On Friday the 2nd October 2026 after breakfast at the apartment we caught the train from Sant Agnello into Sorrento and walked down to the Marina, where we had bought tickets the day before for a trip tp Positano and Almafi.
We had a coffee whilst waiting for our first ferry to Positano at Restaurante Ruccio.
Sorrento’s main maritime hub is Marina Piccola (Porto di Sorrento), located at Via Marina Piccola, 35, which serves as the primary gateway for high-speed ferries, hydrofoils, and cruise ship tenders on the Gulf of Naples.
We board our ferry and we are soon making our way out of the port.
Scoglio del Vervece is a small islet and lighthouse-topped rock located about 1 kilometre (under a mile) off the coast of Marina della Lobra in Massa Lubrense, on the Sorrento Peninsula in the Bay of Naples, Italy.
The Submerged Madonna: A bronze statue of the Virgin Mary (Madonnina del Vervece) rests at about 11–12 metres underwater. Installed around the time of Enzo Maiorca’s famous 1974 freediving world record (87 meters) nearby, it is the site of an annual September memorial service, underwater mass, and wreath-laying ceremony.
Soon we can see the island of Capri in the distance, hoping to make a trip out there one day on this holiday.
The Island of Capri is a famous limestone island in the Bay of Naples, Italy, located off the Sorrentine Peninsula. Known for its dramatic cliffs, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and upscale atmosphere, it spans roughly 4 square miles and is divided into two main municipalities: Capri (the eastern hub) and Anacapri (the quieter western area).
After about 50 or so minutes we are approaching Positano. A place I've longed to see for ages and what better way to approach than by sea.
Positano is a town and comune (municipality) on the Amalfi Coast in the Province of Salerno in the region of Campania in southern Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. It has 3,643 inhabitants.
It is as beautiful as the pictures online show, its just has the Wow factor!
The first evidence of a settlement in Positano dates back to the Upper Palaeolithic, when the "Grotto La Porta" was frequented by gatherers and hunters. This small cave is located at 120 m. o.s.l. and at 10 m. on the highway. In 1955, Antonio M. Radmilli (University of Pisa) organized several surveys to identify prehistoric visits, both on the surface and in some caves. During the excavations, several fossils emerged, some of which are malacological like shells of molluscs, while the fauna is represented by the remains of mammals (wild boar, ibex, deer and roe deer), birds, amphibians and fish. The findings made it to be assumed that the people who frequented the caves had an economy based mainly on the collection of molluscs, while hunting for birds and mammals was rather marginal.
Once the ferry we stop on the port side over looking Spiaggia Grande. The main, bustling pebble beach at the base of the town, filled with beach clubs, boats, and waterfront cafes.
We stop to take a few selfies together.
We walk in and take a look at a few shops, then I wanted to get up high to get the famous Instagram shot.
I didn't know what side that shot was taken from so I decided to climb up on the left hand side.
This is hard work going up a lot of steps, and I mean a lot in the heat!
After a lot of climbing we reach Viale Pasitea and we walk along the road.
We stop at Il Fornillo for two cokes as by now we were so thirsty! Bloody expensive cokes they turn out to be too as many restaurants in Italy charge you a fee just to sir at the table, but they were needed.
After looking at the maps the viewpoint I wanted is in fact on the other side of the cliffs, typical a bloody hard climb up here for nowt. Well it was pretty to see all the same!
So we walk back down the way we came and back down the stairs by the restaurant pictured above.
Almost back down to where we started for stop for a selfie.
We are back down on the beach and we take a stroll along here.
A great view just here along the beach to the iconic clifftop buildings without a climb!
We walk back along the beach and take a path that leads uphill past many shops.
Narrow stair-lined lanes like Via dei Mulini are packed with artisan shops selling handmade leather sandals, ceramics, and breezy "Positano style" linen clothing.
We stop to buy some lunch and sit on a bench outside watching the world go by.
At the top of the road we turn right and up Christoforo Columbo that I know will lead us to that famous Instragram spot.
The first archaeological evidence dates back to the first century BC, when luxurious Roman villas were built on the coast of the Sorrento Peninsula. Romans began settling at Positano around 100 B.C. In Positano, one occupied the bay and the other extended on the island of the Long Rooster, "a typical example of how even more hidden spaces of a wild coast were used in the Claudian age without even respecting the rocks that, according to legend, would have served as the home of the sirens". These villas belong to the "dispersed type", that is, formed by different structures not grouped together, delimited by gardens. The names of the owners are not yet known, but they are certainly elitist contexts. The Villa di Positano was described for the first time by Karl Weber in 1758, who then oversaw the excavations in Herculaneum and Pompeii. At the beginning of the 1900s, Mingazzini and Pfister carried out some essays to better understand the structure of both the bay of Positano and the Gallo Lungo. Maiuri describes some remains, still visible in the 1960s, as a peristilium of stuccoed brick columns. The complex has been the subject of systematic excavations since 2003, which have affected the area below the Oratory of the Santa Maria Assunta Church and, the site was inaugurated on 18 July 2018, with the name of MAR (Roman Archaeological Museum) Santa Maria Assunta Positano.
