I catch the 0945 bus down to positano and it is full to the brim of departing tourists and locals, I just hope the driver doesn't take any sharp corners and send the bus rolling off the cliff. I have a tour booked today with an Australian girl who met and married a local, and has put together an insiders tour of the town. It was excellent and really brought positano to life for me.

Firstly she covered shopping ... By explaining the different cottage industries in positano. We went into a linen shop that grows and weaves it's own flax into linen, then makes all the clothes. The little wizened guy in the shop is the original owner and has just won a best tailor of Italy award and could not be prouder. He shows us the newspaper and then a photo of him in his glory days and tells us sadly he has always been short and ugly! But well dressed! The other dress shop we visit is run by Maria lightning herself, the cutest little nonna who got her name after making a rich man trousers while he swam in the sea! It is a tradition that you get your photo taken with Maria if you are any kind of celebrity and she is picky, but you can be her facebook friend. The other local industries are pottery and leather sandal making.

Christine then takes us to her husbands business, a butcher who is a famous handcarver of meat, and we try salumi, cheese and olives. We visit the two churches and learn about the famous artifacts and how the church festivals work and religions place in the local community. Legend has it pirates stole an important painting of the Madonna and they faced threatening seas.... Then a voice said poso poso "lay me down", that is return the painting to land, which they did and the seas went calm. A church was built to hold the icon and that is how positano got it's name.

Finally we tried limoncello and got restaurant recommendations and then we all went on our way. I had lunch with Louise, fellow solo Australian traveller and gourmand and headcold sufferer (we went to the local doctor at the farmacy for a witches brew and pills), then decided to have a flash lunch. We shared fried zucchini flowers, I had homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and eggplant, wine and expresso! She braved the bus ride up to see my town and do some of the walk of the gods, and we will meet for drinks tomorrow! Good to find a friend amongst couple land!

I had a local dinner - a salumi and vegetable plate, the local specialties being mozzarella stuffed with olives and procuitto, and goats cheese, and lots of grilled veges - really nice. I finished with an expresso and limoncello and watched the incredible view go to black. The photo today is the view from my balcony where I read magazines and eat peaches - very nice.