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{{for multi|the 1996 television miniseries|Positano (miniseries)|the Italian diplomat|Vito Positano}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Expand Italian|date=January 2022|topic=geo}}
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{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                   = Positano
| official_name          =
| native_name            = {{native name|nap|Pusitano}}
| image_skyline          = Positano Sunset.JPG
| imagesize              = 
| image_alt              = 
| image_caption          = View of Positano at sunset
| image_shield           = 
| shield_alt             = 
| shield_size            = 73px
| image_map              = Map of Positano (Province of Salerno, region Campania, Italy 2024).svg
| map_alt                = 
| map_caption            = Positano within the Province of Salerno
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt        = 
| coordinates            = {{Coord|40|38|N|14|29|E|type:city_region:IT-SA |display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes  = 
| region                 = [[Campania]]
| province               = [[Province of Salerno|Salerno]] (SA)
| frazioni               = Montepertuso, Nocelle<ref>{{Cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120453/http://incomune.interno.it/sites/incomune/files/contenuti/statuti/statuto-comune-sa-positano.pdf | url=http://incomune.interno.it/sites/incomune/files/contenuti/statuti/statuto-comune-sa-positano.pdf | archive-date=2018-01-19 | title=Comune di Positano - Statuto | language=it | trans-title=Municipality of Positano - Statute}}</ref>
| mayor_party            = Independent
| mayor                  = Giuseppe Guida
| area_footnotes         = 
| area_total_km2         = 8.65
| population_footnotes   =<ref name="population">{{cite web|title=Resident population|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref> 
| population_total       = 3678
| population_as_of       = 2025
| pop_density_footnotes  = 
| population_demonym     = Positanesi
| elevation_footnotes    = 
| elevation_m            = 0
| twin1                  = 
| twin1_country          = 
|istat=| saint                  = St. Vitus
| day                    = June 15
| postal_code            = 84017
| area_code              = 089
| website                = {{official website|https://comune.positano.sa.it/}}
| footnotes              = 
| module       = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child        = yes
| part_of = [[Costiera Amalfitana]]
| criteria     = {{UNESCO WHS type|(ii)(iv)}}(ii)(iv)
| ID           = 830
| year         = 1997
| area         = {{convert|11206|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
| buffer_zone  = {{convert|11857|ha|acre|abbr=on}}
}}
}}

'''Positano''' ({{IPA|it|poziˈtaːno|lang}}; {{langx|nap|Pusitano}} {{IPA|nap|pusiˈtɑːnə|}}) is a town and [[Comune|municipality]] on the [[Amalfi Coast]] in the [[Province of Salerno]], in the region of [[Campania]] in Italy, mainly in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. It has 3,678 inhabitants.<ref name="population" />

==History==
[[File:Positano Panoramic view.jpg|thumb|Panoramic view of Positano in 2025]]
The first evidence of a settlement in Positano dates back to the [[Upper Paleolithic|Upper Palaeolithic]], when the "Grotto La Porta" was frequented by [[hunter-gatherer|gatherers and hunters]]. This small cave is located at 120 m. o.s.l. and at 10 m. on the highway. In 1955, Antonio M. Radmilli ([[University of Pisa]]) organized several surveys to identify prehistoric visits, both on the surface and in some caves. During the excavations, several fossils emerged, some of which are [[malacological]] like shells of molluscs, while the fauna is represented by the remains of mammals (wild boar, ibex, deer and roe deer), birds, amphibians and fish. The findings made it to be assumed that the people who frequented the caves had an economy based mainly on the collection of molluscs, while hunting for birds and mammals was rather marginal.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

