Amalfi & Positano: Lemons, Cliffside Villages, and a Legend of the Black Madonna

We passed through the Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from the southernmost tip of Italy’s boot, and the coastline transformed once again. Dramatically high green cliffs rose from the sea, dotted with clusters of villages carved into the rock and terraced into the hillsides as if daring gravity to try something.

We stared in awe at the homes, hotels, and restaurants clinging to the cliffs, wondering how anyone had managed to build them in the first place, let alone how they were still standing centuries later. I took dozens of pictures. It was simply too picturesque not to.

Our destination port was Amalfi, but our excursion took us another thirty minutes along the coast by boat to Positano.

⚓ About Amalfi

It’s easy to see Amalfi today as simply another postcard-pretty coastal town, but it was once one of the most powerful cities in the Mediterranean.

Amalfi broke away from the Duchy of Naples in 839 AD and spent the next two centuries as one of Italy’s four great maritime republics, alongside Venice, Genoa, and Pisa. Its ships traded grain, timber, and salt for Byzantine silks and Egyptian gold across a network stretching from Constantinople to North Africa.

At its peak around the year 1000, the city reportedly held some 70,000 people. It produced one of the earliest maritime codes used throughout the Mediterranean and is credited by local legend with introducing the mariner’s compass to Europe.

Amalfi’s fortunes turned in the 1100s, when Pisa sacked the city twice. In 1343, a devastating sea storm and landslide destroyed much of its harbor, leaving it a quieter coastal town for several hundred years. Grand Tour travelers, followed by later generations of visitors, eventually rediscovered its remarkable scenery.

🚤 By Boat to Positano

We tendered into Amalfi’s port, gathered with our group as instructed, and quickly boarded the two-deck boat that would carry us to Positano.

Once underway, our guide began narrating the coastline. There are thirteen villages strung along this stretch of the Amalfi Coast, most built close to the water. The exception is Ravello, which sits high above the shoreline in the coast’s most celebrated hilltop setting, with villas and gardens overlooking the sea from more than 350 meters up.

As we moved through the water, we noticed just how much boat traffic was out. There were a few larger yachts, but mostly smaller day boats shuttling between the villages and other destinations along the coast.

The Amalfi Coast is famous for its lemons and extra-virgin olive oil, and the lemons genuinely were everywhere: on ceramics, jewelry, linens, and clothing, and in drinks, ice cream, and enormous frozen lemon treats that seemed to be everyone’s favorite way to cool down.

The region is also known for its luxury hotels, many perched high on the cliffs overlooking the water. Some have long staircases leading down to the beaches, while others have elevators built directly into the rock to carry guests between the hotel and the shore.

🏖️ Arriving in Positano

Positano begins climbing the mountain almost as soon as you step off the boat. The waterfront was filled with beach clubs, rows of rentable chairs and umbrellas, and plenty of restaurants and hotels lining the shore.

⛪ Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta

Our guide led us up several flights of stairs to the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, easy to spot from almost anywhere in town thanks to its majolica-tiled dome in yellow, green, and blue.

The church’s origins are tied to a local legend. A Byzantine ship carrying an icon of the Madonna was said to have become stranded just off Positano’s coast during a lull in the wind. According to the story, a voice from the painting called out, “Posa, posa”—“Lay me down.”

The crew steered toward shore, the ship began moving again, and the icon was brought ashore. It was later found resting near the beach, and the townspeople built a church on the spot. The town itself is said to have taken the name Positano from those mysterious words.

The Black Madonna icon still hangs above the main altar today.

Our guide pointed us toward the narrow, spiraling streets climbing the mountain, filled with local shops and eateries, and gave us a meeting time and place back at the pier.

Bob and I went inside. We’re always drawn to the art and architecture of religious buildings wherever we travel, as they tend to say so much about a place’s history and the period in which they were built.

This church was particularly beautiful, decorated mostly in white marble and stone, with rich gold accents, dark wood, and lovely paintings throughout.

