Positano is a municipality with 3862 inhabitants situated in the province of Salerno and placed, by a geographic point of view, on the “Costiera amalfitana” (Amalfi’s coast).

 It’s an appreciated holiday site since the antiquity, in fact, during 2004, the remains of a roman villa were found out. The mild climate and the beauty of landscapes make Positano a very famous touristic destination.

There are many “scalinate” (upstairs) which join the upper town with its fantastic beaches. The most famous between them are: “Spiaggia grande” (great beach), Fornillo, San Pietro Laurito, La Porta. In the Middle Age Positano was often victim of the incursions of Saracen pirates. For this reason some towers for sighting were built all along the coast, and when the guardians on towers sought a Saracen ship they gave the alarm by cannon shots. In this way, Positano’s inhabitants could take shelter on the rocky and steep mountains of the hinterland, and as Saracens weren’t good cliffhangers they were easy preys to Positanians.

The name Positano origins from a beautiful legend, which tells that during the 12 th A.D. a ship which was sailing on the Tyrrhenian sea was transporting a painting of the Madonna (Our Lady). For the lack of wind the ship didn’t go on and the Benedictine monks who carried the painting with themselves listened to a voice that said: “Posa! Posa!, that means Stop, Stop! So they threw the anchor and placed the painting in the local church, situated in the central square of the town which is called “Piazzetta dei Mulini” (Little square of mills).

 Positano is a lovely place, with its beautiful alleys and little houses placed on the distaffs. It’s also called “città romantica” (Romantic town), because its special atmosphere seems to encourage people to fall in love. Amalfi’s coast is worth to be seen too, with some wonderful little towns as Amalfi, Ravello, Viteri sul Mare, Maiori and Minori, and it’s one of the favourite touristic destinations in southern Italy.

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