Cetara

Cetara is a seaside village of less than 2,000 inhabitants surrounded by mountains, giving it a characteristic amphitheatre-like configuration. The village attracts visitors in search of art, nature and culinary excellence, and it is famous for its powerful bonds with the sea. Fishing is still performed using the ‘cianciolo’ technique (the cianciolo is a net suspended between cork floats and lead weights), utilising the famous lampare (lamps used to attract fish), a practice which gives rise to Cetara's principal product, anchovies and their processed specialities. In fact, colatura di alici (a liquid derived from the fermentation of anchovies) is protected by the D.O.P. (P.D.O., protected designation of origin) quality mark. One of the oldest traditions is ‘La Notte delle Lampare’ (The Night of the Lamps), a re-enactment of fishing trips with lamps fitted on boats to attract fish.
Along the coast stands the 14th-century Angevin-era tower Torre Vicereale, which has become a symbol and landmark for the town. Rebuilt on several occasions, in 2011 it was reopened to the public. It houses the Museo Civico (Civic Museum) with permanent exhibitions of work by local artists, the so-called ‘costaioli’ (coastal landscape painters), as well as the Museo Vivo (Living Museum) by the Cetara artist Ugo Marano, and the Museo Cantina della pesca e della Colatura di alici (Museum of Fishing Cellars and Anchovy Sauce).