What to do in the quintessential Amalfi Coast town of Positano? A whole lot of relaxing.

After a couple weeks of traveling to cities where a lot of walking and sightseeing was included, the husband and I needed a break. We had another long weekend along with a short time left in Europe so we didn’t want to waste it by not exploring a new area. The Amalfi Coast has been on our list of places to see and it seemed to be the perfect place to unwind. After little research, Positano seemed to be one of the most popular towns on the coast so we found a hotel overlooking the water and close to the center of town.

The travel down to Positano was anything but relaxing. Our flight left around 8am from Venice and flew about an hour south to Naples. Once in Naples, we walked to a bus that took us to the Naples Central Train Station. The bus ride opened my eyes to another level of the Italian drivers. Everyone was honking at each other and it was the epitome of organized chaos. Once at the train station, we waited in an Italian “line” to purchase train tickets to Sorrento. The “line” was more like a clusterjam of locals and tourists all edging as close as they can to the ticket counter. While some locals simply jump to the front and persistently wave their money at the man in the ticket booth. The ticket booth only takes cash by the way – which led to a pool of other issues for a lot of tourists traveling with little cash and no cash machine in sight.

We make our way to the front and manage to grab the attention of the man to purchase train tickets to Sorrento. The platform for the train is extremely packed as the train makes about twenty other stops, with Sorrento being the last on the line. The train arrives and as it slows down on the rail we notice it’s already crowded. The doors open for people to get off or on the train and from behind we hear an Italian woman yelling, “attenzione! attenzione! attenzione!” She is carrying a baby and did not want anyone to bump in to her child. Packed into the train like sardines, I manage to find a seat in the back as my husband stands nearby. In front of us are four American girls with suitcases bigger than their own bodies. One is sitting on top of her suitcase, and another is complaining loudly to her friend about how crowded the train is and that she cannot move an inch. Next to me, a man who looks like a street vendor is sitting with a huge plastic bag filled with knockoff purses that’s overflowing into my lap. He tells his friend who’s close to the window to roll the window down as he motions that it’s hot. The train starts to pull off. I try to soak the whole, humorous experience in as much as I can and can’t help but to think how this situation is something I know I’ve seen in a movie.

After about an hour on the train, we arrive in Sorrento where our journey is not over just yet. From the train station in Sorrento, we now must catch a bus to Positano. This process was easy and the drive was about 30 minutes to Positano. Finally, our journey was complete. We had arrived in paradise for the weekend. We had a short walk to the hotel where we threw our backpacks in our room then headed out to the terrace for a Spritz.

 

We soaked up the view from our hotel, Hotel Villa Gabrisa, with one more round then headed to our room for a much needed nap. The view from our room was breathtaking.

For dinner, we found a family-owned trattoria that served delicious pasta, fish, and pizza and house red wine to wash it all down with. The next couple days were filled with a whole lot of meandering around the beautiful town, napping on the beach, and eating. Southern Italy and the Naples area are known for their food. This is where pizza was invented! But they also have some of the best pasta I’ve ever tasted. Not to mention, it’s right on the coast so all the seafood is scrumptious. My favorite part of our trip was relaxing on the beach enjoying a bottle of local white wine.

From Positano there are a couple of popular day trips such as Capri, which is a short boat ride away. Or exploring the famous Blue Grotto. Or hiking one of the lemon and lavender naturally infused trails along the coastline. All of these ideas appealed to us, but these did involve more energy and this was a total relaxation trip! We found a little bit of paradise in Positano. We recuperated from long weeks passed and clarified our minds a bit in this calming atmosphere. The views and sights of the town are indescribable and it’s the perfect place for unwinding.