Positano

Infobox CityIT

|image_caption=Positano's beach from the roadway.
img_coa = Positano-Stemma.gif
img_coa_small = yes
official_name = Comune di Positano
region = Campania
province = Salerno (SA)
elevation_m = 0
area_total_km2 = 8
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 3862
population_density_km2 = 483
timezone = CET, UTC+1
coordinates = coord|40|38|N|14|29|E
frazioni = Montepertuso, Nocelle
telephone = 089
postalcode = 84017
name=Positano
mapx=40.69|mapy=14.488
gentilic = Positanesi
saint = San Vito
day = june 15
mayor = Domenico Marrone
website = [http://www.comunedipositano.it/ www.comunedipositano.it]

Positano is a small town on the Amalfi Coast ("Costiera Amalfitana"), in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.

History

Positano was a port of the Amalfi Republic in medieval times, and prospered in the 16th and 17th centuries. But by the mid-19th century, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to Australia.

Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the 20th century. It began to attract large numbers of tourists in the 1950s, especially after John Steinbeck published his essay about Positano in "Harper's Bazaar" in May, 1953: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."

Main sights

The church of" Santa Maria Assunta" features a dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna. According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from Byzantium and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A terrible storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The precious icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated.

Culture

Positano has been featured in several films, including "Only You" (1994), and "Under the Tuscan Sun" (2003). It also hosts the annual Cartoons on the Bay Festival, at which Pulcinella awards for excellence in animation are presented. From July 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home of singer-songwriter Shawn Phillips and was where most of his best known work was composed. Also, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones wrote the song "Midnight Rambler" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.

Today, tourism is the major industry in Positano. Two of its hotels, Il San Pietro and Le Sirenuse, are frequently cited as among the best in the world. In 2006, "Travel + Leisure "magazine published the results of its 11th annual poll asking readers to name the best travel hot-spots and placed Le Sirenuse in 30th position for best hotels in the world.

External links

* [http://www.positanolife.it/en/ A Complete Positano and Amalfi coast travel guide]
* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?tb=1&city=positano&country=IT Mapquest]
* [http://www.cartoonsbay.com/ Cartoons on the Bay Festival]
* [http://www.portanapoli.com/Eng/Positano/positano.html Photos and information about Positano]
* [http://www.campaniameteo.it/webcampositanostreaming.asp Positano live streaming webcam]
* [http://www.costiera-amalfitana.com/positano.htm Storia e informazioni su Positano]
* [http://amalfi.rome-in-italy.com/positano1.html Pictures and story about Positano]
* [http://www.worldphototour.org/italy/campania/positano/index.asp Positano photos]
* [http://www.positanonews.it Positano online newspaper] about Positano, the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento and Campania in general
* [http://www.webvisionitaly.com/category.php?id=10&ref_genre=&ref_item=202 Italy Travel Video - Positano]
* [http://www.summerinitaly.com/eng/rent/accommodationinpositano!italy_.htm List of private holiday homes in Positano]