Praiano is an ancient fishing village lying on the ridge that descends from Mount S. Angelo a Tre Pizzi, toward Capo Sottile, in one of the most beautiful inlets of the Amalfi Divine Coast, in the middle between Amalfi and Positano. It is a place with a particularly mild climate, of rare beauty with its jagged coastline overlooking the sea, the inlets between small sandy shores, coves and creeks that allow only those who know or can discover the rivulets of stairs that among olive trees, pines, oleanders and bougainvilleas lead to the sea to enjoy the caress of the waters.
In this article you will find all the information you need to discover this wonderful seaside town of timeless charm!
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How to Get to Praiano
📣 Praiano is about 60 km from Naples, 35 km from Salerno, 25 km from Amalfi, and 18 km from Sorrento.
✅ By car or motorcycle, it can be reached via state road 163 from both Salerno and Sorrento.
✅ From Naples the best public transportation to reach Positano is through the circumvesuviana train to Sorrento where you can take the SITA buses with destination Amalfi.
✅ From Salerno, on the other hand, you can reach Positano using the fast and convenient ferries to Positano and from there by internal transport covering Positano and Praiano. Alternatively by SITA buses reaching Amalfi first. From there taking the bus on the line with destination Sorrento.
If you are looking for more information for your travels on the Amalfi Coast, download our free guide “How to get around the Amalfi Coast without stress” now! Inside the guide, you will find lots of useful info for exploring the wonderful villages of the Divina, either by car or by public transportation. Plus, you’ll find a list of all the parking lots in the area!
Where to Sleep in Praiano
📣 Destination Praiano?
We have selected the best accommodations for you!
What to See in Praiano
This ancient fishing village, known for its spectacular sunsets, gives travelers secluded corners and serene strolls through stairways and alleyways. There are numerous small beaches and picturesque coves where you can treat yourself to a pleasant day by the sea.
If your travel destination is Praiano or if you have decided that you will stop there, we suggest you start from the information we provide below to build your itinerary:
📍 Church of San Gennaro
It is impossible not to immortalize its majolica dome, which stands out brilliantly against the blue background of sky and sea. This Baroque church is Latin cross-shaped, with three naves and a majolica tiled floor. The church is accessed from the panoramic little square of the same name, covered with majolica tiles: from here we suggest you admire one of Praiano’s fabulous sunsets.
📍 Church of St. Luke
located in the center of Praiano, it houses the silver bust of the saint. The three-nave interior is enriched by paintings by Giovanni Bernardo Lama.
📍 Marina di Praia
Marina di Praia with its small fishing port, the little church of the Annunziata, a hundred boats in the sun, scattered nets, and small white houses clinging to the rocky walls, often mellowed by patches of green, is a small kingdom or, if you will, a small republic governed by rules, customs and traditions handed down from father to son.
📍 Etienne’s Conversacion
along State Road 163 Amalfitana, going toward Praiano, you will be struck by the side of the road by a very peculiar statue, two silhouettes that seem intent on conversing. Between the two figures, an empty space from which the landscape behind them penetrates, thus becoming an integral part of the work. This statue was created by artist Etienne and is located at the entrance to the Casa Angelina hotel, which purchased it.
📍 Chapel of St. Nicholas
in the locality of Gavitella. With a very simple facade, this chapel has a majolica floor with floral and geometric decorations, common to many other churches from the Amalfi Coast. Inside is an organ from the 1700s, of Neapolitan workmanship.
What to do in Praiano
📣 Unique experiences on the Amalfi Coast? Here you find our selection for you!
Trekking and walking
As you walk through the narrow streets of Praiano, you are sure to catch a glimpse of one of the stone or ceramic sculptures that make up the eight Naturarte itineraries, an interesting project that guides the traveler to discover the different areas of the village, through installations by artists on specific themes, linked to local myths, legends and traditions.
For example, along the itinerary that includes Piazzetta Gagliano and Via Francesco Russo you can admire Enzo Caruso’s works focused on the theme of the Janare, the local witches, depicted as nocturnal and mysterious creatures. One of the itineraries, the more rocky one, stretches from the village toward the mountain (from Via Croce to the Convent of Santa Maria a Castro) and features stone installations rather than ceramics.
📣 Below are the 8 itineraries:
📍 From Via Croce to the Convent of Santa Maria a Castro: This road leads to the Convent of San Domenico. Along the way you will encounter the stone works of Francesco Mangieri, aka “Mao.”
📍 From Via degli Ulivi to Via Costantinopoli: along this scenic street you encounter the works of Sandro Mautone, dedicated to the Ulysses myth
📍 On Via Croce you find the works of Patrizia Marchi.
📍 From Piazzetta Gagliano to Via Francesco Russo the theme of the “Janare” is developed through the works of Enzo Caruso.
📍 Along the path from Via Rezzola to Via Masa you will encounter the works of Lucio Liguori, whose ceramics told the theme of the sea and the art of fishing.
📍 In Via Chiesa di Costantinopoli, artist Ferdinando Vassallo curated the theme “Floating Stones and Hidden Words.”
📍 In Via Terramare, local artist Paolo Sandulli reconstructed a path in seven stages, through which he recounts Praiano’s past, linked to the sea and fishing.
📍 Piazza Antico Seggio, Piazza San Luca and Via Duomo are dedicated to the theme of votive shrines, revisited by Fausto Lubelli.
If you are looking for more information on walks and excursions in and around Praiano, don’t miss our article dedicated to Trekking on the Amalfi Coast!
Experiences to do in Praiano
Praiano is a terrace on the sea and every dining spot will offer you traditional taste and sublime views. In summer, we absolutely recommend an aperitif around 7 pm at one of the places with a view: here you can sip a drink while admiring one of the most beautiful sunsets on the Coast.
