Welcome to Vietri sul Mare
From Jesse's Journeys in Italy
Population: 5,589
Wikipedia:
Amalfi
Map:
Amalfi Coast
Webcam:
Amalfi
The first town and entrance to the
Amalfi Coast is Vietri sul Mare with a
population of 8600 inhabitants , it is
known throughout the world for its
ceramic industry. The earliest
piecs date back to the pre-Christian
period, with the art becoming the centre
of a thriving economy in the 15th
century. It has long been a
distinguishing characteristic of the
walls of the houses, roofs, balconies,
votive kiosks, signs as well as all
different types of ornaments. When
walking through the streets with
building dating back to the 1600s, the
narrow alleys of the Ciroppolo as well
as the small historic part of the town,
it is easy to noitce jut how ceramics
are everywhere.
The magnificent majolica dome of the
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (St.
John the Baptist's Church) dating back
to the 10th century is the culmination
of all this, not only in a figurative
sense. The building has been
restored several times and fuses Roman,
Renaissance adn Baroque styles as well
as houses paintings by various artists
including Andrea Sabatino, Francesco
Solimena and Lorenzo Fiammingo.
The Vietrese ceramic industry is well
known and exported throughout the world.
A visit to the workshops of the
crafstmen is a "must" for anyone
visiting the Amalfi Coast.
A walk in the Marina, dominated by two
large rock masses in the sea known as I
Due Fratelli (The two brothers) and the
beginning of high cliffs, is clearly
aimed at welcoming tourists with bars,
ice-cream parlours, small restaurants
and private lidos "beach clubs".
There were many more lidos in the past,
but now there are only four" La Rosa dei
Venti, Risorgimento, Costa d'Amalfi,
California and Lido Clypso. They
run most of the large beach in Marina,
with it being divided into three parts
from the mouth of the river Bonea to a
largre concrete platform that isolates
the right part of the beach, that is run
by the Lido Calypso.
A co-operative of boatmen leave every
hour from the small jetty, taking
tourists to less crowded beaches, making
it possible to escaepe the hustle bustle
of the hustle and bustle of row upon row
of beach umbrellas.
Whoever choses Marina for their holiday
can also take advantage of the other
parts of Vietri especially in the nearby
villages of Albori, Dragonea and Raito,
to enjoy the cool summer evenings
surrounded by buildings and greenery
where time seems to have stopped.
By Jesse Andrews, August 2005 |
