Ann, if you will post what condition your parents are in it would help in making a decision. There are alot of spry 70 year olds, and some people alot younger that aren't spry. It wasn't rudeness from some of these posters, but just saying someone is in their 70's doesn't mean that much. Do they walk and climb stairs at home?

Ann, now that I'm home, here are some more thoughts. In my opinion, there isn't that much to do in Positano. I didn't really care for the shopping, and there aren't very many "sights" to see, and I personally am not into swimming at the beach. The wonderful thing about Positano is the beauty of the landscape. I think your parents could stay at the Marincanto and never really have to go down the hill to the lower part of town. They could walk a little ways downhill and have dinner or a drink at Le Sirenuse (I understand that the pool area there is quite lovely) one evening. Then the rest of the time they actually spend in Positano, they could sit on their balcony/terrace and look at the beautiful scenery. During the day, they can walk just a little ways uphill to the bus stop and take the bus in one direction to Amalfi or in the other direction to Sorrento, both of which are relatively flat (though I will caution that the buses get crowded midday and they might have to stand). From Amalfi, they could also take the bus to Ravello, which is also flat. The Villa Rufolo is right there on your left when you enter Ravello, and the Villa Cimbrone (with the Belvedere of Infinity) is an easy fifteen minute walk. This also applies if you have a car, because I think the Marincanto has parking, and you could just use Positano as a base for beautiful mornings and evenings on your terrace and then go during the day to other, less vertically challenging towns.