An infinity of little streets and steps line the terraced hillside where bright bougainvillea and scented geraniums lead the way to the sea through a maze of houses clinging to the rocks, majolica covered domes, and devotional shrines. Sunsets here, for the unusual morphology of the territory, are among the most suggestive and romantic of the coast.
This is how Praiano, Plagianum in antiquity, presents itself. Set marvelously, gem like in a scenario of endless beauty in one of the points of the Amalfi Coast where our gaze and our soul are spirited away by the superb magnificence of nature in a class by itself: the Positano Bay. The bay stretches away from the Sorrento peninsula toward the sea up to Punta Campanella and in the background, the Homeric mermaids of the little “Li Galli” islands and the beautiful island of Capri.
A place to retire for Roman nobility and the Doges of the ancient Amalfi Republic, Praiano has always attracted the élite, for discreet and relaxed moments of vacation, because it offers a more quiet and “authentic atmosphere than your noisy neighbors” – in the words of the Times On Line; far, then, from the usual tourist flows. With its privileged panoramic position on the Amalfi Coast, Villa Ferida is an ideal starting point for excursions to other neighboring towns on the coast.
Praiano has jealously preserved its most authentic soul, revealing it slowly to the visitor, with picturesque views of the highest impact. Take the marina di Praia, for example, a fjord inlet between two high cliffs that is reachable by land or by sea. During the day it is a fresh and vibrant typical fishing village, with a lido and a scuba diving center, while at night it reveals its worldly soul with trendy restaurants for the enjoyment of a candle lit dinner of excellent fresh fish, all the while lulled by the harmonious sound of the waves crashing on the shore. At the Navy guard on the tip of the promontory, stands the medieval “Torre a Mare”, currently functioning as an artist’s studio and venue for exhibitions during the summer.
Continuing along the coast and accessible only by sea, we find the beautiful Cala della Gavitella, with the Grado Tower built during the Spanish viceroyalty, and Gavitella’s picturesque beach, the only beach on the Amalfi Coast kissed by the sun until sunset. And finally, a myriad of little streets and steps that the industriousness and ingenuity of man have “carved” from the rock to provide access to the sea by way of a gently sloping path, proceeding along the terraced land through the Mediterranean sagebrush, tasting the intimate pleasure of contact with nature, genuine, authentic and sincere....
