The Economics of Positano
Positano is best experienced as an afternoon destination rather than a base, unless budget is no concern. The main beach, Spiaggia Grande, fills completely by 10am in July and August; sun loungers cost more than a meal elsewhere on the coast. The village rewards those who arrive early on a weekday, walk the stepped streets before the ferry crowds disembark, and leave by 4pm. The restaurants with plastic chairs and handwritten menus on the backstreets — particularly around Via Pasitea above the main drag — are invariably better and half the price of the linen-tablecloth places facing the sea.
Spiaggia del Fornillo
Around the headland west of Spiaggia Grande, a ten-minute walk along the cliff path, lies the Spiaggia del Fornillo — smaller, rockier, and frequented almost entirely by people who know the coast. There are two or three beach bars, no sun-lounger salespeople, and a view back towards Positano that is as good as any from the main beach. The water is deep and cold and clear. Come here in the afternoon when the light hits the cliffs above.
Arriving by Ferry
The correct way to arrive in Positano is by ferry from Amalfi or from Salerno. The approach from the water — the village rising in tiers above a small jetty, the church dome catching the sun — is the introduction the place deserves. Ferries run frequently in season and the crossing from Amalfi takes twenty minutes. Walking down from the SS163 bus stop, by contrast, involves a long descent on steep steps with luggage, and a long ascent on the way back.
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