===Roman era===
The first archaeological evidence dates back to the first century BC, when luxurious Roman villas were built on the coast of the Sorrento Peninsula. Romans began settling at Positano around 100 [[Before Christ|B.C]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-08 |title=Brief History of Positano |url=https://positano-amalfi-coast.com/brief-history-of-positano/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628112401/https://positano-amalfi-coast.com/brief-history-of-positano/ |archive-date=2023-06-28 |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=POSITANO |language=en}}</ref> In Positano, one occupied the bay and the other extended on the island of the Long Rooster, "a typical example of how even more hidden spaces of a wild coast were used in the Claudian age without even respecting the rocks that, according to legend, would have served as the home of the sirens". These villas belong to the "dispersed type", that is, formed by different structures not grouped together, delimited by gardens. The names of the owners are not yet known, but they are certainly elitist contexts. The Villa di Positano was described for the first time by [[Karl Weber (archaeologist)|Karl Weber]] in 1758, who then oversaw the excavations in [[Herculaneum]] and [[Pompeii]]. At the beginning of the 1900s, Mingazzini and Pfister carried out some essays to better understand the structure of both the bay of Positano and the Gallo Lungo. Maiuri describes some remains, still visible in the 1960s, as a peristilium of stuccoed brick columns. The complex has been the subject of systematic excavations since 2003, which have affected the area below the Oratory of the Santa Maria Assunta Church and, the site was inaugurated on 18 July 2018, with the name of MAR (Roman Archaeological Museum) Santa Maria Assunta Positano.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2018/07/roman-villa-of-positano-finally-to-open.html|title=Roman Villa of Positano finally opens to the public}}</ref>

===Modern era===
[[File:Amalfi Coast from boat.jpg|thumb|The beach at Positano]]
Positano became a wealthy market port from the 15th to 17th century and has only continued to grow in popularity over time. Back then they traded food such as fish and other resources.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/information-positano-italy-12997.html|title=Information on Positano, Italy}}</ref>

Positano was a port of the [[Amalfi|Amalfi Republic]] in medieval times, and prospered during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the town had fallen on hard times. More than half the population emigrated, mostly to [[United States|America]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Positano was a relatively poor fishing village during the first half of the twentieth century. It began to attract large number of tourists in the 1950s, especially after [[John Steinbeck]] published his essay about Positano in ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]'' in May 1953: "Positano Bites Deep". Steinbeck wrote, "It is a dream place that isn't quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amalficoast.com/l/campania-4/amalfi-coast-1/positano-8|title=Positano|website=www.amalficoast.com}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Expand section|small=no|date=January 2024}}
Positano’s physical geography is defined by its steep, cliffside setting along the Amalfi Coast, where pastel-colored buildings appear to cascade down toward the Tyrrhenian Sea. The town is built on rugged limestone slopes of the Lattari Mountains, creating a “vertical village” layout with narrow stairways and terraced homes. Its terrain rises quickly from sea level to elevations over 400 meters, limiting expansion but enhancing its dramatic beauty. The area features Mediterranean vegetation like olive trees, lemon groves, and pines, thriving under a warm, dry summer climate and mild winters. Beaches such as Spiaggia Grande and Fornillo nestle in coves at the base of steep cliffs, accessible only by footpaths or boat.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=UNESCO World Heritage |title=Costiera Amalfitana |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/830/ |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |language=en}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
The climate of Positano is very mild, of the [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean type]]; the winters are very warm with minimum temperatures that almost never fall below {{convert|6|C}}, while the summers are long, warm and sunny but often refreshed by the sea breeze.
Thanks to the mild temperature and the beauty of the landscape, Positano has been a holiday resort since the time of the [[Roman Empire]], as evidenced by the discovery of a villa in the bay. Typical are the many staircases that from the top of the village connect the upper districts with the valley area. The main beaches are Spiaggia Grande, Fornillo, La Porta, Fiumicello, Arienzo, San Pietro, Laurito and Remmese, some of which can also be reached by sea.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

== Demographics ==
As of 2025, there are 3,678 people residing in Positano, of whom 48.8% are male and 51.2% are female. Minors make up 13.7% of the population, and pensioners make up 24.3%. This compares with the Italian average of 14.9% minors and 24.7% pensioners.<ref name="population" />

{{Historical populations|1861|2705|1871|2837|1881|2615|1901|1839|1911|1809|1921|1710|1931|1744|1936|2075|1951|2450|1961|2788|1971|3133|1981|3488|1991|3638|2001|3882|2011|3858|2021|3772|cols=2|align=none|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991|trans-title=Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref name="timeseries">{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}

