Touring Italy: Cetera

Of course everyone knows and loves the famous cities of the northern Amalfi Coast - Positano and Amalfi itself - but I prefer visiting the smaller towns to the south.  Cetera is a tiny fishing village, really just one street, a harbor, and a beach.  It has all the beauty of its more famous neighbors, but with an old-fashioned, southern Italian authenticity that that other's have lost in many ways.  Spending an evening there makes me think about what the Amalfi coast must have been like before it was discovered by the world, and I can almost imagine that I'm back in the days of the 1960s Dolce Vita.

Towns on the Amalfi coast grow up the steep volcanic hills, and are centered around small pebble beaches.  The green and yellow tiled domes mark each town's church. 

The sea is still the focus of life here.

In southern Italy, towns come alive in the evening, after the heat of the day has passed. I took this photo at about 8pm, as people were beginning to leave their houses and flow out into the street and onto the beach. 

Sunsets are always beautiful in this part of the world.

The town has been known for its fermented fish sauce - what the Roman's called Garum and what the modern Italians call Colatura - since the Roman period.  It sounds horrible, but a just a little bit is delicious on bread!

The later it gets, the more crowded the streets are.  Because siesta is still a tradition here, even small children stay up late - often well past midnight.

Buonasera, everyone!  I hope you are all having a wonderful Tuesday!!


I'm an archaeologist who lives in America during the year, but travels to Italy and Greece to conduct research in the summer.  I'm currently living and working in (and blogging from) Pompei, Italy, where I spend my days digging up the ancient city.