Day 4

Day 4 I think 

Stairs, stairs, everywhere there are stairs. AND SWEAT! Profuse sweat. As a friend just said to us, all you see is sunshine and rainbows when people mention Positano, they don't tell you the hard part. You will get more steps traveling around here than you can ever imagine. I cannot see how anyone who has to carry children, or has a disability could get around Positano. Even our most fit members are starting to struggle on the stone steps of varying depths and heights. The beauty of Positano may be that there was no plan when they began building it. They seem to have connected the buildings along the way, and that sometimes results in a tiny porch landing on a busy thoroughfare. 

Today was a transition day where we left our comfy villa and moved down the mountain a couple of miles. Oscar, who had originally arrived skeptical of our decision to stay so high up on a steep mountain, softly mentioned “I think we are going to really miss this place.” Alas, he was so right.

We arrived at The Royal Hotel and the words of the old country singer Dan Seals came to mind here “All that glitters is not gold”. The hotel is large, and is the only big pool hotel we could see from our villa terrazza. The views from our rooms are amazing as usual, but the actual room would garner a 2 star back home for sure. Don’t get me wrong, the space is large and stays pretty cool, but the linens, and the furniture inside leave something to be desired. In the distance, from our windows, we can see our comfy villa and are left to wonder who is there now. I hope they lounge in the pool and explore the gardens. Not one square inch of dirt there was left unplanted or not tended to in some way. The price for 7 adults to have stayed in such a beautiful place with so many amenities for 3 full nights is about the same as the cost of Disneyland. And in my opinion, much more worth it. Here is the link https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/villa-graziella-positano.it.html.

FASHION AND PACKING:

Since we just traveled here today, walked around a bit, and then went out to dinner I will give this blog a little fashion and packing advice for Positano. It is HOT here in July, and humidity is extremely high. If you have slightly frizzy hair, no style will hold up here and mostly you will see hair up in clips. This is Italy though, teh fashion capital of the world, so plain shorts and a shirt will make you feel frumpy, 

Linen shorts and flowy linen or cotton pants are your best friend. Light and pretty tanks and shells will be perfect. My favorite purchase for this trip so far has been a simple short cotton dress with vivid purple flowers on a white background from Pickled, by Rails. If I had bought 5 of those, and nothing else, I could’ve simply brought a carry on. One layer, natural fabric dresses with a skimpy top are literally the jam here. The style is a cross of Love Shack Fancy style meets Lily Pulitzer vibrant colors. Do not buy either of those as brands do not seem to be a thing here, so why pay more? Shoes are the easiest to pack as you should have one pair of white and super athletic tennis shoes (OC or HOKA) to walk long distances and climb stairs, and 1-3 comfy but sparkly sandals or flip flops. Accessories make the outfit and gold layers are back here in force. I hope that helps. Had I read something like this before I left my suitcase would be ¼ more empty and I would have more room to shop.

Men’s fashion here is as easy as ABC. Nice shorts (think Tommy Bahama or Ted Baker style) and thin cotton button downs and light polo style shirts. We made a quick trip to Untuckit in Stanford before we left and the young man there hooked us up. He himself had just returned from a family trip here and knew just what we needed to buy. As usual, men get by on much less.

Last night Oscar and I had a date night and the kids took off to find some nightlife. We once again scaled the nearby stairs and made our way into town and ate at a restaurant called Ohimi. It was lighter food, fish and lamb, and we had a lovely and professional wait staff. We got to watch people walking by and guess where they were from by the way they dressed. I could pick out the young Italian girls by their sexy spiked heels and more sparkly dresses. Their commitment to fashion as always is commendable. 

The kids went to Music on the Rocks last night which is extremely well known around the world. It is literally a club in a cave with disco balls and neon light signs and literally filled with young people dancing. It was elegant and hip with a vibe the younger generation loves for their social media photos. They were playing California rap music that everyone seemed to know. We haven’t seen that type of fun in the Bay Area for 3 decades at least. Such a shame.

We didn’t hit the beds until about 2 am! After the club the kids found out that there is absolutely no food or places to buy water at that hour, so plan ahead and have some cold water and snacks in your room. Door Dash does not exist here:)

Ok, my battery is dying, and I am in the distracting hotel cafe where it is difficult to concentrate and write. I have forgotten to mention that everyone speaks English here. That is easier and disappointing all at once. I think I prefer my experience arriving in Italy for the first time 23 years ago. It was and has been sink or swim with the language barriers. I had to practice or sit silent. I have never sat silent a day in my life!