Under the Tuscan Sun...or the Positano Sun

Under the Tuscan Sun


I love that movie. I have loved that movie since the first time I saw it in the theater years ago, and I love it a little bit more every time I see it.


I’ll be honest, it’s not really the best movie ever made or anything, but I have always thought that there was something about it that just struck me. It took me a couple of viewings to put my finger on what that trigger was, but it was like light shining in when I figured out the one message, in that film, that put it on my list of favs.



The idea that you can fall in love with a place so much and so quickly that you just can’t leave.



Now, despite my vast portfolio of travel, that feeling hasn’t happen to me yet. I’ve gotten close…..(Argentina & Ireland) but I have never been unable to actually board a plane. Now I am going to talk about a city I went to today. I DO NOT WANT TO MOVE THERE OR ANYTHING, BUT…….it reminded me of the movie since a few scenes were filmed in the village.



So here goes…



My Lovely Excursion to the Picturesque Town of Positano, Italy



Now, it was not the town that Francis (Diane Lane in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun) bought the villa in. When Francis meets the hottie Italian Marcello in Rome, Positano is the town he is from, and takes her to. It is also the scene of the crime, for the heartbreaking part where she goes to visit Marcello and he is with another woman.


For those of you unfamiliar, Positano is located about 45 minutes outside of Sorrento, Italy. It is a part of Italy’s celebrated Amalfi Coast. Its claim to fame, if you will, is that it is basically a pedestrian city that is built entirely into a cliff. The streets wind around, and from a distance, it looks like all these houses are stacked on top of each other, when in reality there is a narrow sidewalk and staircases between levels. It really is breathtaking to see.


The road to get there is also breathtaking, but in another way…..you hold your breath the whole time because it is so scary! There is a tiny road that connects Positano to Sorrento, where our yacht was anchored. This road looks like it should be one lane one way, but of course, the Italians treat like a freeway just passing whenever they feel like it around the curves. I love how the fact that you honk when you cross to the other side of the road when you are rounding a corner. And that is supposed to be enough of a warning. I super enjoyed how our driver was honking on every curve, but I never saw anyone actually stop and pull over when we heard a honk from another car. Intriguing.


Anyway, the town itself was very pleasant. It has become the new refuge of the rich and famous. Mainly because they made an ordinance a few years ago that you could not build anything else in the town….just remodel existing buildings. So, of course that has driven the prices up, and all the Eurotrash “just HAD to have a place there” Then, it lead to any property that was not absolutely gorgeous get resold and restored. However, we were told that there are still quite a few very stubborn families that own homes there, and are just fine with their dilapidated villas with clothing on the hangline outside being next to some snotty French or Spanish movie star’s place. Its gives the village a lot of character.


My afternoon started with a glass of wine at the Hotel Sirenuse. They have a beautiful piazza that shoots out from the cliff. I will not even mention what that single glass of refreshing Italian white wine cost me, but it was well worth it to witness that view, which is probably the most beautiful possible looking down the mountain to the beach. I also enjoy that in Italy, when you order a drink at an upscale café, it is always accompanied with a small bowl of olives, and a small bowl of salted or candied nuts. Props to Richard from Cardiff, Wales who is part of the yacht crew, and who recommended I have a drink there. Even though I was forced to wander about like a lost American for about 30 minutes before I found the VERY hidden hotel entrance. I stole the drink menu to have as a memento.


Next, I decided to visit some of the shops that Positano is known for. Sandal shops are very popular. Of course, not just any kind of sandal shop…these have cobblers who measure your feet when you walk in, and made the sandals, flip-flops or clogs to your exact dimensions. After the measurement, you wonder around their shops and pick the leather or jeweled piece, color, and style that you want your sandal to be from a monstrous selection of everything from plain straps to choices with jewels or charms hanging off. Post-selection, you wait while the cobblers get to work hammering and stretching. The last step is the heel you want. The cobbler could do any height, and even put a wedge on the sole. It was really amazing to see the speed at which these cranky looking old guys worked. I decided not to have a pair made, but I did enjoy watching (and judging) the styles that I saw others pick out!


After exploring the walkways, unique villas, and galleries of the upper town, I strolled down to the beach area. It reminded me of a smaller Cannes, or Nice with the colored umbrellas of the beach clubs in perfect lines in the sand. But, unlike those cities, the beach only covered the crescent inlet, and there were only 2 umbrella colors. And that is where it looked like the beautiful people were spending their day. Then, unlike those cities, there was a fairly good sized public beach area, which I personally found very entertaining. There were all kinds of people on that part. It looked like locals, mixed with tourists, even backpackers just taking a rest. I also had to burst out laughing when I witnessed an older couple changing into their suits right on the sand, one at a time, while the other held a blanket over them folded so it looked like a tent. I really thought this was peculiar since there were free public changing rooms 100 ft from where they were standing!


O.K. I have to return to Under the Tuscan Sun again, because there is a quick scene in the movie where Francis is wearing her white dress, and walks on a stone pier where the water is crashing up by her feet. Well, I asked someone were that was filmed, and they directed me to the spot. I gotta tell ya, that had to be staged, because it is a lovely place where you walk on the pier, but the water is very calm there, with hardly even a ripple. I call BS on the producers…unless they happen to be filming during some kind of storm or something!


Now the last thing I did before my departure from Positano was totally geek out.


I decided to try and find, so I could photograph the balcony that Francis talks to Marcello from. Yeah…I’m that girl. All I knew was that it was a pink building with black railings. Can’t be hard, right? There were about a dozen pink buildings with black railings, so I spent an hour walking around, and taking pictures of all of them. Eventually I will rewatch the movie, and decide which pic is the right one.


So, it was a lovely day. I really enjoyed Positano, and would love to return to stay a night or two there.





Postnote:

I wrote this last week but was unable to post it until now. Also…stay tuned….I went to Capri the next day, and that blog is coming!