Vietri sul Mare

Vietri sul Mare
—  Comune  —
Comune di Vietri sul Mare
View of Vietri sul Mare
Coat of arms
Vietri sul Mare within the Province of Salerno
Vietri sul Mare Location of Vietri sul Mare in Italy
Coordinates: 40°40′N 14°44′E
Country	Italy
Region	Campania
Province	Salerno (SA)
Frazioni	Albori, Benincasa, Dragonea, Iaconti, Molina, Raito, San Vincenzo
Government
• Mayor	Franco Benincasa
Area
• Total	8 km2 (3 sq mi)
Elevation	80 m (260 ft)
Population (1 April 2009)
• Total	8,365
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Demonym	Vietresi (Dialcet: Vietraiuli)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	84019
Dialing code	089
Patron saint	John the Baptist
Saint day	24 June
Website	Official website

Vietri sul Mare ("Vietri on the Sea") is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is a popular tourist destination because it is a convenient place to start the Amalfi Coast drive. It is the last or first town on the Amalfi Coast and inhabitants like to call it “The First Pearl of the Amalfi,” claiming that the Amalfi begins at Vietri, which is just west of Salerno. Vietri is the origin of dishes, flowerpots, vases and tiles found in restaurants, hotels and homes throughout the Amalfi area.

Geography

The town is bordered by Cava de' Tirreni, Cetara, Maiori and Salerno. The quarter by the sea, named Marina di Vietri is located to the south of the town. The village and frazione of Raito is close to the town. The other frazioni are Albori, Benincasa, Dragonea (including the localities of Iaconti and San Vincenzo) and Molina. Vietri sul Mare is the first of the 13 pearls of the Amalfi Coast, set in the most protected location of the homonymous gulf, at the foot of Monte San Liberatore and dominates the valley of the Bonea river. Temperature in the coldest month, January is about +10.4 °C; whereas during the summer, July and August the average temperature is about +26.4 °C.

History

It is famous all around the world for the appreciated lively polychrome ceramic handicrafts, whose first records date back to the XV century. The town has Etruscan origins and played the important role of outpost for centuries on the sea for commercial traffics with the hinterland. Occupied by the Romans during the Lombard domination it became a suburb of the city of Salerno. It then passed under the jurisdiction of the Benedictine Abbey of the Holy Trinity of Cava de' Tirreni and was district of the town of Cava until 1806, when it achieved self-government. There are numerous archaeological artifacts from this period, unearthed in the village of Marina.

Culture

Among major sites of interest, not to miss  :

- the Church of St. John the Baptist - the first structure, dating from the X century, underwent several alterations over the centuries. Actual one was built in the XVII century in late Neapolitan Renaissance style. The church has a single nave with a transept and a dome covered with majolica tiles and a tall bell tower outside. Inside it preserves a marble altar of the XVII century, a coffered ceiling in gold, a statue of the Saint in alabaster, a XVI century altarpiece attributed to Andrea da Salerno and a crucifix painted on wood of the XI century.

- the Confraternity of the Annunciation and the Rosary - built in the XVII century, features a marvelous façade decorated with painted pottery;

- the Church of the Madonna delle Grazie - located in the district of Raito, dates back to the XVI century;

- the Church of Santa Margherita - located in the village of Albori;

-the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie - located in the district of Benincasa;

- Palazzo Solimene - preserves a large exhibition of contemporary ceramics, the picturesque dovecote tower, also used as a anti-Saracen pirate watchtower. The building was created after the Second World War by Paolo Soleri.

- tower Crestarella - built in the XVI century on a rock, was once a part of the complex coastal defense system;

- tower of Marina of Albori - has a defensive function

- Villa Guariglia - located in the village of Raito, once property of the Ambassador of Italy Raffaele Guariglia, surrounded by a beautiful park full of Mediterranean vegetation. Today it houses the Museum of the Ceramics of Vietri and a Study Center entitled to "Raffaele Guariglia". During the summer months it hosts several concerts and cultural events.

- the Museum of Ceramics of Vietri - housed in the Belvedere turret of Villa Guariglia in Raito, where typical examples of local pottery production and significant examples of ceramic of Campania, Calabria, Puglia and Liguria are on display;

- the artistic and industrial Museum - entitled to Manuel Cargaleiro, which follows an specific historical pattern similar to other museums of this kind, promoting the development of contemporary ceramic art, with particular reference to the traditions of Vietri and the relationship with other countries around the Mediterranean.

- Benincasa, Dragonea, Albori and Raito - the nearby district villages of Molina (named so for the presence of various water mills),;

- “Due Fratelli” ("two brothers") - two large rocks, similar to the more famous "Faraglioni" of Capri, legendary brothers that emerged from the waters near Marina

Famous people related to Vietri sul Mare

• Antonio Forcellino, historian

• Antonio Savastano, opera singer,

• Giuseppe Prezzolini, writer, honoured citizen

Economy

Vietri sul Mare is a popular destination for shoppers of ceramics. Vietri has been a ceramics-producing town since the 15th century. Today, there are about 40 ceramic producers in town, most of which have been handed down through families for generations, along with the techniques. The pottery designs run the gamut from confusingly modern to simplistically traditional. Buildings display embedded mosaics or painted scenes on their walls. Many of the shop exteriors are covered in ceramic façade, like wallpaper murals. Much of the pottery in Vietri comes from factories in surrounding towns like Cava de Tirreni.

Most of the shops are open during normal business hours, which means roughly 9 a.m. to 8 p.m, with a break for lunch between 1 and 3:30 p.m.

Airports

The nearest airports:

• Salerno-Pontecagnano (QSR) 24 Km

• Napoli-Capodichino (NAP) 54 Km

Directions: From Naples, head south on A3, take the Vietri Sul Mare exit and you’re there. There is a small metered parking lot right in the town center, but also limited parking along some of the streets

Tourist Office

Officially called Centro Turistico Acli a Vietri sul Mare, or CTA. Located just off Piazza Matteotti at the junction of Via XXV Luglio and Via Costiera. The staff arrange special tours and provide information about the host of cultural events.

See also

• Raito
• Amalfi Coast
• Sorrentine Peninsula

External links

Media related to Vietri sul Mare at Wikimedia Commons

• "Vietri sul Mare" by Lawrence von Knorr