Positano

Picture-perfect coastal town

Come see for yourself how Positano tumbles down the cliff face in layers of pastel. Pink, peach, terracotta – the houses stack impossibly steep, connected by more stairs than anyone’s bothered to count. Bougainvillea spills over stone walls. Domes catch the summer light. The Tyrrhenian Sea glitters at the bottom of it all.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta sits near the waterfront, its majolica-tiled dome unmistakable against the skyline. Step inside to find a Byzantine Black Madonna, carried here centuries ago (according to local legend). The Moorish influence shows in the curves and colours – a reminder of when Mediterranean cultures blended more freely.

The main beach, Spiaggia Grande, fills with striped umbrellas and bodies bronzing under the southern sun. It’s a postcard scene, full of colours and conversation. If that feels too much, follow the path west to Fornillo Beach – smaller, quieter, framed by an old Saracen tower. The same clear water, half the sunbeds, twice the space to breathe.

Positano made its name in fashion before it became a relaxation destination. Those handmade sandals you see everywhere? The flowing linen too – designed for this heat, these hills, this particular quality of coastal light? This is the spot to treat yourself to a few classics of the Italian wardrobe.

The food follows the coast’s rhythm. Seafood pasta appears on every menu, cooked with whatever the boats brought in that day. Lemons grow on terraces carved into the cliffs above town. And they turn up everywhere – in desserts, in drinks, in that limoncello that tastes a little bit like distilled sunshine.