PositanoThe vertical city

Positano is the most westerly town on the Amalfi Coast. The town looking as though it is standing on tip toes, nestled against the craggy rock face plunging towards the sea, its cluster of colourful houses reaching skywards.

There are many theories as to how the town acquired its name. The best known is the legend of the transport of the painting of the Virgin Mary, carried through stormy seas and now housed in the Chiesa Madre.

As the sailors were drawing closer to the beach of Positano, they heard between the crashing of stormy waves a crystal clear voice repeating "Posa... Posa...". As they came ashore, bearing the painting of the Madonna, the storm miraculously subsided. According to history however, the name Positano comes from Paestum, when its inhabitants, fleeing from Saracen raids in 915 AD, found refuge on the land of the Benedictine Abbey of San Vito, where today, situated high above, are the hamlets of Nocelle and Montepertuso.