The city of Sorrento in Italy makes one think of the clichés Neapolitan aria Return to Sorrento. However, Sorento also happens to be an excellent base from which to explore Capri, Ana Capri, and the magnificent Amalfi coast, and best of all, the little town of Positano.
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Coach tours are not necessarily everyone's preferred mode of traveling abroad. However, earlier this year I was invited to travel with Insight Vacations on an organised coach trip called The Best of Italy. To my utter delight, I found it was like traveling business class by coach - it had wider seats and plenty of legroom due to the coach only catering for 40 passengers instead of the regular 49, and it is this very feature that sets Insight coach tours apart from the rest. In many ways the coach journey became the destination, with many new friendships being made along the way.
Our last port of call on The Best of Italy tour was the city of Sorrento where we spent two nights. On each of the days, we embarked on a different excursion to the surrounding places of interest; the most memorable one being the trip to the Amalfi coast.
The 30km cornice along the southern coast of the Sorrentine peninsula is undoubtedly the most stunning and beautiful stretch of coast in Italy, and it reminded me a little of the drive to Chapman's Peak in Cape Town. It is a wild, plummeting landscape of mountains, rocky cliffs, and azure seas, decorated by several delightful historic towns, one of them being the famous town of Positano.
Much-loved by the famous - Only accessible to cars via one main road, it is remarkable that the little town of Positano offers more than 70 hotels! The town itself is a myriad of cubed houses as well as lavish Baroque villas, set against a mountain, in a pyramid style. The sandy beach situated below is a haven, with fishing boats and luxury yachts adorning the calm clear sea. Walking through this charming romantic little town, dotted with colourful bougainvillea and fruit stalls along narrow streets free of traffic, one can understand why it was much-loved by writers, musicians and artists including the likes of Nijinsky, Stravinsky, Picasso, Nureyev and Franco Ziffirelli, who all, at one time in their lives, made Positano their temporary home.
It is hard to imagine that during the 16C-17C this quiet tucked-away little town named Positano, rivalled Venice as a trading centre! Today it is better known as a romantic holiday haven, with a number of interesting sightseeing attractions - the main one being the Byzantine icon of the Black Madonna, which is housed in the Church of Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, an imposing baroque building with a dazzling dome.
I believe that the annual event 'The landing of the Saracans', is re-enacted with full costume and great passion during the month of August. It must be just one of the worthwhile reasons to warrant a return trip to this exquisite little retreat.
As I watched Positano fade into the distance as we drove back to Sorrento along the magnificent Amalfi coast, I felt an immediate desire to return to this little corner of paradise - only next time I promised myself, it would be on a romantic holiday!
Contact Insight Vacations for details on The Best of Italy coach tours on (2711) 280 8400
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