🍋 Wandering Positano

After visiting the church, we wandered up and down the narrow streets, browsing the local shops. One in particular featured gorgeous mosaic tabletops and housewares.

Between the shoes, bathing suits, sunglasses, ceramics, and linens, you could outfit an entire vacation without ever leaving one street.

We started climbing higher into the village but soon ran into a large crowd coming the other way. Since neither of us is a big shopper, we turned back toward sea level to relax and people-watch instead.

After exploring more of the coastline and climbing up one side for a few photos, we settled at a restaurant serving gelato. I tried the lemon, and it did not disappoint.

After a while, another couple from our ship sat down nearby. We had a nice chat until it was time to return to the pier.

🛥️ Back to Amalfi

Back on the boat, we enjoyed a slightly different view of the cliffside villages as we traveled in the opposite direction.

A road carved into the mountains runs along the coastline, crossing several old bridges and passing through more modern tunnels. There seemed to be even more small-boat traffic on the water by then. I couldn’t tell you where they were all coming from.

Once back in Amalfi, we decided to explore the town on our own. The streets were crowded here too, although they were a little wider than those in Positano. Just as before, people seemed to be walking everywhere with giant frozen lemon treats, clearly a coastal favorite.

Our guide had recommended a pizza place about a ten-minute walk up through town, but when we arrived, it was closed. We joined forces with another couple from the ship who had been on the exact same mission, found a different restaurant together, and enjoyed a delightful lunch while getting to know one another. They were from the Chicago area.

⛪ The Duomo di Sant’Andrea

On our way back toward the boat, we stopped at Amalfi’s famous cathedral, the Duomo di Sant’Andrea, which sits at the top of sixty-two now-famous steps overlooking Piazza Duomo.

Entry required a four-euro fee per person, which we happily paid. I’m honestly not sure why more places don’t do the same. It seems like a good way to keep crowds manageable while helping fund the upkeep of a historic building.

Just inside, we entered a museum-like space known as the Basilica of the Crucifix, a ninth-century church in its own right that now houses the cathedral’s Diocesan Museum. We spent some time admiring the beautiful old artifacts before following the signs down to the crypt.

The crypt holds the relics of Saint Andrew the Apostle, one of Christ’s twelve disciples and Amalfi’s patron saint. His remains were reportedly brought here from Constantinople in 1206, during the Fourth Crusade, and the crypt was completed by 1208 to house them.

The space is stunning: a high, arched Baroque chamber developed over the centuries, with a central altar positioned above a silver urn containing the relics.

Local tradition holds that a mysterious liquid known as manna occasionally seeps from the relics. It is still collected and celebrated twice a year, on June 27 and November 30.

We admired the crypt for several minutes before following the signs back up to the main cathedral.

The upper church was every bit as impressive, with coffered ceilings, ancient columns, and centuries of architectural styles layered together, from Byzantine to Baroque. I took a few pictures, and we spent time admiring the side altars and paintings before finally heading back down those famous steps.

Wow, though—that was absolutely worth both the climb and the entrance fee. At least it was for us.

Before returning to the harbor, I was on another mission: hunting for a particular chocolate I had bought at Guido’s shop back in Rapallo.

I never found that exact chocolate, but I did stumble across a gourmet chocolate shop with rich chocolate flowing over rollers in the window. It was impossible to walk past.

Naturally, we bought some.

It was good, but not quite Guido’s.

We made our way back to the ship and relaxed for a while before setting sail once again.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Vibo Valentia, where we’re looking forward to a boating and swimming excursion. The water in that area looks even more spectacular.

📝 Practical Notes

If you’re taking the Amalfi-to-Positano boat excursion, save some energy. Between the boat ride, the climb to the church, and the streets and stairways of both towns, it adds up to a fair amount of walking.

And don’t skip the lemon gelato.

Everyone else on that coast clearly isn’t.