Cetara Village and Colatura di Alici
Cetara is a working fishing village squeezed between two headlands east of Amalfi that has never quite been discovered by mass tourism — its tiny harbour is still dominated by trawlers rather than tour boats. It is also the birthplace of colatura di alici, an amber fish sauce made from slow-fermented anchovies that is the most complex condiment you will ever taste.
The Village and the Harbour
The main piazza, with its 9th-century Torre Vicereale watchtower and the striped Baroque church of San Pietro Apostolo, is five minutes from the bus stop and completely unhurried. The beach is small and pebbly but the water is exceptionally clear, sheltered by the headlands on both sides.
Fishing boats painted in primary colours line the harbour wall and the smell of salt and engine oil mixes with frying anchovy from the trattorie. It feels like the Amalfi Coast of 40 years ago.
Colatura di Alici: What It Is and Where to Buy It
Colatura is made by packing fresh anchovies in salt in chestnut barrels, pressing them under weights for up to three years, then drawing off the amber liquid that drips through a hole in the base. A few drops stirred into spaghetti with garlic, parsley and chilli is the town's signature dish — spaghetti alla colatura — and it tastes of the sea in concentrated form.
Buy directly from Nettuno (Via Umberto I 12), the most respected producer, where you can taste before buying. A 100 ml bottle costs around €12 and survives the journey home easily. It will transform your pasta for months.
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