Friday, July 04, 2008

You know that it's Tourist season in Positano if ...(2)


  • You have to wait for people to have their panini (bread roll) freshly made up by the grocer before he serves you.

  • They ask for things in funny Italian. He answers in stranger English.

  • Australians are everywhere. You keep turning around to see if you know them. You try to restrain yourself from inviting them home.

  • Water pressure is less in the morning and in the evening.

  • The drains gurgle loudly from 9-10am; 5-6pm and 10-11pm.

  • They smell much worse too.

  • In the evening, you come up the bougainvillea clad walkway leading from the church, geriatric style, due to the amount of people trying to do the same thing.

  • Due to the demand from air conditioners in hotels, electricity voltage comes in flickers of lows and highs so that it seems that the bulb needs changing.

  • You finally meet up with your friends - regular seasonal 'tourists' to Positano.

  • Restaurants are full from 6pm for the English.
  • Restaurants are full from 9-12pm for the Italians.

  • You see hopeful tourists drive into town on the oneway road at the top, and then drive themselves out again at the bottom not having found a place to park.

  • They think that the price that you have to pay for private parking for one hour, is the price for the whole day.

  • They are the only ones to put sunscreen on.

  • They are the only ones to wear a one piece bathing suit.

  • They are the only ones to wear a hat.

  • They yell out : 'There's rocks and they're slippery', when they are in the water.

  • They bring sea glass home as a souvenir.

  • There is a babble of voices on the beach at midday, noisy motor boats coming and going, and what seems like an endless sequence of ferries depositing crowds of people on to the dock.

  • An unexpected rain storm means that the pinball machine area under Pupetto restaurant quickly fills up with people in bathing costumes.

  • You see them walking down at the top of the hill all along the scorching road, unsure of which stairs to take as a short cut to the beach.

  • The granita seller at a small stand at the hot Mulino bus stop, suddenly finds himself in big business.


This is for all of you who will be heading off to your holidays soon. And for all of you who thought that Positano is a good idea in summer - be warned !

9 comments:

Leanne was in Italy now in Australia said...

Nice list! So true with the restaurants being full by 6pm for the foreigners and then 9-12 for the rest!

Do you think though that is is only us Aussies who can pick out fellow Australian accents? The rest may confuse us with Brits, South Africans, Kiwis or even Americans..well the non-mother tongue english speakers that is.

Lucia said...

I think it's beautiful...I think I could get used to it. When I was in Sicily for 3 months, I adapted. I think I could for a couple weeks if need be...lol. Thank you for your post, you always put me in daydream mode.
In Sicily we used to eat at 8 and then take off to the Belvedere around 9, 9:30. That's where I'd meet all my young Sicilian studs...it was great being a Canadian girl in a small town in Sicily. I of course had my chaperone cousin who was 12. But we paid him off and he'd leave me and my friends and go with his friends for hours. See I'm back in Termini just with one little post.

Annika said...

"They ask for things in funny Italian. He answers in stranger English."
This really annoyed me in a souvenir shop in Amalfi. Seriously, my Italian was better than grandma's English, but it was as if she didn't realize which language I was speaking.

Thanks for this post, and that photo is gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Great and full of humour observations:)

Kathy said...

Great list! I don't care how bad you make it sound, it's still my favorite place on the planet!

Topsy Turvy said...

Scintilla - Thanks for visiting my blog. It's so nice hearing all about Positano from a resident. What time of year would you recommend visiting?

-Lana

Rosa said...

Lana- Sorry, I just saw your comment. May is my favorite time there although September is lovely too !

Anonymous said...

Hi

I would like to know How much crowed will be there in the first week of September at Positano?

Rosa said...

Hello Anon. The worst time for crowds is during the two last weeks of August when all Italians are on holidays. In September it calms down a little but if you are expecting to get beaches for yourself you will be disapointed. I suggest hiring a kayak and paddling off to nearby beaches behind the tower on the Fornillo side.