Positano, The Amalfi Coast.

On our second day, after a very slow, leisurely get up we decided to explore a little more of the Amalfi Coast. So much to see, Capri, Amalfi, Positano all on the list but alas we really only had time for one of the three, as I also had plans for a boat trip and a hunt to find the Baia di Leranto, (all to come soon). Of course we could have crammed them all in over the five days but we also wanted some proper holiday chill out time, and of course indulge in some dolce far niente, and, well, all the more reason to go back.

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It took just under an hour to reach Positano from Nerano, I was a little skeptical of going by car after hearing horror stories of the driving and the parking but it was totally fine. Now we did have the tiniest little Smart Car and google maps and well we just took our time, but it was totally fine. Just a little piece of advice, go for the smallest car you can, if driving around the Amalfi Coast. The roads are so tiny, so bendy and the parking too is difficult, so the smaller the better.

So off we ventured, along the coast, taking in the bluest sea, sky and the sheer drop down, it was fun! We managed to park along the side of the road, the coin collection of Euros we have collected over time managed to cover the parking, about 16 Euros for 5 hours, so not too bad, and headed into Positano. Also just to highlight this was the beginning of September, I’m not sure how easy we would have found it in the height of August, sometimes they even close off the road so you cannot take cars in. So just do a little research before you go. Now we thought we had parked as close as we could but we still had rather a few stairs down to the sea.

But even the walk down through the cobbled, winding pathways giving little glimpses of that famous view of Positano, is a postcard picture at every corner, an Instagrammer’s dream. We kept walking along the steep narrow streets, passing the boutique shops and gorgeous restaurants along the way. It was truly a beautiful village, but it was insanely busy, and in all honesty that did take the shine off a little. I can imagine visiting back in the 1950’s Dolce Vita days would have been quite exceptional.

We snuck into a little cafe for lemon cake and coffees, and sat on their veranda and over looked the pebbled beach and took in the views over the bay to the water.

But, it really isn’t until you swim into the sea and look back you take in the sheer beauty of this village, the dramatic, crumbling, terracotta, pink and peach houses, which cascade down to the pebbled beach, with the famous lined parasols and sun beds lined up with military precision. The main act, of the Amalfi Coast, if you will. It surpasses any Instagram picture, however beautifully captured, I have ever seen. Swimming and sun bathing in the bay was almost too magical to be true, luckily the gang of twenty something Americans singing I will Survive with their Prosecco bottles in the water brought me back to reality. But despite the annoyance I had with the young ravers waking me up from my Positano dream, I feel you almost need a jolt of realism because otherwise Positano is almost too overwhelmingly beautiful to believe.

After a lovely long afternoon on the beach, we walked back passed the Chiesa di Santa Maria, the 12th century , medieval church, with a colourful majolica-tiled dome and striking gold features, before picking up the most amazing gelato to help with the walk back up the steep narrow hills. Continuously looking back and taking in the famous Positano back drop as much as we could…..Beautiful, dramatic, dazzling, romantic Positano, what an incredibly splendid cliffside village you are.