==Main sights==
{{travel guide|section|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Church of Santa Maria Assunta, Positano 04.jpg|alt=|thumb|Church of Santa Maria Assunta]]
* The church of ''Santa Maria Assunta'' features a dome made of [[Maiolica|majolica]] tiles as well as a thirteenth-century Byzantine icon of a [[black Madonna]].<ref name="Santa Maria Assunta Church in Positano">{{cite web|title=Santa Maria Assunta in Positano|url=http://amalfi-coast.com/santa-maria-assunta-church|access-date=19 April 2012}}</ref> According to local legend, the icon had been stolen from [[Byzantium]] and was being transported by pirates across the Mediterranean. A storm had blown up in the waters opposite Positano and the frightened sailors heard a voice on board saying "Posa, posa!" ("Put down! Put down!"). The icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village and the storm abated{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}
* The Marina Grande beach is at the base of the cliff side town of Positano and is the most recognized beach in the town. Other popular beaches include Fornillo beach (the second largest beach in Positano)<ref>Simply Amalfi Coast, [https://simplyamalficoast.it/destination/amalfi-coast/positano/fornillo/ Fornillo Beach], accessed 27 August 2022</ref> and Arienzo beach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://travel.usnews.com/Amalfi_Coast_Italy/Things_To_Do/Positano_63458/|title=Positano}}</ref>
* MAR Positano (Roman Archaeological Museum) Santa Maria Assunta. The museum, inaugurated on 18 July 2018, is a museum-like archaeological site. The underground complex is divided into two crypts and a room of the Roman villa. The walls of the frescoed room from the imperial era are the only example of wall painting in Roman villas on the Amalfi Coast. The particularly bright colours are a peculiarity of the site. Further archaeological investigations are planned, aimed at the recovery of other rooms in the complex.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==Culture==
Positano has been featured in several films, including ''[[Only You (1994 film)|Only You]]'' (1994), and ''[[Under the Tuscan Sun (film)|Under the Tuscan Sun]]'' (2003), as well as more recently in ''[[Kath & Kimderella]]'' (2012) and being mentioned in the 2009 musical film ''[[Nine (2009 live-action film)|Nine]]'' in the song "Cinema Italiano". It has also hosted the annual [[Cartoons on the Bay]] festival, at which [[Pulcinella Awards]] for excellence in [[animation]] are presented.<ref>{{cite news|title=CARTOONS ON THE BAY: A 'LA FAMIGLIA SPAGHETTI' IL PULCINELLA D'ORO PER LA SERIE TV|url=http://www.e-duesse.it/News/Cinema/Cartoons-on-the-Bay-a-La-famiglia-Spaghetti-il-Pulcinella-d-Oro-per-la-serie-Tv|access-date=29 May 2020 |work=e-duesse.it|date=13 April 2003|language=it |archive-date=2017-12-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211053413/http://www.e-duesse.it/News/Cinema/Cartoons-on-the-Bay-a-La-famiglia-Spaghetti-il-Pulcinella-d-Oro-per-la-serie-Tv}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Wedding car hire Positano |url=https://positanolimoservice.com/ |access-date=5 September 2023}}</ref>

From July 1967 and through most of the 1970s, Positano was home to singer-songwriter [[Shawn Phillips]] and where most of his best-known work was composed. [[Mick Jagger]] and [[Keith Richards]] from [[The Rolling Stones]] wrote the song "[[Midnight Rambler]]" in the cafes of Positano while on vacation.<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/mick_jagger_remembers/page/3 "Jagger Remembers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714055247/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/mick_jagger_remembers/page/3 |date=2007-07-14 }}. ''Rolling Stone''. Dec 14, 1995 (accessed 12 June 2007).</ref>

Renowned director and producer [[Franco Zeffirelli]] owned the Villa Treville in Positano, where he took residence over a 35-year period and hosted a coterie of literati and stars of the stage and screen. He hired his friend, [[Lorenzo Mongiardino|Renzo Mongiardino]], who collaborated on many of his theater and opera projects, to design the exquisite interiors which reflect the local design sensibilities and craftsmanship. The Villa Treville has since been converted into a five-star boutique hotel.<ref>{{cite web|title=Villa Treville: Heritage|url=http://villatreville.it/villa-treville#tab=heritage|publisher=Villa Treville|access-date=6 August 2015}}</ref>

