POSITANO ITINERARY: 5 DAYS IN THE MOST FAMOUS CITY OF THE AMALFI COAST

Positano is certainly not easy to reach but this is what makes it so special: I can assure you that a visit to this coast is certainly worth the effort you will put to reach it. If you have planned to land at Rome Fiumicino (FCO) airport,  here are all the options available to reach the Amalfi Coast, this fantastic land that includes 13 municipalities, one more beautiful than the other.

1. Take a train from Fiumicino to Salerno, then take a ferry to Positano.
   I put this option as a first choice because I strongly recommend it. Although it will take you a little longer than a direct trip, it is the least expensive option at the same speed. From Roma Termini station I recommend you choose a train by Trenitalia or Italo Treno, official providers of the High-Speed service in Italy, which in about 1h and 30 mins will take you to Salerno. From here, with a short walk of a few minutes, you can reach Piazza Concordia and hop on a  Travelmar ferry that will take you to Positano in just over an hour. During this last trip, you will already start to discover the peculiar beauty of this coast.
2. Use a private car service with a driver.
   If your goal is to have a comfortable trip, this option is definitely the most convenient for you as you will not have to do anything but get in the car while someone will bring you to your destination. Unfortunately, as you can well imagine, it is certainly the most expensive and certainly not the fastest, because in periods of great tourist influx, such as during summer or special events, State Road 163 (the only road to reach the Amalfi Coast) is very busy and there is a risk of being bottled for a long time in traffic.
3. Rent a car.
   This is the least recommended option. Between the cost of the rental, the motorway tolls, the high prices of petrol and the lack of parking, this is undoubtedly the most stressful choice. Also, take into account the difficulty of driving on State Road 163 which is very scenic but equally difficult for inexperienced drivers. 

Positano is quite expensive but certainly not much more than the most popular Italian resorts. There are, however, accommodations available for every budget. I advise you to book in advance because, especially in high season, you could risk not finding a place. Here are some tips depending on your accommodation needs and price:

1. Luxury hotel: Le Agavi Hotel, Il San Pietro di Positano
2. B&B: Dimora del Podestà
3. Hotel: Hotel Eden Roc , Hotel Villa Gabrisa
4. Villas: Villa Punta del Sole

On day one you will certainly be a bit tired from the trip, so my advice is not to immediately immerse yourself in Positano's "dolce vita".
Take your time to get up (on holiday relaxation should be a priority!), enjoy your terrace overlooking the sea, and admire the spectacle of the Amalfi Coast while you have breakfast.
In the late morning your exploration of the city can begin: dive into the winding streets and, if you get a little peckish, you can also choose to eat a Caprese sandwich in one of the many delis scattered around the city.

During your walk, you will notice many local craft shops: colored ceramics, handmade sandals and shoes, many models of clothing in the Positano fashion style (made in linen and fresh cotton fabrics with marine or lemon motifs), and also delicious lemon delicacies (limoncello and ice cream) and some art galleries.

Along the way, you will also find many restaurants. Do not forget to book your table for dinner because there will certainly be a full house, especially in those restaurants on the main streets.

I recommend you to book at Restaurant Mediterraneo in Viale Pasitea 236: fresh and traditional food and great service.

On the second day of your trip to Positano, I suggest you get acquainted with the sea of Positano It is one of the most beautiful seas in Italy and has received the Blue Flag of the FEE,  an eco-label that is awarded every year to seaside resorts that can boast pristine waters and excellent services.

In Positano, there are 4 beaches and all of them have both private and public beaches. For this first day, I recommend you go to the Spiaggia Grande (the big beach) in Positano which is certainly the most frequented because it hosts the most famous skyline of the Amalfi Coast, shared in thousands of photos every year. In the coming days, you can plan a swim on the other beaches, just as beautiful and unspoiled.

Two of them, Laurito Beach and Arienzo Beach, can be reached by sea thanks to private boat transfers, departing from Spiaggia Grande, while Fornillo Beach can be reached both by sea, for free if you book sun bed and umbrella in one of the beaches, and on foot with a short walk along the so-called "Path of Lovers", Via Positanesi d'America, a very suggestive and panoramic street.

In Fornillo there are very well-equipped beaches where you can also have lunch directly on the beach and, if you prefer, you can enjoy the public beach.

For the afternoon I suggest you plan an excursion to the Path of Lemons at sunset. It is an ancient path that winds between Minori and Maiori, two towns of the Coast just 30 minutes from Positano. Once this path was the only link between the towns of the Coast and the hinterland and was used by local people to carry, thanks to straw baskets resting on the head, lemons, and other marketed products.

