Hotel Olimpico
Litoranea di Pontecagnano Salerno (Italy)

info@hotelolimpico.it

Tel: +39 089 203004  Fax: +39 089 203458

Positano Italy Amalfi Coast. Hotel Olimpico located in Pontecagnano with swimming pool and private beach access, excursions to Positano, Amalfi Coast

  Versione Italiana

Positano, Italy           Foto gallery

Set into the mountains, surrounded by rich mediterranean vegetation, Positano is so picturesque as to seem a spontaneous stage setting. Seen from the sea it looks like a huge nativity scene, a waterfall of little multicoloured houses clinging onto its sides.

The town develops vertically. The homes, one on top of the other, are characterised by arched porticos that give onto the sea, they are painted in pastel colours, giving it the look of a multifaceded precious stone. It is not for nothing that  Positano is called “the gem of the divine coast”.

The narrow streets, lined with boutiques, run downhill between the houses flowing onto the Spiaggia Grande, a wide beach. From here there is a beautiful sea view, as well as of the town as it clambers up the mountainside.

On the main square of Positano is the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, there since the year 1,000. The great coloured majolica cupola is visible from all over town. The little beaches of Positano are charming and easy to get to on foot or by boat: Fornillo, Fiumicello and Arienzo.

Positano is a holiday destination appreciated for VIP vacations. Around 1940 Irene Kowaliska, a painter who lived here in Villa Sette Santi, used Positano as inspiration for her paintings on cloth. The Villa Stella Romana has been host to, among other Popes, Pope John Paul II. Illustrious artists, fashion moguls and screen stars love to come here to relax.

A few miles from the coast are Li Galli (or “Sirenuse”), a tiny archipelago made up of three islets: the Gallo Lungo, the Rotonda and the Castelluccio, considered the ancient dwellings of the enchanting Sirens. Positano  is not just about the sea: pleasant walks take one to visit the evocative areas around Lattari Mountains, like Montepertuso, so-called because it is said that the Madonna appeared here in a hole in the cliff (“pertuso” stands for hole).  A stairway of 1,700 steps takes you to Nocelle. It is from here that the famous Trail of Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) begins, with beautiful views over the entire coast.

Or you can reach the beautiful coastal Punta San Pietro, where there is a little church  on a precipice over the sea.

Positano Tourist Information: Top Positano Sights
Although tourism has grown to become fairly integral to the nature of today's Positano, the town does manage to retain elements of its past, when it was little more than a tiny fishing village. The town is undeniably a very special, unique and 'real' part of Campania, boasting dramatic cliff-hugging roads, popular beachfronts and some of the very best views that you are ever likely to experience. Apart from the beaches and water sports, other tourist attractions include cruises along the Amalfi Coast, the very beautiful Bay of Salerno, and a choice of walking trails, with a very appealing cliff side path connecting the Spiaggia Grande and Spiaggia del Fornillo beaches.

Away from Positano's beaches are a number of very different tourist attractions. The Town Hall is a central landmark in the town and features a large balcony overlooking the sea, where many people choose to get married each week. Famed for its majolica tile-clad dome and tall stone pillars, the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta is amongst the oldest landmarks in Positano, dating back as far as the 10th century. Even older and created by nature, the sea cavern known as the Emerald Grotto (Grotta dello Smeraldo) is always very popular with tourists and holidaymakers, and guided tours through the illuminated chambers take place on boats.

Praiano is 6 Km down the road from Positano Italy and makes a less expensive base from which to visit Positano. There is a lovely beach on the road towards Positano, but like everything on this coast, you must be willing to descend (and ascend!) acres of steps. If you take the road towards Amalfi from Praiano, you will come across Marina di Praia, a charming fishing village, 400 years old and tucked away on the craggy coast.

There are three islands off the coast of Positano Italy , Gallo Lungo, La Rotonda and La Castelluccia. Together they are called Li Galli islands. They are described by Homer in The Odyssey and were believed to be the home of the Sirens (sirenuse), who sang and lead sailors to their death on the rocks. There are many boat excursions which will take you around the bay and islands.

Nocelle is another small fishing town, west of Positano Italy. It can be reached by walking from the end of Positano’s via Mons S Clinque. There a few restaurants where you can eat and enjoy the panorama from the terrace

Whilst there are no real museums of note within the town of Positano, there is plenty of history, particularly nearby. If you are able to take a few day trips, then nearby Naples is home to a very impressive selection of museums, with plenty of historical information about Campania. Alternatively, take a short excursion to Pompeii or Herculaneum and learn more about the Roman culture that once flourished in these ancient Roman towns, which are really like giant open-air museums, filled with treasures around every corner.

Campania is a very popular part of Italy and has much to offer visiting tourists. During the summer, the town's waterfront is bustling with ferries, hydrofoils and other boats, which whisk people to destinations such as Amalfi, Naples, Ravello and Sorrento. The isle of Capri is especially close to Positano and makes for a very worthwhile day trip, offering everything from glorious sandy beaches and Mediterranean 'sea caves', to historic sights around the centrally located Piazza Umberto.
 

On a slope cultivated with vines and olive trees one finds Furore. The ancient name for the entire area was once Terra Furoris, for the deafening noise made by the sea and the wind during tempestuous nights as they echoed among the high walls of the sheer fjords that come straight down from the plateau of Agerola. A steep set of steps takes you to the bottom. The attraction of this piece of coast is irresistable, with the fjords wedged between vines and cliffs, tiny houses and the sea.

Praiano, halfway up the promontory of Capo Sottile, was the summer residence of the Amalfi’s Doge, a precoucios sign of the future of the village toward becoming a relaxing holiday resort. The lower part of town goes towards Marina di Praia, a beach carved between two high rock walls. Guarding over this marina is one of the many watch-towers that dot the coast.

The nearby Conca dei Marini is a fishing village hemmed in by a marine loop that offers a stunning slice of panorama. The two extremes of this marvellous bay are Capo di Conca, dominated by the Torre di Conca (erected in 1500’s) testimony to the terrifying incursions of pirates, and the Emerald Grotto. The waters breaking into the grotto take on an intense green hue, caused by light filtration. This grotto is full of stalactites and stalagmites, often fused together to form limestone columns of up to 10 meters.

From Conca dei Marini you can get to the plateau of Agerola (650 mt), passing through woods and fields. The area, blessed with flowering fields renown since antiquity, is famous for its dairy products and for the exceptional views of the coast from above.

The heart and the soul of the coast is Amalfi. In the serene blue of the sky and sea, Amalfi, guarded by its port, seems held in the palm of a hand. Above, the scenic drapery of the mountains, hinged like a backdrop, dotted with houses;  below, a picturesque weaving of alleys and steps, all the way to the Piazza, where the Cathedral dominates from the top of its majestic stairs. A unique scene, where historic memory intertwines with unforgettable natural beauty. Suspended between the slopes of Lattari Mountains and the sea, the picturesque alleys of Amalfi today host a large number of tourists, but there was a time , when the powerful Marine Republic had its moment of maximum splendour between the 10th and the 12th centuries, that they kept  the outsiders (Longobards and Saracenes) at bay.

Rich and populated Amalfi enjoyed lively contact with the Orient. In memory of its ancient power every four  years, in June, Amalfi holds the “Historic Regatta of the Marine Republics”.

The town of Amalfi, clinging to the slopes of the coast, is characterised by the famous Duomo (9th century). Its scenic position at the top of steep stairs, that open up among the houses gathered around the small square, give a particular flavour to Amalfi’s historic centre.