Tumbling down a cliffside on the Amalfi Coast, Positano is a colourful village in Italy’s Campania region. It’s renowned for its narrow streets lined with upmarket boutiques and cafes that descend to a pebbly beach and the underground remains of a Roman villa.

Relax on the pebbly shores of Positano Spiaggia, which is an idyllic base for swimming, kayaking and scuba diving and is backed by several restaurants, bars and gelaterias. For spectacular views across the rugged Amalfi Coast, follow the Path of the Gods hiking trail that links Positano to the neighbouring villages.

A stone’s throw from Positano Spiaggia is the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, a former monastery church famed for its majolica-tiled dome. Admire the 18th-century bell tower that watches over the piazza before stepping inside to see the Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary. Positioned above the main altar, it is said to have been stolen from Constantinople by pirates.

Getting there

Naples International Airport is just over an hour’s drive from Positano and ferries connect from the Naples Ferry Wharf to the village. The nearest railway station is around 30 minutes away in Sorrento, with local buses connecting from here to Positano.