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A
testament to a glorious past, the meeting of races and culture, along
the entire coast: old castle walls, villas, churches and
sanctuaries...we appeal not to the expert but to the curious who delight
in cultural discoveries, who want to know more about the places they
visit... |
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On two levels: the centre grouped around the majolica cupola of the Mother Church , and the beach, the Marina..."When from on high one contemplates the little boats , that now appear on the waves to disappear again as if suspended in air" ( Gregorovius ). Let us proceed with order from the beginning... A scarlet castle guards the town, the Solimene Factory, work of Solieri dating from the fifties , a monument to red earthenware ; directly ahead Corso Umberto I , that we will take... The assault of tourists searching for ceramic souvenirs, the noise of the modern life style , risks giving a bad impression of Vietri, to enter her Coastal soul that is still alive and well, one must enter the shady alleyways rather than the main road: The humble shrines with the scent of basil , the fresh smell of washing lines in the little squares... To know Vietri you must search in the heart of the oldest part, change the light for shade , guided by the cupola of S.Giovanni Battista... The Church dating from the X century holds a magnificent Polittico with the "Madonna delle Grazie Contornato di Santi" probably from the school of Sabatini , nearby the splendid ceramic façade of the Arch -confraternity of Annunziata & SS. Rosario...with many forgotten masterpieces: wall panels, shrines, artistic fountains, there is much to choose from ... The secret itinerary should be followed with calm, but it would take too long , too much to see in the time we have; back on the main road and the light of sunny Matteotti square, on the magnificent terrace that faces the sea;in front of us: the Coast of Amalfi, " an arch of blue mountains that close on the horizon an immense quantity of blue sea " ( Necco ) , it is the Coast of dreams , a marvel...
Behind us, along the road that leads to Cava Dei Tirreni and Nocera , is the hamlet Molini so-called because of the florid mills on the confluents of the Bonea, Summonte and
T A drink from the beautiful Ceramic Fountain at this point , and then downwards beside the terrace: to the Marina , to the long Beach and the sea...
Passing the little bridge over the Bonea, do not forget an ancient presence that bars the road, the
Torre Crestarella of the XVI century part of the important defence plan of the Spanish Vicerè Don Pedro de Toledo ; further ahead amongst the white houses, once of fishermen: the
Church of S.Antonio, built in 1607 on the ruins of the Temple of Priapo, and the adjoining Convent, closed with the abolition laws , it is now an Orphanage.
The initial manufacture of table ware for the population led to commerce , wealth and art , which was much appreciated by the Germanic Artists in the years between the wars , a real " German period" , with Riccardo Dolker, Bad Hannasch, Irene Kowaliska.. Their hands gave life to the famous "ciucciariello", (little donkeys), the sweet Madonnas, and thousands of vases and tiles , goblets and cups and wall-panels..." brush strokes of Vietri" ,green and azure as the horizon of Vietri...
At this point one can appreciate the horizon at its best, but after the Museum we must not miss:
Raito, a handful of white houses grouped around the fifteenth century
Church of S.Maria delle Grazie , and attached to the green hill side,
Albori, a sleepy village with the Church of S.Margherita at the centre , on the edge of a tremendous deep valley that precipitates to the beach of the same name... Taking the coastal road after several curves Fuenti, the cove of pirates. On the ancient Etruscan port stood Fonti, the last hamlet of the Amalfitan Republic , a commercial wharf and last bastion, abandoned after the terrible floods of the XII century, then to become a stronghold of Saracens...
The coast becomes high and wild, forming deep valleys and from here we can see the tall Tower Vicereale: but that tells the story of Cetara...
LIST
OF MONUMENTS AND SITES OF SCENIC AND CULTURAL INTEREST
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ulimei that feed it all year round... Often too much, considering the frequent floods and the scanty monuments left standing , that also have problems with the restorations: the
Church of the Madonna della Neve is an eloquent example...
Retracing our tracks, glance at the rock face opposite, at the Moorish bell-tower of
S. Maria degli Angeli or della Sanità of the XIII century. Back in the square Matteotti we take the main road 163 for a few hundreds metres, to the crossroads for Raito , and then straight on to the Tower of Villa Guariglia , and the
Museum of Ceramics...
