Positano

My family and I have just returned from a week in Positano, on the Amalfi Coast. It is a wonderful town, built onto the side of a steep cliff that runs down to the Mar Tirreno. A live cam offers a sense of the landscape, the small stone houses, ornate church domes, the beach and the boats in the harbor.

The view from the Amalfi Drive is spectacular, but the driver may not get a chance to see much, negotiating the narrow, sharp curves on the side of the cliff with busses barreling at you, cars behind honking their horns, and motor scooters passing you on the right and the left.

As wonderful as the view is, it may not be the best thing about Positano. It took us about one day to "get" that life here moves at a more human pace. Breakfast means 120 steps down to the salumeria for coffee, bread, fruit and cheese. After 120 steps back up, we are in no hurry to brew or slice. It can wait. By the time we get to it, lunch looms. So, it's 500 steps down to the cafe for a panini and, why not, some wine. After 500 steps back up, we know more about why the Italians take the afternoon off. Dinner is late and the wine is good. No need to do much else but talk until it's time for bed.