The village of Cetara. Image by 429245 from Pixabay

Cetara is a town in the area of Salerno, in the Campania region located in the territory of the Amalfi Coast. The village was born a settlement for a group of armed Muslims in 880. It used to be a village of fishermen (especially of tuna) and its name take origins probably from the Latin word Cetaria (in Greek Ketèia), meaning almadraba (in Italian tonnara); or cetari, meaning fishmongers of big fishes.

It was in the distant 879 that Saracen pirates first landed in the area and chose Cetara as their base from where to attack the other towns along the Amalfi Coast.

Visitors come to Cetara to eat what is widely considered to be the best fish on the Amalfi Coast: including the town’s legendary Colatura di Alici, an anchovy syrup similar to the Ancient Roman “Garum”, and fresh tuna caught using the traditional nets. Cetara’s tuna is famous throughout the world and vast quantities are exported to Japan, where it is used in sushi dishes.

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