women and one is form men and there are no toilet seats to be seen.