The three green mantles of Positano

Montepertuso/Nocelle area: beyond is the edible woods zone (beeches, firs, pine trees, chestnuts to some extent), around Montepertuso and Noccelle you can see the lush olive gardens, and to some extent, citrus fruit terraces and some vegetable gardens

Have you noticed that Postiano is circled by three green mantles, sort of climatic zones that encourage the growth of different plants, trees, vegetables and herbs? And how Positano's inhabitants make use of these zones wisely. Speaking of a "green mantle", I mean three different ecosystems that one could make out, each of them complementing the others. These ecosystems are layered, with the second and third overlapping in altitude. 

Above is the edible wood zone, and below, coming down to the village, is the lush green mantle of vegetable gardens, olive and citrus terraces

Starting from above, you can see the "green bands" mantling the mountain peaks which frame in Positano: in particular, the Monte Sant'Angelo a Tre Pizzi and the rock formations above Montepertuso and Nocelle on the one hand, and in the area surrounding Santa Maria di Castello on the other. Here, in the "mantle zone #1", you will notice not only firs, beeches and pine trees, but also a great variety of aromatic herbs (amongst them, rosemary, thyme, wild lavender, wild curry plants) and brumes. Olives, and further above, chestnut trees, are also to some lesser extent part of this zone, tapped by man to collect herbs, olives and chestnuts (which are also used to make flour). Further inland towards Agerola, even potato fields have been laid out at this altitude.

Sometimes layer one, i.e. the pine and firt rees and herbs and brumes, reach down to the Amalfitana road, but this does not happen in the village itself.

"Mantle zone #2" could be called the "orchard layer". This "green band" reaches well down to the roads circling Positano, such as Via Marconi and Via Pasitea, along which you can see the orchard trees (apple, pear, walnut trees) growing next to vegetables in the garden plots, but also on wild corners. The climate in this "mantle zone" is neither too hot nor too dry for them to grow, as is influenced by buildings and trees providing shade to the vegetables that would otherwise not take at all if exposed to the full sunlight. With the help of irrigation of course, everything takes really well, as you can see ..

Layer two: evergreen oaks, pittosporum, cedars and other trees provide enough shade for vegetable plots and even vineyards to flourish in town

Vegetable plot in town - in the foreground you see a row of lettuce plants and an exceptionally grand basil plant growing lush, yes, but it needs to be irrigated regularly

Vegetable garden on Via Pasitea, shaded by high trees (citrus, apples, pears, walnuts ..)

And finally, "green mantle #3" looks really tropical. As the mountains come down rather steep towards the coast, the rivulets also come down as streams that can be quite detrimental in case of thunderstorms or in the cooler season when it rains a lot. Still, this third green mantle, though interrupted, as it is limited to the gorges, is a lush and moist area, reaching almost down t the beaches. I am referring in particular to two narrow gorges, one is the famous Valle dei Mulini, dividing Positano practically in two halves. The second, less well-known one is located at Fornillo In these zones, the walls of the cliff provide shade to ferns and reed, and in some cases, also this third, moist layer is still used for gardening, as you can see in the pictures below.

These are trees planted below Pasticceria La Zagara, and they convey the feeling of a tropical environment, as they are already part of Valle dei Mulini's moist and sun-protected grounds.

A vegetable garden placed on the edge of Valle dei Mulini (mills' valley): It is not only thick reeds and mostly deciduous trees, but also artfully created (terraced) vegetable plots

Below the Grotta di Fornillo is another hint of a gorge, like a dent in the landscape, it is also moist, with wild reeds and grass growing profusely, but there are also a few vegetable gardens which may not be easy to tend, given the steep slopes ..