Praiano - Vettica

Coming from Amalfi and heading for Positano one passes Vettica Minore. Leaving the beautiful Fiord of Furore behind we reach "the unique jewel of Marina di Praiano". It is here that the tower of Assiola, one of the oldest of the zone, shows its beauty. The tower was built during the time of King Carlo V (Charles V) in 1270.

The beautiful beach of Marina di Praiano is surrounded from both sides by rocks. To the left, looking at the sea, some houses are embedded in the rocks. They bear the typical signs of the architecture of the coast, the Arab influences, which untill today give this area the mystic touch of passed civilizations.

To the right of the beach, alongside fishermen's boats, one finds picturesque and inviting little inns.

Praiano has little in common with raving and crowded resort towns. It is the ideal place for the lovers of nature, clean water, olive and pine trees. Promenading along its narrow streets, staircases and light flooded squares one can smell the scents of this beautiful land.

The little church of the Assumption is surrounded by white houses and fishermen's nets that bring traditions of hundrets of years into our present.

Back on road SS 1163, continuing for Praiano, one takes a road that climbs up Mount S. Angelo. In the upper part of the village, opposite the church of S. Costanzo, one has a marvelous view over the bay of Positano, the Galli Islands, the Island of Capri and its famous Faraglioni.

This place is so beautiful that one can not but remain breathless und be surprized over and over again by its natural beauties. The scents that fill the air, the view of the sea, the surrounding nature and the silence that is interrupted only by the sound of the wind are only some of the seductions of Praiano.

Heading for Praiano we cross Vettica Maggiore. The village is layed out between Capo Sottile and Marina di Praia. The church of S. Gennaro was built in 1602. It has a majolica dome and bears a number of very important paintings amongst which Giovanni Lama's Martyrdom of S. Bartolomeo (16th century) and the Last Supper (18th century) by Francesco Saverio Carvelli. The belltower next to the church goes back to the 18th century.

WEB SITE TOWN HALL OF PRAIANO: www.comune.praiano.sa.it