Positano can rightfully be called one of the most picturesque towns on the Campania coast. From afar it appears to be enclosed by the beautiful beach of Marina Grande and crowned by the green slopes of Mounts Comune and Sant’Angelo a Tre Pizzi. Tidily lined up on the terraces sloping down towards the blue sea, are the typical Moorish style white and pink houses.
The town is embroidered by the narrow and often winding lanes and steps which cross it and is dominated by the splendid dome covered in polychrome majolica of the church of S. Maria Assunta.  According to tradition, the name of the town originates from “Paestum”, whose inhabitants, after the destruction of their town by the Saracens, founded Positano near an abbey already standing there. Within a few years the new settlement assumed a certain degree of importance in maritime trade, even competing with the much more powerful Amalfi.
A holiday resort favored by the elite at the end of the 19th century, Positano has responded adequately to the tourism demand, and is today one of the most popular seaside and holiday resorts throughout Italy.