limmy

Oh to a live a life so charmed that Positano is a ramshackle slum! Wow! As a mere common person myself I can hardly imagine life at that level. Seems both fantastical and burdensome.

I get that the AC is not everyone's cup of tea. Totally get that. But ramshackle slum is a remarkable take on it.

Loacker

I predicted to get some serious flack for this question, but I stand by what I said. If it weren't for its setting, you'd mistake Positano for Calcutta or some Rio favella.

Just look at this picture.
http://arisingimages.com/blog/images...ly_2009_06.jpg

Ugly doesn't even begin to describe it.

SusanG

The joy of Italy (or any place) is that if you don't love the Amalfi Coast - there are millions of other places to visit. It was not my favorite place in Italy, but I did see the beauty. I always look forward to hearing about different views on travel (no pun intended.)

WoinParis

Flack ? You mean Flak like in Flugzeuge Abwehr Kanonnen ?

Of course you were expecting some. Where would be fun if not.

ekc

Wow - yeah, such a hideous picture (other than the weird filter used)! Ha! The good thing is, you are one less tourist who will visit Positano!

wanderlist

I sort of agree with the op. I wouldn't go as far as to call Positano a slum, but it's certainly not a pretty town.

frencharmoire

Have you ever been to Calcutta or Rio? Even from the picture you posted, I would never have mistake Positano for Calcutta or Rio.

Also, you seem unaware that it only very recently that most cities becaome "modern" in appearance. Up until WW2, when so much got bombed away, most cities in Europe looked like "slums" except in the very very richest corners. Everyone lived very close together for protection against the elements and enemy invasion. While a remote place like Positano didn't get bombed in WW2, it was unable to modernize due to the difficulty of reaching it with trucks, cranes, etc. It is only because of tourist dollars that Positano hotels go to the great expense & difficulty of installing modern features like air con, elevators, street lighting, etc.

Photos of many well-preserved historic places in Europe look like "slums" -- low-rise densley packed attached buildings with alleys instead of streets and minimal windows.

Annecy
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/ph...S_CDN_Redirect

Barcelona
https://previews.123rf.com/images/sa...tock-Photo.jpg

Ghent
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-ge...-ghent-146.jpg

Genoa
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...4c666fd5cb.jpg

etc

Loacker

And since when were Barcelona or Genoa famed for their beauty?

Take Sagrada Familia and the tiny Gothic Quarter out of Barcelona, and you're left with a third world-looking metropolis (with all its crime and drug problems)

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...panorama_2.jpg

mama_mia

Coming from the relatively flat Eastern seaboard, I am always drawn to dramatic seascapes where buildings seem to tumble down into the sea.

I enjoyed hiking in the hills above the coastal towns and was wowed by the abundant lemon groves and beautiful wisteria. I liked visiting the duomos of Amalfi and Ravello for their art. I find the history of Campania fascinating.

Positano is not my favorite town on the coast but it is visually interesting. I am not troubled by ramshackle. Ramshackle and old often go together.

thursdaysd

"Take Sagrada Familia and the tiny Gothic Quarter out of Barcelona, and you're left with a third world-looking metropolis (with all its crime and drug problems)"

Talk about foot in mouth disease. Appears you have never visited the Eixample area.

I guess much of the US must qualify as a third world country in your mind.

Loacker

I liked the Eixample, but it's a drop of elegance in an ocean of urban blight.


Every third-world city has one or two upscale districts that look a bit more polished than the rest of the city.
Polanco in Mexico City, Vasant Vihar in Delhi...

Dianedancer

Loacker - I can't believe you see Barcelona as you do. It's not my favorite city but it has such divergent neighborhoods with parks and beauty.
Hills, the ocean, etc.

Loved Lake Garda.

WoinParis

Excellent remark about la Sagrada. On the same vein one should raze notre dame cathedral. Just old bricks in a city full of dog poo with rude waiters.

Fra_Diavolo

I thought Positano and the AC an area of great natural beauty. Honeymooned at the Sirenuse and returned several times. Haven't been back in thirty years and have no intention of returning.

denisea

For me it was the spectacular ocean views every where you look....there are plenty of places that many love and other don't find appealing. We also stayed at Le Sirenuse and thoroughly enjoyed the top notch service, food and wine.

scrb11

I guess the building stock in the AC is older than other areas.

But I like how piled on the houses are on top of each other.

I guess in the US, they limit that kind of dense building along coastal areas. Instead they allow fewer expensive homes, more spaced apart, to be built?

Trying to think of a comparable topography in the US, with steep terrain dropping down to the water line.

In Santorini, in Oja, you get a similar dense stacking of buildings next to each other along the steep terrain, because everyone wants a view of the sea. From a distance, they do look cleaner for the most part, though the colors allowed seemed to be more limited.

I've stayed in Amalfi but not Positano. Pretty sure a lot of those buildings are nice inside, at least that was the case in Amalfi. Not 5-star but certainly 4-star quality.

You can walk along the Amalfi Drive and see some spectacular homes though, clinging on the side of a cliff. Also when you walk the Path of the Gods, you can see below nice homes with pools hanging over the cliffs. Not Third World at all.

Loacker

This is my idea of a beautiful coastal town.

Corfu

https://corfuholidaypalace.gr/wp-con...-AND-SPA-6.jpg

ekc

Then go there and stay away from the AC - more room for those of us who enjoy it.

Sassafrass

Loacker, the site you posted is a lovely modern hotel outside of Corfu town, certainly not the town itself. If the hotel posted is supposed to be representative of Corfu, then a better comparison might be a hotel in Positano. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re..._Campania.html

Very different than the modern one posted by Loacker, but certainly not run down. It is typical of how buildings in Positano look up close.

Having been to both Corfu and Positano, I love both. Both are beautiful and neither are run down. Doesn't matter really though. If a place does not appeal to you, don't go.

I am curious, however. Have you been to both or either one, or is all this just based on a few pictures? Sometimes a picture is the best thing about a place. Sometimes it says nothing about a place.

Good luck in your travels.

Sassafrass

Oh, I didn't answer your question? What draws me there? It is the most romantic place in the world to me. When I went the first time with DH, I felt I could never ask for anything more, and the views are as close to heaven as I could get.