Don’t forget that here you can taste the best specialties of Campanian cuisine in the many restaurants and bars you will encounter during your stay. Highly recommended dish is “Totani e Patate alla praianese” (squid and potatoes), a true local delicacy.
Besides good food and beaches, remember that there are many experiences you can have in the immediate vicinity. One of those you should definitely indulge in is the boat excursion: a day of total relaxation discovering the most exclusive beaches of the Amalfi Coast, pushing you to Capri, Li Galli or Punta Campanella.
The Beaches of Praiano
If you love the sea, you absolutely must not miss the most beautiful beaches in the area!
The Amalfi Coast, as you may know, is a popular tourist destination, especially during the highlights of summer, which coincide with the months of July and August.
Even on weekends, the beaches are generally taken by storm, both by locals and travelers.
In addition to the very central and busy Marina di Praia, which we have already told you about in the section on things to see, you will find two other delightful and less crowded beaches in the immediate vicinity.
✅ La Gavitella: it can be reached from the small square adjacent to the Church of San Gennaro, taking Via Masa. From here, after about fifty meters, the first steps that lead to this delightful pebble beach begin. There are a good 413 stairs to climb, but the effort, especially that of the ascent, is repaid by the view that can be enjoyed along the way. Gavitella beach is exposed to the sun until late afternoon.
✅ Le Praie: From Gavitella beach, you can swim or ride a pedal boat to this second small beach, surrounded by sea pines, where you can enjoy a day of total tranquility. The beach has no bathing facilities.
Why choose Praiano as your destination
Praiano is a collection of places: steps and narrow streets lead from the upper to the lower part of the town, acting as a communication route between the coast and the mountains. Marine and peasant traditions coexist here: a combination masterfully expressed by “Squid and potatoes Praianese style,” a local dish of humble origins and undisputed goodness.
This dual soul will amaze you, both when, looking out from the terrace of San Gennaro, your gaze crosses the sky that suddenly lights up red, at sunset time, and when you observe the locals, intent on their activities, carried on with a slowness charged with ancient wisdom.
Here, as in many other Amalfi Coast destinations, life flows slowly and pleasantly, marked by the rhythms of the sea and nature.
Praiano, compared to other resorts, more clearly preserves this ancient spirit, because it has remained more secluded and not “contaminated” by mass tourism, which has touched, instead, the more iconic destinations, such as nearby Positano or Amalfi.
📣 Choose Praiano as your travel destination if:
🔹 You want to stay in an Amalfi Coast resort that preserves the authentic “coastal” spirit intact, while being very close to the glamorous and lively Positano;
🔹 You are looking for relaxation, tranquility and silence.
The best time to visit Praiano
📣 We recommend the spring and fall periods.
The months of July and August represent the peak tourist season on the Amalfi Coast. The State Road 163 Amalfitana, with its winding roads and hairpin bends, already makes the journey to reach the destination challenging. During the summer period, this difficulty is compounded by traffic and the presence of tourist buses along the road. For some time now, the alternate license plate system has been introduced throughout the summer to regulate traffic and reduce the movement of unauthorized vehicles.
In other words, in order to get from one town to another on the Amalfi Coast, you will have to use buses or ferries, which get crowded in high season, making travel conditions less pleasant. This, combined with the high temperatures of the summer period, makes travel a bit complex, if not stressful.
Therefore, we recommend the spring and fall months. If you are a beach lover, opt for June or September: we assure you that during these periods you will have access to quiet and uncrowded beaches, with perfect weather to enjoy an unforgettable day of relaxation!
Events in Praiano
✅ Luminaria di San Domenico Every year, on August 4, a unique event is held in Praiano that mixes religion and popular tradition and involves the entire Praianese community, creating an evocative atmosphere impossible to forget. On the occasion of the feast day dedicated to the saint, hundreds of torches, candles and tealights are lit in Piazza San Gennaro, forming a beautiful composition on the tiled floor.
With the cooperation of the citizens of Praiano, candles and candles are also lit in other parts of the town, such as terraces, gardens and balconies. All of this gives rise to an atmosphere charged with suggestion, which serves as a backdrop for art, dance and theater performances.
The tradition of the Luminaria di San Domenico dates back to 1600, when the Dominicans from Naples arrived in Santa Maria del Castro.
Interesting facts about Praiano
In 1945, immediately after the war, director Gianni Franciolini chose Praiano as the setting for a film entitled “Stormy Night.” The part of one of the main characters was given to an elderly local fisherman. When director Rossellini viewed the film, he was impressed by the actor-fisherman. He wanted, in fact, to meet him later, when he came to the Coast for the filming of the movie “The Bad-Ass Killing Machine,” some scenes of which were shot precisely between Amalfi, Conca dei Marini, Atrani and Maiori. For the occasion, the director offered the elderly gentleman a part in the film.
Domenico Fusco – this is the name of the actor by chance – accepted, despite his 87 years of age.
The History of Praiano
In the Middle Ages Praiano, ancient Plagianum, was one of the hamlets of the Amalfi Republic; the residential nucleus since then was characterized by two entities : the hamlet of Praiano at the top and the hamlet of Vettica Maggiore at the bottom.
A division that also characterized the working activities according to what mother nature made available; and so while upstream lived the farmers, down below were the fishermen. It was thus a seafaring town but also home to renowned workshops for silk, thread, linen and especially coral, in its abundant waters.
Because of its enviable location and particular beauty, Praiano was chosen by Charles I of Anjou as the seat of the University , and by the doges with their courts as a vacation spot. It was the destination of spiritual itineraries intended for young connoisseurs of fine arts and literature, who left impressed in their works the emotions and suggestions of the places they visited.
