Why Visit
It lies between Salerno and Amalfi. It offers stunning views and excellent beaches and it is a popular holiday resort of the coast, visited by many tourists and boats.
History
Positano was a holiday resort during Roman times, as evidenced by the discovery of a villa under the church of Santa Maria Assunta. Later on, during the Early Middle Ages, it was a port of the Republic of Amalfi. It prospered during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries but by the nineteenth century it fell on hard times. Its population emigrated. It remained a small and relatively poor fishing village until the 1950s. It began to attract large number of tourists and today it is one of the most popular holiday resorts in the Amalfi Coast.
Museums - Archeological
The Middle Ages saw the construction of several towers for the sighting of the Saracens, the authors of numerous incursions and raids against the local population. The first tower is located outside the town of Positano, at Punta Campanella. From there, it spotted the Arabs, they threw the first signal, a cannon shot, and then the tom tom was moved to the second, then third and so on, along Positano and the Amalfi Coast. In this way, the inhabitants of Positano could take refuge on the steep hills.
Beaches
The beach of Arienzo lies just a few minutes out of Positano. The descent from the coastal road to the beach is a path of great natural beauty, that takes you through a luxuriant vegetation in which a few villas are immersed.
Fiumicello Beach is a secluded beach reachable only by boat, it's a nice, solitary spot for those wanting to get away from the crowds. Fiumicello beach ("little river") gets its name from the stream that flows from the narrow gorge. The beach backs into a crevice in the rock. While a staircase leads down to it, it is locked and open only to private clients of a club. Since there is very limited access and few know to hire a boat to come here, it is a very uncrowded beach.
The Fornillo beach is famous for its beauty. It has also been immortalized by great painters, like Peter Ruta and Depero; loved by Cocteu and Pablo Picasso; favourite shelter of dozens of VIPs.
La Calcara beach is a pebble beach is about fifty meters. Its southern exposure keeps it sunny until early afternoon. It's a lovely setting with a strip of sand, next to the old quarry, where you'll see fishing boats resting on the shore.
La Porta Beach is a wide and deep beach by Amalfi Coast standards, with pebbles instead of sand, like most of the swimming spots here. Despite it's lovely location very close to Positano, it's never crowded. That's because it's reachable only by boat. But the ferry that leaves from the Spiaggia Grande will bring you here without a hassle, and it's much nicer and quieter than the overcrowded beaches in town.
The Laurito Beach was in the past, this small cove was the starting point for the pirates to raid commercial boats. Nowadays, it's the launching pad for a day of sun, surf and seafood. Laurito is a closely guarded secret. The small beach is surprisingly uncrowded, though you'll find a sunny, pebbly cove with beach chairs to rent and two restaurants to enjoy. There are pretty panoramas of pastel Positano to take in while sunbathing, making it a really nice perch for the day.
Le Grottelle Beach is a secluded spot near Positano, about 2 1/2 kilometers from town. It's accessible by a pathway that leads down the cliff from the road to nearby Marinella della Calcara. It's name comes from from the small natural caves that lie at the base of the cliff. The beach is tucked between high, beautiful rock walls. While it's a challenge to get to, when you arrive you'll find a private oasis with few other people and a pristine setting.
The Marina di Tordigliano has 350 meters of seafront space and it is one of the largest on the Amalfi Coast. Here beaches tend to be little patched of sand between rock crevices. Marina di Tordigliano is bigger, and more beautiful because it's left in a natural state. It is uncontaminated and undeveloped; it's also uncrowded, in part because of the effort needed to descend (and then climb up again!) the trail that leads down 170 vertical meters from the road. A better way to arrive might be to hire a boat to shuttle you there. The beach is capped with green conifers and lapped by gentle waters.
The Spiaggia Grande (the "large beach") is the main beach of Positano, as well as the center for many of the activities of the village.
Torre di Clavel Beach is an enchanting little seaside spot below the remains of the 16th century watch tower that was known as Torre Fornillo, until it was renamed for Count Clavel Gilbert, a Swiss nobleman and writer who restored it early in the last century. The tower and its cute stone staircase provide a beautiful backdrop to the beach.
The Varo Ferola Beach is named for the district outside of Positano in which it's situated. It is a pebble beach that is fairly unknown. It's tucked between rock outcroppings; to the right side are two natural, graceful rock arches. It's about 400 meters after Punta Germano. The southwest exposure means it gets sun all morning until early afternoon.
Religious Monasteries and Churches
