Positano is positively incredible. Pastel buildings, saliva-inducing restaurants; more views than you can slurp a strawberry gelato in front of.
Unfortunately, for many of us, it’s also – along with anywhere outside our borders – geographia non grata. A place we can lust after but not visit, thanks to the current constraints of international travel.
Australians are forbidden from travelling point-blank.
Though much of the rest of the world can technically voyage, they will find it more costly and complex (and face quarantine on arrival potentially both at their destination and upon their return home).
The upshot? Many are holding off travelling for the time being.
The consequence to that? FOMO.
The following photo of Positano in June 2018 captures the sentiment impeccably.
Posted on Reddit by user u/laid__back, the photo is captioned, “The stunning Positano in the Amalfi Coast (Trip to Italy in 2018 when travelling was simple).”
The image depicts the town in all its glory, boats out front, garden in the foreground, mountains out back.
Surely enough, it inspired a fair amount of FOMO among other users of the Reddit r/travel community.
“These pictures truly remind me how different life was just a year ago.”
“I guess life really isn’t fair! I was supposed to travel there in May and take my parents as a gift since they never travel and I was so excited to give something back to them. Here’s hoping in a few years we will be able to make the trip. At least once a week I fantasize about being there, sipping on an Aperol Spritz,” one user wrote.
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“The Amalfi Coast is at the top of my honeymoon list, hopefully we won’t be in covid-22, already cancelled going to Europe in March,” wrote another.
“Yeah it’s absolutely amazing. I’ve never seen another place where the beautiful mountains just meet the sea like that.”
“I was supposed to go in September,” yet another commented.
Further FOMO comments included: “I swear once this covid pandemic gets under control I’m sparing no expense to travel throughout the EU again” and “Ah man, that’s when things were easy, hope we can go back to that.”
“Was supposed to make a stop here on my honeymoon with my wife this past spring. Covid-19 cancelled that. Can’t wait until the world is back to normal so I can hopefully visit one day!”
The photo also suggests – despite the various health risks we could be worrying about right now – when we congregate online as travellers, our greatest fear is still of missing out.
The discussion also wandered into some of the unique traits of Positano, with one user remarking on one of the big ‘culture’ shocks many tourists recieve: the stairs.
“One of my all time favourite spots. What a way of life people there have (minus all the stairs to walk up).”
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“That’s how they’re all so skinny and beautiful despite eating pasta all day,” another replied.
“Have you seen the old Italian women who live there? They are not skinny. They’re built like bulls.”
“Yeah for sure. I swear I saw a woman who must have been 90 doing it with shopping bags. My unathletic 27 year old ass couldn’t keep up.”
Finally, others recommended hiking the Path of Gods to Positano – a great recommendation if there ever were one.
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Yet another locale to add to the post-Covid bucket list.