German pianist [[Wilhelm Kempff]] made Positano his summer retreat and there he taught a summer course on the [[Beethoven]] piano sonatas and concerti. Since his death in 1991, the Beethoven Kurse has continued under the organization of the Wilhelm Kempff Kulturstiftung, having had as teachers [[Gerhard Oppitz]] and [[John O'Conor]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

Today tourism is by far the major industry. Positano is also very popular for [[limoncello]] and "L'Albertissimo", an alcoholic tipple that can only be found at a small stall at the main harbor.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

The town's rapid growth from a small fishing village to an international destination is credited to the rise of the tourism industry. In addition to the beaches, cliffs, and historic sites, clothing stores and restaurants are scattered throughout Positano, attracting tourists from around the world. To complete the picture, natural lemon, orange, and olive groves grow prominently across the cliffside town. The produce is often sold in fresh markets around the city.<ref name=":02" />

The fictional town of "Mongibello" in the 1955 novel ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley]]'' is based on Positano. The town and various villages on the islands of [[Ischia]] and [[Procida]] were used to represent Mongibello in a [[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|1999 film based on the novel]].<ref name="movie-locations">{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/t/talentrip_1.html#.WS03N1TyvIU | title=Film locations for the Talented Mr. Ripley | website=movie-locations.com |access-date=May 30, 2017}}</ref>

Positano is also home to [[football in Italy|football club]] A.S.D. San Vito Positano 1956, who play at Stadio Vittorio de Sica and compete in the [[Promozione]] Campania.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==Economy==
Positano is an international tourist attraction and it is also called "città verticale"<ref>{{cite web |title=Scoprire la costiera Amalfitana: cosa vedere a Positano |url=https://www.visitnaples.eu/napoletanita/scopri-napoli/scoprire-la-costiera-amalfitana-cosa-vedere-a-positano |website=visitnaples.eu}}</ref>due to its peculiar conformation. Since 1997 Positano is part of Amalfi Coast, in fact it has been declared [[UNESCO World Heritage site]].

==Transportation==
Positano can be reached by the SS163 Amalfitana national road, or by the SP425 provincial road.
 
The nearest airports are the [[Napoli-Capodichino]] (NAP) and the [[Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport]] (QSR) and they have shuttle buses to destinations across the [[Amalfi Coast]], including Positano.<ref name=":02" />

Ferries link Positano to other towns including [[Capri]], [[Naples]], [[Salerno]], and [[Sorrento]] for transportation.<ref name=":02" />

The Sita bus links Positano to [[Amalfi]] and [[Sorrento]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.positano.com/en/bus-schedule|title=2020 Bus schedules for the Amalfi Coast - Sita Positano Amalfi|website=Positano.com|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref>

==Education==
The community has a main nursery and primary school, the Montepertuso nursery, the Montepertuso primary school, and a secondary school.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comune.positano.sa.it/uffici-e-contatti/|title=Uffici e contatti|publisher=Positano|language=it|accessdate=2022-10-08}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy}}
* [[Amalfi Coast]]
* [[Sirenuse|Li Galli]]
* [[Sorrentine Peninsula]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Positano}}
{{wikivoyage|Positano}}
* [http://www.comune.positano.sa.it/ Official website]
* [http://www.positanonews.it ''Positano News'']—online newspaper about Positano, the [[Amalfi Coast]], [[Sorrento]], and [[Campania]] in general
* [https://www.traghetti-napoli.net/orari-traghetti/costiera-amalfitana/positano Ferry timetable for Positano]
* [https://www.positano.com/ Positano.com]

{{Province of Salerno}}
{{Amalfi Coast-Sorrento Peninsula}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Amalfi Coast]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Campania]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Campania]]
[[Category:Cittaslow]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Campania]]
[[Category:Roman villas in Italy]]