Positano became a wealthy market port from the 15th to 17th century and has only continued to grow in popularity over time. Back then they traded food such as fish and other resources.
Positano was a port of the Amalfi Republic in medieval times, and prospered during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to America.
Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the twentieth century. It began to attract large number 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."
We stop by the much photographed Delicatessen Ceramic Shop, taking photos here on the balcony requires a purchase in the shop or a fee of about 10 euros. I was happy taking this shot from outside.
Just pass the shop is the Instragram viewpoint. I wondered if there would be a slightly better shot a little further on, but time was running short we didn't want to be late for the ferry onto Almafi.
So a few more photos and selfies and we make our way back the way we came.
On the way down we pass the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. The spiritual heart of the town, instantly recognizable by its vibrant yellow, green, and blue majolica-tiled dome.
Founded in the 10th century as a Benedictine abbey dedicated to St. Vitus on the site of a Roman villa, then dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the 12th century.
There was a fee to enter, so a quick photo from the window will do, we are short of time anyway.
We make it back down to the beach and walk along towards the port.
At the port it is chaos, people everywhere all waiting for different ferries.
Whilst at the port we can see the Torre di Fornillo also known as the Tower of Cavel.
Built in the 15th century as part of a coastal defence network to spot and protect the area against Saracen pirate invasions.
Demobilized as a military fortification in 1758, sold into private ownership in the 19th century, and partially restored over the decades, it remains one of Positano's most iconic coastal landmarks next to Torre.
We board our ferry and we are on our way to Almafi.
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| Leaving Positano. |
We are now approaching Almafi as pictured above.
We leave the ferry and walk out Via Lungomare dei Cavalieri.
We walk by browsing in the many shops here.
We made our way through to the medieval Catholic Almafi Cathedral in the Piazza del Duomo.
Here in the Piazza is the Fontana di S. Andrea, built in 1760, was renovated in 2018. The fountain was sculpted with clear Baroque influence, and includes a dove, the symbol of air, a satire, commonly known as “Pulicano”, with lines reminiscent of an Amalfi fisherman, the symbol of land, a siren in the centre, the symbol of water.
In addition to these figures symbolising the various matters in a classic interpretation, there is also a larger statue of the Apostle, the symbol of fire.
Originally the statue was located at the foot of the monumental staircase of the cathedral; since 1869 it has occupied the present site.
We move over to the Cathedral and climb the 62 steps up.
It is dedicated to the Apostle Saint Andrew whose relics are kept here. Formerly the archiepiscopal seat of the Diocese of Amalfi, it has been since 1986 that of the Diocese of Amalfi-Cava de' Tirreni.
Begun in the 9th and 10th centuries, it has been added to and redecorated several times, overlaying Arab-Norman, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque elements, and finally a new 19th century Norman-Arab-Byzantine facade. The cathedral includes the adjoining 9th-century Basilica of the Crucifix. Leading from the basilica are steps into the Crypt of St. Andrew, where his relics can be found. Local catholic mythos and legends claim that a gelatinous liquid that drips from the area in the crypt where Saint Andrew's relics are kept is an "oil of the saints" called "manna" this manna is collected in a glass during celebrations twice a year.
The first church, now the Diocesan Museum of Amalfi, was built in the 9th century on the ruins of a previous temple. A second church was built to the south in 10th century, and this is now the cathedral. By the 12th century the two churches formed a single 6 aisle Romanesque church, which was reduced to 5 in the 13th century to allow the construction of the Paradise Cloister, in the Arab-Norman style.
The remains of St. Andrew were reportedly brought to Amalfi from Constantinople in 1206 during the Fourth Crusade by Cardinal Peter of Capua. In 1208, the crypt was completed and the relics were turned over to the church. It said that later on manna issued from the saint's bones.
The bell tower was constructed between the 12th and 13th centuries in front of the first church, topped by an elaborate crown decorated with marble and majolica in the Arab-Norman style, also seen in other churches in southern Italy in this period. The chapels inside are variously Gothic and Renaissance, with the nave decorated in the Baroque style in the 18th century.
In 1861, part of the façade collapsed, damaging the atrium. The whole front of the church was then rebuilt to a design by architect Errico Alvino in a richly decorated manner drawing on Italian Gothic and especially Arab-Norman styles, similar to but more ornate than the original, completed in 1891.
We leave the square and end back on the seafront, browsing more shops.
We walk back into the Piazza and up the Lorenzo D'Almafi looking in more shops.
Been saying I want to try a lemon Gelato all holiday, so I will today!
