View of Positano with Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta Church, Positano, Salerno, Amalfi Coast, Campania, Italy - stock photo

Stefan Auth/Getty

Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta

Positano


Omnipresent in most Positano photos is the colourful majolica-tiled dome of its main church (and the town's only real sight). If you are visiting at a weekend you will probably have the added perk of seeing a wedding; it’s one of the most popular churches in southern Italy for exchanging vows.

The church is known for a 13th-century Byzantine Black Madonna and Child above the main altar. The icon was supposedly stolen from Constantinople by pirates and smuggled west.

A handsome 18th-century bell tower stands separate from the main church building in the piazza out front.

During restoration works on the square and the crypt, a Roman villa was discovered, but this was still under excavation and closed to the public at the time of writing.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Positano attractions

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