The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
May 9 - The Road to Positano
From the water you can really see how the buildings in Amalfi have deteriorated ... or at least are in serious need of cosmetic attention.
As our boat sped along the coast, you had to respect the engineering skill and sheer determination it must have taken to build the road in the first place. Then consider what was involved in hanging some massive buildings on the sides of these rugged cliffs. Sure, the view is spectacular, but ...
I will say that Positano was -- at least visually -- more what I expected. This is the high rent district, which may account for the generally superior upkeep on the buildings (although the church, the centerpiece of the town, needed some serious work on a few outside walls.
The town is all about tourism ... which means that it is all about shopping. I thought these two shots said a lot -- the first is one row of shops near the port. The second is a row of benches immediately opposite those shops. One is the boys' side, one is the girls' side!
Make no mistake, virtually all the retail shops in town (and they seem to go on forever) are all oriented toward the female shopper. I would have hoped for a few more male refuges (bars, cafes, and the like) where the weary wallet-bearers could get out of the sun and take a break.
© 2007 Restaurant Doctor
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