Albori - fraz. di Vietri sul Mare

Albori is a small village, a hamlet of Vietri sul Mare, with a population of around 300 inhabitants.

Situated between the sea and the mountains, it rises up in front of the beautiful Mount Falerio while enjoying a panoramic view of the Gulf of Salerno. There are several hypotheses on the etymology of Albori, but the most accredited would be “Albole” due to a mineral water source (aqua albula) that exists in the area. Historical sources give little information on its origins. Around the year 1000, the whole Vietri area was sparsely populated. Due to Lombard princes gifting land to Amalfi and Atranese families of Nordic origin, and to the subsequent colonization promoted by the Monastery of SS. Trinità di Cava, the area became home to many small hamlets that were independent from Salerno and from the Cava Abbey. This process led to Albori being mentioned as a hamlet as early as 1324, even if it still had to wait until 1610 to have its own independent parish.

Today, Albori appears as an agglomeration of whitewashed houses, arranged on several levels and connected by narrow alleys that can be explored on foot or by mule, which are still used today for the transport of goods and materials. In the heart of the village, you’ll find the parish church dedicated to Santa Margherita di Antiochia. Inside the sacred building, there are frescoes from the Neapolitan school, which boasts amongst its exponents the Baroque decorator Francesco Solimena (1657-1747). The Museum of Ceramics is in the turret of Villa Guariglia where you can find Vietri ceramics dating from the eighteenth century to the first half of the twentieth century.