Praiano is a picturesque town in the heart of the Amalfi Coast, between Positano and Conca dei Marini.
The town boasts a long tradition of tourism dating back to the period of the Amalfi Maritime Republic, when the Amalfi doges chose Praiano as their summer residence. The town’s structure follows a pattern typical of the “Divine Coast”. Men had to dig out parcels of land from the mountains, often steeply sloping down to the sea.
It’s a place with a particularly mild climate, of rare beauty with its jagged coastline overlooking the sea, coves between small beaches, coves that allow only those who know or manage to discover the winding staircases that, among olive trees, pines, oleanders and bougainvillea, lead down to the sea.
One of the typical features of the Amalfi Coast in general, and of Praiano in particular, is its stairways. Many of the most suggestive points in the municipality can only be reached with your own legs, but not all evil comes to harm, and the absence of comfortable roads has preserved the beauty and typicality of these places, which are not exposed to the aggression of sometimes careless tourism.
Praiano is a terrace overlooking the sea, and every angle of the restaurant offers traditional taste and sublime views. You’ll be able to sample the best specialties of the Campania region’s cuisine in the many restaurants you’ll come across during your visit to the town. We recommend the calamari and potatoes alla Praianese, a real delight.
On land, however, just outside the municipality of Praiano lies the Fiordo de Furore, a deep fissure in the rock through which runs a fast-flowing stream, the Schiato, from the Agerola plateau.
History
In the Middle Ages, Praiano, the ancient Plagianum, was one of the hamlets of the Republic of Amalfi, the settlement since then characterized on two levels: the hamlet of Praiano above and the hamlet of Vettica Maggiore below.
A division that also characterized work activities according to what Mother Nature made available, so while upstream lived the farmers, down below were the fishermen. It was therefore a maritime city, but also one with renowned silk, thread, linen and, above all, coral workshops.
Thanks to its enviable position and particular beauty, Praiano was chosen by Charles I of Anjou as the seat of the University, then by the Doges and their court as a vacation resort. It was a destination of spiritual itineraries for young lovers of the fine arts and literature, who left the imprint of their emotions and the suggestions of the places they visited in their works.
Today, Praiano, with the Galli Islands and the Isle of Capri in the background, is a renowned tourist center that lives in the summer under the banner of a different kind of tourism. dedicated to lovers of unspoilt nature, an alternative to that of the more famous and tourist-populated neighboring villages.