PRAIANO, Presentation

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the Wonders of the World: Praiano.

The village of Praiano lies in a splendid position, protected by the heights behind it and the small inlet it is set into. This explains the prominent role it played in the past, especially at the time when nearby Amalfi was a thriving Maritime Republic.

Since the Middle Ages, the town was divided into two main parts: Praiano, located high up and inhabited mainly by farmers, and Vettica Maggiore, lower down, where fishing was the predominant activity. The upper part had already been developed in Roman times as a vacation area for the noble classes, who began building splendid villas here as early as the 1st century.

In the late Middle Ages, the town became established as a trading port; evidence of this is the presence of the defensive Assiola Tower, now known as the Torre a mare, commissioned by Charles I of Anjou in 1278. Activities such as handicrafts, linen processing and coral fishing also developed here....