You can book your tour with Travelmar. It provides both the transfer by sea and a guide who will accompany you along this route for about two hours. It will be a wonderful experience that will make you enjoy the fantastic views of the Coast and that will allow you to admire beautiful lemon groves. It will also let you taste a delicious lemon salad or one of the various preparations made by the locals with the famous local citrus, the delicious Lemon Sfusato Amalfitano.

When in Positano, you can not help but go to the discovery of one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the world. That’s why I recommend you dedicate your third day on the coast to a wonderful walk to the Path of the Gods.

This is a trekking route of unique beauty, about 8 km long, from which you can admire the island of Capri with the Faraglioni, the archipelago of Li Galli, the Monti Lattari, and the Amalfi Coast… all in their magnificence, surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation.

There are several ways to reach the starting point of the trail, which is located in Agerola, precisely in Bomerano, but the most comfortable ways are essentially two: a private transfer or a trip by sea to Amalfi and a bus connection to Agerola.

If you choose this second option you can book here your combined ticket "ferry+bus".

This experience, which will probably take you all morning, will certainly be very nice. After about 3 hours of walking, the Path finishes close to Positano, with a final staircase of about 1700 steps from the village of Nocelle. In this village, you can refresh yourself with a fantastic lemonade and then continue to go down to the beach of Arienzo (from the Road to the beach there are about 200 steps) to take a spectacular dip in the beautiful sea of this cove, away from the most crowded beaches of Positano.
Then you can safely decide to return to the center by sea using a water taxi.

For the evening, treat yourself to dinner in one of the restaurants on the beach. Book in advance because they are always very crowded and choose one of the clubs on the promenade (Via del Brigantino) that serve fish dishes but also pizza and typical recipes.

Without considering the excellent taste of the dishes, just having dinner in this location will be a very romantic experience, with the wonderful view of the skyline of Positano illuminated by the thousand lights of the night and the moon.

To finish the evening, if you are a lover of good music and nightlife, a visit to the disco is a must. Nearby there is the most glamorous disco of the Coast, the Music on the Rocks, dug into a cave.

Ravello is one of the most beautiful and famous cities of the Amalfi Coast and it will not be difficult to reach it from Positano.

The means of transport that I recommend is once again the ferry company Travelmar which is the fastest and most comfortable, combined with the bus line since the beautiful town is located in the hills about 400 meters above sea level.

Ravello is especially famous for its fourteenth-century villas, Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, but also for Villa La Rondinaia, the Buen Retiro of Gore Vidal for about 33 years, currently a charming luxury resort.

In the Villa Cimbrone in addition to visiting the beautiful gardens among which stand the Cloister and the Crypt, along the Viale dell’Immenso (Ally of the Immense) you will reach the Terrace of Infinity, so called because it offers a breathtaking view of the Coast. I strongly recommend you take panoramic photos of this divine coast!

For a quick lunch, here in Ravello, you can also eat the famous "cuoppo fritto" (a paper cone filled with fried foods) in the version with meat or fish. Various restaurants in town serve it and the fried food is really tasty.

Once you are back to the port of Positano, I recommend a good swim on the beach and, why not, a visit to the Museum Mar Positano where you can admire the remains of a Pompeian villa destroyed by the earthquake after the eruption of Vesuvius of 79 AD, unearthed a few years ago during excavations, restored and opened to the public in 2018.

We have reached the last day of your holiday and, certainly, you can not miss a visit to Amalfi, the capital of the Amalfi Coast.

The whole coast takes its name from this town that has a long history as it was one of the four Italian Maritime Republics, so among the most flourishing trading countries during the Middle Ages.

Amalfi is a small jewel, rich in places of art: the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea with its wonderful facade and the long staircase of 62 steps, the Cloister of Paradise, and the Crypt with the tomb of Sant'Andrea. Some other must-sees are also: the Arsenale which usually hosts exhibitions, conferences, or concerts but which, from the Middle Ages was the Republic’s shipyard; the two permanent cribs: one in the fountain Cap e ciuccio (Donkey’s head)  and one near the elementary school; the Supportico Rua, that is the ancient Rua Mercatorum, the market street in medieval times, and the Amalfi Paper Museum.

In addition to these places of incomparable beauty, do not miss the opportunity of taking a dip in the sea of Amalfi and taste some delicacies in the historic Pasticceria Pansa: Delizia al Limone (lemon delight), Amalfi kisses, Babà and Sfogliatella Santa Rosa are just some of the sweets for which this place is renowned…I assure you that they will delight you!

When you are back in Positano, you can go shopping and take with you some of the handicraft souvenirs for which these places are famous: colored ceramics, leather sandals, linen dresses, and the famous Limoncello, the most famous digestive of the Amalfi Coast!

This is Positano, the pearl of the Coast and I assure you that any itinerary you decide to make for your holiday, those here will be unforgettable days!