Amalfi Coast by Boat

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Geo: 40.6299, 14.4863







Today we had two other ladies, Helen and Jane from the hotel join us for the boat trip to Amalfi and Positano, the boat was full, this time with many young people.




We left Marina del Cantona on time and we passed the Li Galli islands, the three rocky islands called Gallo Lungo, Castelluccio and Rotonda, located a few miles from the beach of Positano, which mirror themselves in the limpid sea facing the pearl of the Amalfi coast. According to the old legends, they were inhabited by the sirens who seduced sailors with their melodious voice; they lost control of their ships that inevitably crashed on the rocks of the islands. In the Odyssey, Odysseus blocked his men's ears with beeswax, and made them tie him to the foot of the mast so he could not be drawn away by the lure of the Sirens' song. The Gallo Lungo Island was later a prison. We stopped on our way to the blue grotto and the water here is a dazzling aquamarine, the result of sunlight from an underground passage, an absolute marvel. Seeing the Amalfi coast from the sea along the beautiful coast gives it a different prospective view of the cluster of pretty villas spilling down the Cliffside to the fishing ports and beach below; the amazing roads and the various celebrity villas. We saw Sophia Lauren's house near Positano and we arrived at Amalfi.

Amalfi, is the main town on this UNESCO-listed coastline, with medieval architecture, scenic seafront setting, hugging villas on the cliffs, winding alleys and steep steps. It is set in a landscape of lemon trees and olive groves with shops, cafes and is a hugely popular resort being a magnet for the visitors since decades. On walking up from the Amalfi harbour, we saw the Cathedral of Duorno di Amalfi; our first impression of the beautiful Cathedral of Duorno di Amalfi towering in the centre, was that it is so imposing, being situated at the top of the magnificent staircase. This is a 9th century church dedicated to Apostle Saint Andrew which has a beautiful exterior matched with internal art with many interesting things. We wondered around in the narrow streets snaking through olive groves, stopping at various streets, we found a little market; where they were selling sweets so we all bought some.

At one fruit and veggie stand there were dried hot peppers hanging on strings, labelled with a succinct sales pitch: "Viagra Naturale" and the locally produced buffalo mozzarella. The clouds turned grey and it started to rain so we went to Trattoria's for lunch; we sat by the table with lovely view of the sea and we had vegetables, soup, Panini and chips which were all very nice. The coffee was fantastic, living up to the Amalfi's reputation for doing the best coffee, Italians are very passionate about their coffee. The service was friendly and quick and we were pleased with our choice. The stop in the little town of Amalfi was very enjoyable but our boat journey to Positano was bit rocky with heavy tides.


Positano is one of the picturesque towns of the Amalfi Coast which hangs halfway between Sorrento and Amalfi town on the most spectacular stretch of the coast, specializing in scenery and sand, the town of Positano is an easy day trip from Sorrento. The view of Positano as we approached from the boat with the cliff hanging villas, restaurants that seem to defy gravy was the highlight of our visit. It has a good pebbly beach with restaurants, cafe's clothing stores, souvenirs shops and plenty of tourist both Italian and international ones but we were there on low season so it was not that crowded. Amalfi Coast is a popular holiday destination for the Italians as well. Positano with all its charming and delightful sights is the star, its landscape is mostly recognisable by the great shiny dome of the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta e Cripta Medievale; it looks picturesque and is the historic landmark in the heart of the Positano. The Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta e Cripta Medievale probably dates back to the 10th century, the church is a typical example of the architecture found in this beautiful area, its interior is classical, white and gold, with a 13th century 'Black Madonna' icon above its altar with crypts below. During restoration works of the square and the crypt, a Roman villa was discovered; still under excavation, it is closed to the public. From the beach you can go up some stairs to the church and the views from the church are great. If you are coming from the main road by Sita bus then you have to walk down the hill for about 10-15 minutes with breath taking views.

The town's name Positano (which means "put it there" in Latin),derives from the story that the famous Bizantine wooden panel, depicting the Virgin Mary and Her Child icon was stolen by the Saraceni (pirates of the time),and when the pirates tried to leave Positano's shores with the panel, a terrible sea storm suddenly arose, and prevented their passage. During the storm, the pirates heard a cry from heaven saying:"posa, posa"(put it back).The fearful pirates set the decorated panel back on Positano's shores, and miraculously, the storm ceased giving them the opportunity to flee the Coast.
Positano is incredibly atmospheric; it was a delight to climb the steep stairways, disappear in the down dark alleys and to re-emerge into pretty piazzas. From Positano's main beach, Spiagga Grande which is very busy, I walked on the coastline, gawping at the sight of the cliffs tumbling into the sea far below to the Spiaggia del Fornillo beach, this pebbly beach was less busy with the clear azure water.

We had Gelato and it was time to leave but the sea was very rough so it was difficult to board the boat. I was almost flung over when the wave came while I was crossing the platform from land to the boat. Our group managed to cross over but then Helen from our hotel got flung over and she fell down as the boat rocked with the huge wave; it became too dangerous to board the boat from the pier with the treacherous waves. The boat left the pier and the rest of the passengers were boarded on the boat from the small boats at the sea; they arrived very wet and terrified. The crew shut the windows inside the boat as the water was dripping inside when the boat rocked with the turbulent waves. The younger crowd were all happy, some of them sat outside in the front screaming with excitement each time the huge waves hit the boat, their clothes drenched with water; for them it was an adventure, fun and very exhilarating. Whereas the older crowd looked scarred with fear and one or two got sick, I bet few of them were praying that they would reach safely. The boat continued dancing to the wild stormy waves till we finally arrived safely at the marina where all the crew from the marina were waiting for us to land and they literally hurled us out of the boat. I could see the relief on the passengers; well I am here to tell the tale 😊

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