Oops, I did it again, saying “no” when I should have said “yes”

Positano is certainly not undiscovered Italy.  Around every corner in the town center and at every visit, there are people taking selfies, or often enough, influencers with professional photographers in tow.  Instagram is littered with travelers to Positano.  The old center is packed with tourists from June through August, yet the place continues to enchant as it has for over 2,000 years.  

Just a short stroll from the main beach and the chaos is a small beach called Il Fornillo.  It is a charming place to pass an afternoon.  For a light lunch and/or a beachside lunch, visit the very casual Il Pupetto Beach Club.  Somehow the setting makes the drinks taste even better, and the food is surprisingly good for such a relaxed locale.  

Late one morning, we stumbled down to the Il Fornillo beach in search of coffee.  Ristorante La Mrinella, also very casual, appeared that it might be open.  Maybe.  We struck up a conversation with Gianii (Johnny), an older man, with a spirit that shined like the Amalfi Coast sun.  He welcomed us like long-lost friends. 

As we talked about our time in Positano and our quest to enjoy the area’s beauty away from the crowds, his eyes lit up as an idea hit him.  We had not experienced the area because we had not had fresh tomatoes from his garden.  He ran home to pick some from the vines, and fifteen minutes later, we were savoring some of the world’s best tomatoes that had been kissed by the sun.

As we talked, he was surprised at how little we had experienced of the real Positano, and then he made us an offer that we should not have refused.  Johnny had lobster pots set out in the sea, would we want to join him the next morning at 4:00 a.m. to retrieve the harvest.  While I am an early riser, for reasons that still escape me to this day, I passed.  Regrets, yes, I regret that.  Later in the trip we bumped into Johnny several times, all smiles and grinning like a toothless bear.  I miss that guy.