Amalfi Coast - Day 7 - Positano and the Green Grotto

Today we boarded the ferry from Amalfi to Positano, one of the prettiest and most fashionable spots on the Amalfi Coast. Although its primary attractions are shopping and the beach, Positano also boasts a Roman church that presents a number of incongruities. First of all, the small plaza that leads to the doors is decorated with completely contemporary inlaid art. The Church of Santa Maria Assunta began life in the 12th century as a Benedictine monastery, but was abandoned when the entire lower town moved higher because of fear of pirates. When the pirate threat was deemed to be over in the 18th century, the church was given a compete Baroque makeover. Consequently, it is much more ornate than other churches in the region.

There is a marvelous legend surrounding the Byzantine of the Black Madonna which hangs above the altar. While it probably was brought from Constantinople by the monks in the 12th century, locals prefer to think that Saracen pirates had it on their ship as plunder, and in a violent storm, the Madonna spoke to them, saying "posa, posa," (lay me down). The ship glided safely onto the beach and the pirates became Christians. The painting was kept by the locals, and the town was henceforth called Posa-tano (tano meaning town).  Today, of course, it is Positano.  (Credit to Rick Steves for the info on this story.)

After our tour of the church, we were free to take the 30-minute tour of the archaeological museum, or just to wander on our own.  Foregoing the museum for a little exploring, we walked as far as we could go on the beachside promenade, where we enjoyed some beautiful beach scenery. Positano is home to many wealthy people and their beach homes perched high on the hillside are pretty impressive. We checked out some shops; Positano is known for its beautiful linen clothing.  Very pricey - thank goodness it cost nothing to look!

We had a leisurely lunch before getting the ferry back to Amalfi, where we rushed to purchase tickets to visit the Emerald Grotto just down the coast near Conca di Marina. While not nearly as impressive as the Blue Grotto at Capri, the Green one was fun. We were entertained by our boatman with a rendition of "It's Now or Never," partially in English but mostly in Italian. Music echoes quite well in this cave by the sea!

Back in Amalfi, we rested a bit before meeting our guide to Amalfi Town at 5:00 p.m.  This gentleman was quite entertaining, sharing little local stories and quite a bit of history.  He is very proud of his town (not surprisingly) and certainly shared some history that we did not know. For instance, poor old Flavio Gioia, who has two separate parks named for him, not to mention a pretty impressive statue, actually never existed at all. Apparently the methods of recording history all those centuries ago resembled the modern game of Gossip; by the time the books had been revised a few times, Flavio had been invented. Not surprising that every single little town along the Amalfi Coast claims him as their most famous citizen!

Such a long day - lots of fun, but pretty exhausting.  After a lovely dinner with friends at one of our favorite local restaurants, we are planning an early bedtime.  Tomorrow - the Isle of Capri!