DESTINATIONS TRIED & TESTED Hotel Poseidon


Hotel Poseidon offers a wide-angled sweep of


Positano’s narrow streets and glittering sea – best admired


from the pool and sun terrace. The 48-room, family-run


property balances historic charm with sun-drenched


rooms and hand-painted tiles. What truly sets it apart is the hospitality of Monica Aonzo and her daughters, Margherita and Liliana, who manage the rare feat


of making a world-class hotel feel like a private home. Rooftop restaurant and bar


Il Tridente is led by Napolitan chef Antonio Sorrentino, and gives the Hotel Poseidon serious foodie appeal.


Standard rooms start at €400 per night.


hotelposeidonpositano.it


we choose,” says Giuseppe. “The coast’s natural beauty, its architecture and its folklore are constant sources of creativity.”


Should clients want to experience a gozzo for themselves, plenty of Sorrento-based operators offer both self-drive boat rentals and guided tours with skippers on Fratelli Aprea vessels. Along the coast in Praiano, Leonardo Scala continues a 50-year musical legacy. At the top of the town’s steep scalinatella (stairways), his Liuteria Scala workshop is filled with maple and the smell of wood resin. Leonardo and his father, Pasquale, use 17th-century templates to construct traditional instruments such as the mandolin and guitar-like chitarra battente by hand, from the intricate bone and mother-of-pearl inlays to the final varnishing, ensuring these Mediterranean designs continue to be played – rather than just admired in museums.


SUSTAINABLE SOUVENIRS Back in stylish Positano, clients can pick up a variety of planet-friendly mementos. Lorenzo Ruocco, a third-generation shoemaker at Nanà Positano, runs a serene sandal-making workshop just a stone’s throw from the busy beach. “When someone buys from us, they’re not just getting sandals – they’re embracing a story, an experience and a piece of Positano to carry with them wherever they go,” says Lorenzo. On the other side of the beach, Creo offers a sustainable alternative to plastic eyewear, with frames handcrafted on-site from 60 types of wood. Nearby food supplier Valentì offers another hands-on connection to


the region’s heritage. In its workshop, visitors discover the secrets of Mamma Emilia’s original limoncello recipes, preparing their own bottles using traditional methods.


TEST OF TIME As I explore lesser-known pockets of the Amalfi Coast, a theme emerges: this environment encourages creativity. The dramatic geography fosters self-sufficiency while the natural beauty – vivid blue seas, bright-yellow lemons, steep green terraces – provides endless inspiration. There exists a deep respect for work that is carried out not simply for profit, but also for pleasure. The fact these workshops are sprinkled in tiny corners up and down the coast, rather than in a crafts quarter, means clients can explore a more traditional side to this region, no matter where they stay. Encourage visitors to take time away from the beach and its photo spots, and they will realise the Amalfi Coast safeguards something rare: a culture where making things well still matters.


TW BOOK IT


Kirker Holidays offers three nights’ B&B at the four-star Hotel Poseidon in Positano from £1,195 per person, based on two sharing. The price includes flights and private transfers. kirkerholidays.com


Exodus Adventure Travels offers a seven-night Walking the Amalfi Coast tour from £1,609 per person for a July 11 departure, based on two sharing. The price includes most meals and all transport within Italy, but excludes flights. exodus.co.uk


travelweekly.co.uk 23 APRIL 2026 37 ITALY | SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL


CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A gozzo boat; shoemaker Lorenzo Ruocco; papermaking


workshop, Amalfi; limoncello PICTURES: Shutterstock/ECSTK22; Cartiera Amatruda; Fratelli Aprea; Joseph Phelan; Nanà Positano


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