One of the towns on the Amalfi Coast closest to Salerno and less beaten by international tourism, Vietri sul Mare is the undisputed capital of artistic ceramics. Known since ancient times as an Etruscan city, it was later occupied by the Sannitians, the Lucanians and then by the ancient Romans.

The art of ceramic manufacturing dates back to ancient times and has been perfected over time, up to the production of authentic masterpieces appreciated all over the world. Ceramic pottery is really everywhere, you can go around for hours reading the story of the everyday life of the prohibitionists painted on ceramics. It is worth visiting the dozens of shops, each with its own workshop, ideas and colours: in addition to the dishes of the classic “buon ricordo”, tile, saucers, cups and limoncello glasses, lights, lanterns and ashtrays, the “scented coccetti” come out, impregnated with the odours of the coast, colored crucifixes, lucky eggs, matches, amphorae and knick-knacks, but also mozzarella drainers and biscuits dipper, herbal tea pots and Neapolitan coffee makers. You will find ceramics even digging into the sand of the beaches, multicoloured fragments of “riggiole” (the tiles), plates, figurines, fragments of a tradition that dates back to the construction of Roman furnaces.

There is no lack of historical, artistic and architectural evidence of an important past, starting with the extraordinary dome of the Colleggiata di San Giovanni Battista, covered with hundreds of “shingles”, majolica in the shape of fish and in three colors, yellow, green and blue; inside, the temple houses a series of exquisite ceramic richly decorated altars and precious paintings. Between the Dome and the high bell tower stands Palazzo della Guardia, the Arciconfraternita, which has a beautiful majolica floor, an example of that Baroque art testified also by the palaces De Simone, Del Plato and Punzi. But the real pride of the city is represented by the Solimene Ceramic Palace, designed by architect Paolo Soleri on the model of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, home to one of the oldest and most prestigious ceramic factories in southern Italy; the facade is of great impact, entirely covered by cylindrical tubules in brick red and green terracotta. Vietri has dedicated two exhibition spaces to ceramics, the Vietrese Ceramics Museum, housed inside the complex of Villa Guariglia in Raito, and the Cargaleiro Museum, born in 2003 thanks to a project by the Province of Salerno and the Portuguese artist Manuel Cargaleiro; inside the museum, housed inside the Palazzo dei Duchi Carosino, there are exhibited works by artists from all the Mediterranean countries that interpret the ancient art of ceramics in a modern way.

USEFUL INFO

Official website of the city

For general information visit the site:

www.comune.vietri-sul-mare.sa.it

www.prolocovietrisulmare.it

www.vietrisulmare.net

Tourist Information Office

Piazza Giacomo Matteotti – Vietri sul Mare

Tel. + 39 089 8211285

Pro Loco – Info Point Turistico

Via Osvaldo Costabile, 4 – Vietri sul Mare

www.prolocovietrisulmare.it

Useful Numbers

Carabinieri                                       112

Police                                          113

Fire Department                              115

Healthcare Emergency                    118

Travel Informed (CCISS)                 1518

Roadside Assistance                 803116

Climate

Like all the coastal resorts, Vietri sul Mare enjoys a typically Mediterranean climate, with mild and rainy winters and moderately warm and sunny summers. Since it is never particularly crowded, there is no better time to visit it, even if one of the best seasons is spring, when aromas and colours awaken and temperatures are pleasant.

Nearby

Salerno Km.   4

Maiori Km. 15

Minori Km. 17

Amalfi Km. 20

Ravello Km. 24

Praiano Km. 31

Positano Km. 36

Sorrento Km. 52