Colatura di Alici di Cetara (production sites)
The amber liquid that comes out of a small chestnut barrel in Cetara — a terzigno, to be precise — is the product of anchovies caught between late March and mid-July, packed in salt, and left to ferment for four to five months. What drips out is colatura di alici: pungent, deeply savoury, a few drops enough to transform a plate of pasta. The production happens in small laboratories along the village's narrow lanes, and if you're around in the early morning, you might catch the day's catch arriving at Nettuno around half past five, to be gutted and decapitated by hand.
This is not a museum experience. Cetara produces colatura the way it has for centuries, and the rhythm of the fishing calendar — anchovy season closes around July 22, the sauce is ready by late October — still governs the town's working life.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to time it around late October, when the season's colatura is bottled and the laboratories are selling direct. Nettuno and Delfino Battista are both family operations with roots in the 1950s — worth asking at either about what's freshest. A bottle travels well and costs a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere.
The story behind Colatura di Alici di Cetara (production sites)
The lineage of colatura di alici runs back to Roman garum, the fermented fish sauce that moved through the ancient Mediterranean in amphorae. Cetara's particular version has documentary roots from at least the mid-13th century, when Franciscan monks near Amalfi were already working the technique. The first written account that names the Cetaresi specifically comes from 1807, in a chapter of P. Niccola Columella Onorati's agricultural memoir — a Franciscan friar who recorded the salting and fishing practices of the town in careful detail.
The modern production era took shape in the mid-20th century: Pasquale Battista founded Delfino Battista in 1956, and the Giordano family began selling through their Nettuno business around the same decade. In 2020, colatura di alici di Cetara received DOP — Protected Designation of Origin — status, requiring that every stage, from fishing to bottling, take place in Cetara itself.
Good to know
Cetara is 15 minutes by ferry from Salerno (April to October); SITA buses run year-round. Production facilities aren't formally open to visitors, but the Museo della Colatura di Alici explains the process in depth. Late October through November is when the finished product is at its most available.
The anchovy fishing season runs late March to late July, and the colatura is ready by late October or early November — so autumn is when production feels most alive. Spring and early autumn bring mild temperatures and far fewer visitors than the summer peak.
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What travellers say about Colatura di Alici di Cetara (production sites)
Fantastic place! The owners are wonderful people and make you feel very welcomed. Looking forward to visiting again.
My favorite spot in Cetara and all of the Amalfi Coast. The owner and his family are so kind and welcoming and the aperitivos are incredible. Best negroni in the world.
Such a great experience, highly recommend Cetarii for the wine, the food, the history and the great hospitality ! Best bar I have ever been to !
Great service, Amazing Happy Hours ! Wonderfull seaview!
Great food and drinks, on point service, great vibes.
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