The town of Amalfi was the capital of the maritime republic known as the Duchy of Amalfi, an important trading power in the Mediterranean between 839 and around 1200. It has 4,611 inhabitants.
The town became a popular seaside resort beginning in the Edwardian era, with members of the British upper class spending their winters in Amalfi.
Amalfi is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Amalfi began as a maritime power, trading grain from its neighbours, salt from Sardinia and slaves from the interior, and even timber, in exchange for the gold dinars minted in Egypt and Syria, in order to buy the Byzantine silks that it resold in the West. Grain-bearing Amalfi traders enjoyed privileged positions in the Islamic ports, Fernand Braudel notes. The Amalfi tables provided a maritime code that was widely used by the Christian port cities. Merchants of Amalfi were using gold coins to purchase land in the 9th century, while most of Italy worked in a barter economy. During the late 9th century, long-distance trade revived between Amalfi and Gaeta with Byzantium, the latter which benefited from a flourishing trade network with the Arabs. Karl Marx in "The German Ideology" acknowledged the role of Amalfi in he very beginning of European mercantile capitalism.
We pass the Fontana De Cape ‘e Ciucci.
The De Cape ‘e Ciucci fountain was built in the 18th century. It is a valuable piece of stone street furniture with two human faces carved in marble.
Its name is reminiscent of the tradition of watering donkeys, the so-called ‘ciucci‘, who came down from the village of Pogerola with loads of fruit, vegetables and timber. Or it may derive from a grotesque mask which was once portrayed here. It was probably known as “Fontana di Santa Maria delle Grazie” in the 19th century.
Since 1974, a characteristic nativity scene has been set up in the fountain with limestone and tuff stones taken from the inner part of the Valle dei Mulini and modelled by river waters. The figurines depict the characters of the nativity scene and are mostly immersed in the fountain water. The nativity scene was conceived by Amalfi residents Giuseppe Buonocore, Vincenzo Livano and Nicola Pepe. Today, the Infante family has taken over the care of setting up and preserving the valuable, artistic nativity scene.
We make our way back to the ferry for the journey back to Sorrento.
An independent republic from the 7th century until 1073, Amalfi extracted itself from Byzantine vassalage in 839 and first elected a duke in 958; it rivalled Pisa and Genoa in its domestic prosperity and maritime importance before the rise of the Republic of Venice. In spite of some devastating setbacks it had a population of some 70,000 to 80,000 reaching a peak about the turn of the millennium, during the reign of Duke Manso (966–1004). Under his line of dukes, Amalfi remained independent, except for a brief period of Salernitan dependency under Guaimar IV.
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| Beautiful view of Almafi as we left by ferry. |
In 1073, the republic fell to the Norman countship of Apulia, but was granted many rights. A prey to the Normans who encamped in the south of Italy, it became one of their principal posts. However, in 1131, it was reduced by Roger II of Sicily, who had been refused the keys to its citadel. The Holy Roman Emperor Lothair, fighting in favour of Pope Innocent II against Roger, who sided with the Antipope Anacletus, took him prisoner in 1133, assisted by forty-six Pisan ships. The Pisans, commercial rivals of the Amalfitani, sacked the city; Lothair claimed as part of the booty a copy of the Pandects of Justinian which was found there.
In 1135 and 1137, it was taken by the Pisans and rapidly declined in importance, though the Amalfian Laws were recognized in the Mediterranean until 1570. A tsunami in 1343 destroyed the port and lower town, and Amalfi never recovered to anything more than local importance.
In medieval culture Amalfi was famous for its flourishing schools of law and mathematics. Flavio Gioia, traditionally considered the first to introduce the mariner's compass to Europe, is said to have been a native of Amalfi.
Amalfi has a long history of catering to visitors, with two former monasteries being converted to hotels at a relatively early date, the Luna Convento in the second decade of the 19th century and the Cappuccini Convento in the 1880s. Celebrated visitors to Amalfi included the composer Richard Wagner and the playwright Henrik Ibsen, both of whom completed works while staying in Amalfi.
We sail back pass the Island of Capri as the sun is setting, just awe inspiring view!
We arrive back in Sorrento, tired. Its been a long day, we walk back to get the lift back up to the clifftop.
Up the top we pass the Chiesa di San Francesco (St.Francis Church and Convent), where there was a market and some music being played.
A small hermitage was built in 1399 on the site of the current convent by the Franciscans. At the end of the fifteenth century, the underground chapel was enlarged with an above-ground apse and choir. Between 1905 and 1906, the church underwent restoration by architect Giuseppe Castellucci, returning the church to a style similar to its original one.
In 1993, the future president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, and future first lady, Liza Araneta Marcos, married at the convent.
We stop for dinner before making our way back to the apartment by train.
An amazing day, now sleep before tomorrows trip to Pompeii!
