"It's a crazy ride but at least it's comfortable!"

It takes a couple of different modes of transport to get to Positano.  Option 1 is the very fast rain from Rome to Naples and then a local graffiti ridden train to Sorrento followed by a crazy bus ride to Positano. Then hope I can find Positano's local bus and somehow find and get close to my accommodation. With a suitcase and overnight bag, this was not something that I really fancied doing. 

So I decided to take Option 2. The very fast train followed by private transfer from Naples direct to the front door of my hotel in Positano. As my driver Guiseppe, elegantly but ever so casually dressed in white, commented - "It will still be a crazy ride but at least it will be in comfort!"  He navigated the traffic jams as we wove through Sorrento in the luxury of the air conditioned BMW and then over the mountains to the Amalfi Coast. A born and bred local Positani, Guiseppe had lived in Williamstown in Melbourne about 5 years ago so we had plenty to chat about on the drive, comparing cities and learning much about his home town.

An hour and a half later I was standing awestruck at the cliff top lookout, staring down at the town of Positano. What a beautiful sight of the colourful houses and hotels clinging to the side of the hills right down to the waterfront. 

The ever smiling Guiseppe. 

The delight was to continue when he stopped in front of Hotel Ancora. It was literally high above the beach and the view from my balcony was breathtaking. Checking-in was interesting. The floor system goes from 0 to -5 as the floors are all below street level. My room is situated on a mezzanine level between -2 and -3. 

I had been warned and prepared for steps and staircases in Positano but what I hadn't expected was that there would be two flights for me to tackle each time I entered my hotel room! Not to mention those from the elevator - both up and down each time to get to my room. It's a funny configuration but that's a small price to pay for such a lovely spacious room with those views!

 The entrance foyer in my room!!! It's probably one of the biggest hotel rooms I've ever stayed in. 

Room 208 - not a bad view at all!  I can cope with it  (and the stairs) for next 5 days!

I took my time to let the views sink in, then decided that I should begin to tackle the formidable steps of Positano. The local bus can help in getting easily from bottom to top but there's a lot of places in between that they just can't go. The narrow one-way road can be a challenge for the cars and small buses and the alley-ways lined with shops, all remind me of a combination of Santorini and Lake Como. The journey between Amalfi towns is just as hair raising as from Bellagio to Como. Fortunately this time there hasn't been any gasping or screaming!

Time to get some sleep. Tomorrow the real walking begins with a guided tour along the Path of the Gods, high in the mountains above the Amalfi Coast.