Positano is worth the drive

By MARIA FAMULARO MacKAY

Pavarotti is Italian. Caruso was Italian. My bus driver is Italian. Why then am I surprised when he bursts out singing while we were driving along the most beautiful stretch of coastline in Italy, the Amalfi Drive?

I suppose it is because it is also the most hazardous road in Italy, with its sheer cliffs, rocky crags and the possibility of a 300m drop into the cobalt-blue Tyrrhenian Sea below.

The natural beauty of the Amalfi Drive has inspired many songs. Our bus driver seems intent on singing them all.

He takes a break for a particularly animated conversation with the blonde woman in the seat behind him. She clearly can't read the sign - "Don't speak with the driver" (in Italian of course).

Some passengers are looking a little anxious and a young American woman cringes. I grip my husband's hand and silently give thanks that the children are grown.

We have caught the SITA bus from outside the railway station in Sorrento, intending to take a day trip to Positano, a resort town on the Gulf of Salerno, southeast of Naples.

Sorrento seemed like a good place to make our base. Perched on high cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples, it is a popular tourist destination and provides easy access to Naples, Pompei, Capri, and on this occasion, Positano on the Amalfi Coast.

We were lucky to arrive at the bus station early. Passengers hoping to board en route were fobbed off by the driver with a brief, "another bus coming". He neglected to mention it was in half an hour's time.

Leaving Sorrento, the road climbed through orange and lemon groves, terraced vineyards and villages with cobbled squares. Far out into the blue horizon hydrofoils could be seen ferrying tourists to Capri 16km away. Mt Vesuvius loomed in the background.

The road reached a peak, narrowed into a thin ribbon and began its descent. It was at this point that our bus driver began his rendition of Come Back to Sorrento.

Until the 19th century this side of the Amalfi Coast was accessible only by mule. I imagine donkey-drawn carts with the drivers, wearing the traditional costume complete with embroidered braces, saluting each other.

It is barely wide enough for two cars. Nervous non-Italian number plates hold up the traffic as they cautiously manoeuvre around corners. "Questi stranieri," (these foreigners), our bus driver mutters.

A silver Maserati overtakes us. The driver's hair blows in the wind as, defying gravity, he careens around a hairpin corner.

We encounter a huge black German tour bus. The drivers glare at each other, engaging in eyeball-to-eyeball conflict. Our bus backs up a little. The German bus reverses and moves to the side. Our bus edges forward until the two buses are almost parallel.

The passengers crane their necks and give each other steely looks. The two buses avoid sideswiping each other by a few millimetres. There is a collective sigh of relief as our driver accelerates and passes through.

A spirit of camaraderie envelops the bus. The driver is hailed as a hero. He recommences his conversation with the blonde.

A few kilometres on, another sharp turn in the road and we arrive at Positano, its pastel-coloured dwellings cascading down the cliffs. The tiled roofs are dominated by the mosaic dome of the Cathedral.

Positano was once part of the powerful Republic of the Amalfis. After it was eclipsed by Venice as a sea power in the 12th century it reverted to being a sleepy fishing village.

Later it became known as a haven for artists and poets seeking inspiration and escape.

Its charms were rediscovered by American troops stationed at nearby Salerno at the end of World War II. In 1997 the area was placed on Unesco's World Heritage list.

The bus pulls up, causing traffic to bank up behind. We farewell our singing driver and begin to wander through the town. The winding streets are lined with shops, boutiques, cafes and small art galleries.

I admire a sketch. When the young artist in the knotted bandanna finds out we are from New Zealand he tells us that Peter MacIntyre - the pre-eminent war artist - once painted in Positano.

The smell of garlic assails our senses and we realise nervous energy has made us hungry. A glimpse of a table under a bougainvillea-covered pergola lures us into a courtyard restaurant.

I order a pizza Margherita, named in honour of the last Queen of Italy. I watch the dough being kneaded and shaped, layered with olive oil, mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, and put into a wood-fired oven.

Warmed by the sun, nourished by the pizza and lulled by two glasses of vino bianco, we continue our stroll through the village.

Children are racing around playing soccer outside the Church of Santa Maria dell'Assunta. Men sit on a bench smoking cigarettes. Boutiques display swimwear, hand-painted ceramics and the distinctive embroidered dresses of the region.

At the grey, pebbly beach we watch children build a sand castle. A group of labourers set up a marquee for a disco and teenagers gather around, acting cool.

The coloured lights on the bars lining the beach flicker into life and a cool breeze starts to lick the fishing boats bobbing on the water. Tourists head for the hydrofoils to Capri and Naples.

"Do any of the hydrofoils go to Sorrento?" I ask. Apparently not.

I fumble in my handbag for the return bus tickets and we resurrect our courage for the bus ride home.

When to go:

Best time is April-May and October-November. August is when Italians take their holidays, so avoid that busy month if you can.

Getting there:

Return airfares to Naples start at $2299 a person, plus taxes, from Flight Centre.

A small group 10-day tour through Naples and the Amalfi Coast starts at $1724 a person share-twin including nine nights' hotel accommodation with breakfast, all transport, plus the services of a tour leader and local guides.

The tour goes from Naples through Positano en route along the Amalfi Coast and also includes Vesuvius and Pompeii.

Cost of the return:

Bus journey to Positano from Sorrento is a little under €3. Journey time one way is around 40 minutes. Buses depart every 30 minutes from 8.30am (although the first bus leaves for Positano at 6.35am). Last departure from Positano to Sorrento is at 8.45pm.

Getting around:

Italy has a good network of public bus and rail transport. Air travel within Italy is expensive.

Things to see:

Apart from two good beaches, a museum and a handful of clothing and tourist shops, there isn't a lot to Positano. It's an expensive place to stay the night as it has celebrity status that's up there with Capri. Food and drink can be pricey, too, so a day trip is ideal.


www.positanonline.it/