When in Positano, you must visit the Santa Maria Assunta Church. Not because of its beauty, but because of its history, which is linked to the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria. The abbey was founded in the second half of the 10th century. The church was rumored to be built because the last Benedictine abbot, Antonio Acciappaccia di Sorrento and his monks, where fed-up with being robbed by plunderers and decided to come to Positano; there are a few manuscripts showing how Benedictine monks, who where on board of their ships that traveled across commercial and fishing routes, carried important relics. This ships were always in danger or being confiscated by pirates, so they needed a place to store the icons until they could safely transport them to new sites.

When at the church, you might hear a story about the Dome made of majolica tiles as well as a 13th Byzantine century icon of a black Madonna and according to legend, the icon had been stolen from the Byzantium by pirates who were headed across the Mediterranean. All of a sudden a horrific storm began to brew just as the pirate ship was passing Positano, the frightened sailors then heard a voice on board saying ‘Posa, Posa!’, meaning “Put Down, Put Down!’. The black Madonna icon was unloaded and carried to the fishing village of Positano and the storm abated, letting the pirates sail off in peace.

Ask the staff at the hotel in Positano where you’re staying for directions, everyone knows exactly how to get to the church. Once there, you’ll be in awe of the majestic organ located just above the central portal and be delighted with a stunning bas-relief of St. Vito in an arch between the right aisle and the transept, dating back to 1506, or the bas-relief above the bell-tower dating back to the Middle Ages, and right above the bas-relief, you’ll notice a grave stone placed there in 1902 to commemorate Flavio Gioia, the inventor of the compass.