Vietri sul Mare Travel Guide

  Your Italy Italia Travel guide Vietri sul Mare … Laura Thayer

 My Vietri…

“The gateway to Italy’s beautiful Amalfi Coast, Vietri sul Mare is a charming city overlooking the Bay of Salerno. With easy access to Naples, Salerno and situated at the beginning of the Amalfi Coast Road, Vietri sul Mare is the perfect base for your visit to Campania. An important centre for ceramic production since the 15th century, the streets of Vietri sul Mare are lined with brightly colored stores offering shoppers an endless variety of ceramic treasures.”

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  Events at Vietri sul mare

Vietri Attractions Top 10 of what to see

1. Buying ceramics on the shop lined streets
2. Church of San Giovanni Battista
3. Solimene Ceramic Factory
4. Walking along the beach in Marina di Vietri
5. Admiring “I due fratelli” (“The Two Brothers”) rocks from the beach
6. Ceramic Museum (Museo della Ceramica) in nearby Raito
7. Summer music concerts at the Villa Guariglia in Raito
8. Walking the city streets and enjoy the artistic ceramic decorations
9. Church of Sant’Antonio da Padova (St. Anthony of Padua) in Marina di Vietri
10. Swimming at the Spiaggia della Crestarella in view of the watchtower

June
The Church of San Giovanni Battista in the centre of town has formed an integral part of the community since its founding in the late 10th century. The colorful yellow and blue majolica tiled dome, one of the loveliest on the Amalfi Coast, has become the symbol of the Vietri sul mare. The city celebrates their patron and protector San Giovanni Battista on June 24th with an elaborate procession through town and a firework display.

August
In the mountainous valley above Vietri is a small town called Molina, derived from the numerous paper mills that lined the river valley in the Middle Ages. On August 5th, the residents of Molina celebrate the Madonna della Neve with traditional processions and firework displays after dark.

   Vietri sul Mare typical products

“Il ciucciariello” (Il asinello) of Vietri
In many of the ceramic shops in Vietri sul Mare and along the Amalfi Coast you will find varieties of a little green ceramic donkey, called by the Neapolitan term 'Il ciucciariello'. This traditional symbol of Vietri sul Mare was created by a German artist Richard Dölker (1896 – 1955) in 1922. From the 1920s to the Second World War, Vietri was home to a number a talented German artists, who brought renewed attention to this lovely city on the sea.

   Laura's spotlight

The City of Ceramics
While you will find brightly colored ceramics decorating buildings and city streets throughout the Amalfi Coast, nowhere will you find quite the detail and extravaganza as you will walking through Vietri sul Mare. The city celebrates its artistic heritage with ceramic plaques marking stores, residences, and religious votives and with large murals around town. Explore the quiet side streets that weave through the city and you will be rewarded with beautiful, charming and sometimes humorous displays of local artistic skills.

  How to arrive at Vietri sul Mare

Vietri sul Mare is the first city you reach on the Amalfi Coast and is accessible from nearby Salerno and Naples.

By Plane: The Naples Capodichino Airport is the closest airport to Vietri sul Mare and provides easy access from many of Italy and Europe’s major cities, and from New York. It is also possible to fly to Rome and travel by train, a journey of approximately 1.5 hours.

By Car: Head south out of the Naples via the A3 freeway toward Salerno and take the exit for Vietri sul Mare.

By Bus: Public SITA buses regularly circulate between nearby Salerno and along the Amalfi Coast to Vietri sul Mare.

By Boat: Salerno is the closest major port to Vietri sul Mare and is connected by regular ferries to Naples, the Amalfi Coast and Capri. Please note that ferry schedules are more limited during the off season winter months.

Other: The closest train stations to Vietri sul Mare are in Naples, Sorrento or Salerno where you can continue via bus or ferry.

Text and photos by Laura Thayer