(map) Positano, Campania
Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.
~John Steinbeck
Childhood memories of summers spent on the Amalfi coast in the jewel town of Positano are linked to basic sensorial flashes. The midday sun casting diamonds on lazy motorboat rides in the crystal Mediterranean inlets, the smell of dry olive shrubs baking in the sun, the song of cicadas in the afternoon, the texture of raw shrimp eaten 
straight from the callous hands of a fisherman and the unusual taste of buffalo mozzarella grilled over coals on a fresh lemon leaf.
The light is the first thing that strikes the unaccustomed eye in Positano. The beauty of its uphill nature, excruciatingly good food and the smiles on the locals add to the infatuation. Positano is a potent and addictive drug–whose natural high travelers can never quite get rid of. From the first mid-morning coffee to the custom-crafted sandals in the town’s many little workshops, everything makes folks feel good here. 
A swim in the crystal-clear Mediterranean waters and a chilled beer sipped while sitting on a concrete bench at sunset among friends. Whether it’s a busy night-fishing expedition on board a traditional gozzo, or quietly picking sanded down broken pieces of multicolored glass pebbles on the deserted beach, it’s good to take Positano in a little bit at a time. Knowing full well there will always be another visit. It’s inevitable.
-- Contributed by Eleonora Baldwin (see bio), Bi-lingual food & wine connoisseur, home cook, freelance writer, film industry script supervisor and travel enthusiast Lives in Rome with her 4 year old son, where she is currently editing her Italian cookbook/lifestyle manuscript. Eleonora is the author/editor of three popular weblogs: AGLIO, OLIO & PEPERONCINO, a food/lifestyle blog which focuses on Italian cuisine, food history, travel musings and local hang-outs. FORCHETTINE written in Italian; an Italian food-lover’s online guide in which the author reviews restaurant facilities and regional specialties in Italy. ROMA EVERY DAY a daily photo blog of the Eternal City.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Who could NOT love this place…and one of my good friends Rosa-Bella…from http://bellavventura.blogspot.com/ has gone there for a week or so..love looking at her photos :-)
February 5th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
My husband and I travel there often, and it’s so true! We never want to leave, and yet know we will always return to the now familiar and welcoming smiling faces and embraces! It is addictive, and the foods are beyond compare! The air is sweet, and the pace relaxing, meditative. Thank you for another “visit”!
February 5th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Although I was a student in Italy, and my husband was born in Roma, because his family are in Piemonte we have never visited Positano. When we buy an apartment a Roma we want to go. Che bella citta’!
February 5th, 2010 at 9:50 pm
The article is so true. How could you go over just once. It is addictive. We will be back and back.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
We have spent time in Positano every year for over 30 years. It is truly a magical place. The only way to truly understand this is to stay for at least a few days. A day trip won’t do it
February 5th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
Delicious note,Eleanora! Don’t forget to taste the enormous lemons and spoon lemon granita from cups, sold by resourceful vendors on the way down the hill.
February 6th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
I love the slushy lemon granita sold half way down the hill!! It’s another old time favorite. Positano is all about the habit!
ciao
February 6th, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Beautiful, place for a child’s up bringing! Every time I visit I see why~~~~
February 6th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
This is a tasty description of a magical place. Ms. Baldwin’s first line bites you, keeps you close, through sights and aromas. A genuine place, and this alluring postcard takes me back.
February 8th, 2010 at 12:55 am
I long to visit Italy and of course seeing Positano will be a must. The only thing that could improve upon this eventual visit would be to share that cold beer with Eleonora Baldwin after only hearing her delicious words on her blogs. And you do hear her words because they are alive and not just written down.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Lovely, Lola! Our visit to Naples and the coast is one of our most memorable ones. I hope to god the ‘inevitable’ part is true! :)
February 8th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Our favorite spot on the Amalfi coast. Words and pictures cannot really describe the feeling here. If you are traveling to this region Positano is a must BE place. We were staying Minori for the week and had to drive back to Positano a couple of times.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Here’s great post about the pearl of Amalfi coast by Eleonora. Absolutely a dreamy place that I would NEVER forget. I think my time came to pack and hit the road for sweet corner.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
WOW. What a great piece of descriptive writing this is. Congratulations to the writer.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Thank you all for your warm and enthusiastic response. If all goes according to plan, hopefully spring break will take me to Positano!! Ciao and again thanks,
Eleonora xx