Cetara

Tourists tend to take a pass on the village of Cetara. A quiet fishing village below orange groves on Monte Falerzo, it was held in subjugation to greater powers, like most of these coastal sites, throughout much of its history. From its days as a Saracen stronghold in the 9th century, it became the final holding of Amalfi at the eastern edge of the republic, which all through the 11th and 12th centuries tithed part of Cetara's fishing catch, ius piscariae—the town's claim to fame. It is rumored that the village's Latin name comes from this big catch—cetaria (tuna net), though Cetara is more renowned these days for its anchovies. Thousands of years ago, salted and strained, they became a spicy liquid called garum, a delicacy to the rich of ancient Rome. Garum, as well as the lighter colatura di alici, can be purchased at local grocery stores or at Cetarii, on the beachfront.