Cetara

Cetara is a small fishing village of approximately 2,300 residents on the eastern Amalfi Coast in Campania, Italy, situated in a tight valley cut into the mountains between Vietri sul Mare and Maiori. Unlike the tourist-oriented towns of Positano and Amalfi, Cetara remains primarily a working fishing community whose economy centres on the tuna and anchovy fisheries that have operated here since at least the 11th century—when a treaty between the Archbishop of Amalfi and the Bishop of Salerno defined fishing rights in the waters off Cetara. The village is particularly celebrated throughout Italy for its production of colatura di alici, an intensely flavoured amber-coloured anchovy sauce produced by salting and pressing anchovies in chestnut wood barrels for up to three years, then draining the resulting liquid—a direct descendant of the Roman condiment garum. Colatura di alici is used in tiny quantities as a flavour intensifier in pasta dishes, particularly with spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, and breadcrumbs, and is considered among the finest food products of southern Italy. The village itself forms a compact cluster of pastel buildings around a small harbour, with a medieval watchtower (Torre di Cetara) built by the Aragonese to protect against Saracen pirate raids visible on the promontory at the entrance to the cove. The 14th-century Church of San Pietro Apostolo on the main piazza houses a remarkable wooden ceiling painted in the 18th century with scenes from the life of Saint Peter. Cetara's beaches—small stretches of dark pebble and sand—are among the least crowded on the entire Amalfi Coast, and the local restaurant scene focusing on fresh anchovy and tuna preparations is outstanding.