PositanoItaly

Named a UNESCO World Heritage site, Positano is rich in history, including its celebrated churches. The most important is S. Maria Assunta Church, built in Baroque style, which houses the ancient Byzantine Tablet of the Black Madonna with child. Its majolica-tiled mosaic cupola, with yellow and green tiles, overlooks Piazza Flavio Gioia, where a Roman villa was uncovered. The villa was built for a prominent figure in the Roman senatorial class who had made a home for himself in Positano.

Other interesting places include local villas like Palazzo Murat, Villa Sersale and Villa Stella Romana, which still preserve their ancient splendour and stand as evidence of the importance of this area in the past. Another important piece of Positano's history is the guard towers, which bear witness to the frequent danger posed by pirates, Saracens and looters in centuries gone by. Torre della Sponda, in the beach area of the town, was one of the last towers to be used, while Torre di Fornillo was the residence of Gilbert Clavel.

The maze of narrow streets under the shadow of the majolica-tiled cupola of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta will lead you on a voyage of discovery through local crafts and traditions. The original "Moda Positano" store is the pride of a town which has based most of its economy on traditional crafts. Strictly hand-sewn and dyed clothes and accessories, but also made-to-measure genuine leather sandals, are the ultimate souvenirs you'll always find in the tourist's suitcase upon his or her unfortunate departure.

Positano has different souls and faces, in the form of its surrounding villages, which make it unique. Montepertuso is the largest of Positano's mountain villages and together with Nocelle forms the high part of the city. Laurito is Positano's oldest village, thus named for the wild laurels that used to grow there.

For beach lovers, in addition to Grande Beach, Positano also has Fornillo Beach. "Li Galli" stands three miles off the coast. This small archipelago is composed of three tiny islands: Gallo Lungo, Rotonda and Castelluccio. While no one can set foot on the islands, nothing can stop you admiring them in all their glory from the sea, particularly on a mini-cruise, when you will be dazzled by the seabed all around the islands. Another absolutely unmissable itinerary is the Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods), one of the most beautiful and evocative trails in the whole of Positano. The trail goes from the State Forestry Corps barracks to Capo Muro, where you can admire a famous rock called "The Mushroom". The path then unwinds down the slope before going back up and then down again towards Crocella.

There are countless itineraries around Positano that will lead you to discover the Amalfi Coast. Capri, Amalfi, Ravello, the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum will fill your days, which will never seem long enough to savour everything properly.

There is plenty to do even after the sun goes down. For couples, after a pleasant stroll down the narrow roads of the city centre and a barefoot stop at Grande Beach, a romantic candlelit dinner in one of the restaurants right along the sandy shore is a must. If it's night-life you're after —especially during the summer— you can stay up till the wee hours of the night, enjoying a drink and a fresh fish dinner in one of the seaside restaurants before hitting the dance floor at Music on the Rocks, the historic discotheque at Grande Beach in Positano.

History, seaside and fun… a holiday in Positano has all the right ingredients for an event to be remembered.