Positano Is Dead: This Little-Known Town Is Way Cooler

Popular TikTok creator Victoria Elena has shared an alternative Italian holiday destination to Positano that you need to know: Santa Margherita Ligure.

As The Instagram Hordes stomp all over Amalfi and shirtless heathens strut their stuff in Sorrento (to the point where the town has banned bikinis after a moral panic over the “macabre procession” of tourists), there is a quieter part of Italy still waiting to be discovered (or as the case may be, desperately hoping it isn’t discovered…) That town? Santa Margherita Ligure.

This revelation was lugged at our noggins by TikTok user Victoria Elena. Victoria, who says she is an “Italian in London,” began her video (which has been viewed 1.4 million times) by explaining that she believes Positano, though it’s awesome, is now too crowded. She says that she would instead choose to go to Portofino – but there’s a catch.

WATCH: The Quieter Alternative To Positano AND Portofino

Rather than staying in Portofino – which is becoming overcrowded and expensive too – Victoria says you should stay at a town nearby to Portofino, like Santa Margherita Ligure or Rapallo, and walk ‘the red carpet’ (a coastal path built for getting between towns) to eat and drink in Portofino, before returning to your cheaper and more relaxed town to sleep.

Friends enjoying Rapallo/ Santa Margherita / Portofino. Image Credit: @mcmariachiara

“If you’re thinking of going to Italy these are the overhyped places to go in Italy and where I would go instead,” Victoria said.

“Tiny disclaimer,” she adds; “they’re not actually overhyped – obviously they are beautiful – but they are just so full of tourists the prices have become crazy. The locals don’t enjoy them anymore and if you go in peak season it’s going to become so crowded and crazy; you’re probably not going to have fun.”

“Number one, we have Positano,” Victoria continues. “It’s a beautiful location on the Amalfi Coast. But where would I go instead? This is Portofino, where I actually wouldn’t stay specifically here, I would stay further down the coast in Santa Margherita or Rapallo or even further.”

“So what they have is this… red carpet, which connects the coastal walk, which means that if you’re in one of the neighbouring towns, which are going to be cheaper, nicer; more fun, you can actually walk down the red carpet all the way to Portofino to have your dinner, drinks or your aperetivo and then you can just walk back.”
Victoria Elena

“I do this all the time and everyone does it. It’s super safe, you can do it at night and overall you can enjoy the view but you can stay a bit further out. If you know where to go, it’s also quite affordable.”

Rapallo scenes. Left: Sea Party by @carlobagnasco. Right: No Shoes Club by @**virginiavarinelli**. Images via Instagram.

TikTok users commented things like

“tourists trying to avoid tourists is the funniest thing to me” and “I find Portofino waaay more overhyped than Positano. Also the food in Positano is one step ahead.”

Another remark was: “I was in Positano in February a couple of years ago and it was magical. No people, empty beach, beautiful light.” Victoria responded: “Totally agree out of season is the time to go.”

Others pointed out you might be better off getting a bus, or renting a Scooter, as it’s a fair old walk from Santa Margherita or Rapallo to Portofino (it’s 19 minutes by car).

Drive time from Rapello to Portofino. Image via Google Maps

Other useful information shared in the comments included the fact that you can get a ferry from Rapallo to neighbouring places “and it’s way quicker then the walk!!” (to which Victoria replied: “Trueeee but ”) and that the walk from Santa Margherita to Portofino takes “+30 mins,” (according to Victoria).

Left: restaurant in Covo di Nord-Est (near Santa Margherita), posted to Instagram by @doktor_t. Right: Street in Santa Margherita, posted by @marziapiccinelli

Images on Instagram show a multitude of tourists living their best lives in and around the Portofino region, with many visiting Santa Margherita and Rapallo as well. It appears if your goal is to lounge about drinking, eating and swimming, you can easily do that in all three places – there’s no need to stay in Portofino just because it’s famous (unless you really want to and are prepared to pay more for the convenience).

Holidaymakers living their best lives in/around Portofino. Left: @guustay. Right: @chiaragianatii

Since publishing the video, Victoria has also commented: “Canceling this video now that the Kardashians are there.” So it appears America’s most famous family has at some point visited. Still: it’s got to be quieter than Amalfi. And if you find it not to your liking, there’s always something around that next bend…

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