The small town of Cetara , situated on the coastline between Maiori and Vietri sul

mare , is renowned for its highly developed fishing traditions .
The houses here all seem to wilfully lean towards the sea , the smell of processed anchovies wafts through the town and the harbour  is always full of fishing boats . The name Cetara in all likelihood comes from the Latin word cetaria , which was the name of the ancient tuna –fishing boats . The town extends around the Church of San Pietro ( St. Peter ) with its characteristic 13th century bell-tower and mullioned windows with two light . Lying at the eastern most corner of the Republic of Amalfi , Cetara bordered on the Lombard territory of Salerno . Chronicles relate two episodes of the town being occupied by the Moors : the first one by the Saracens in the year 879 , and the second by the Turk, Sinàn Bassà in 1551. Living proof of the town’s past battles can be found in the ancient tower , which consists of two separate constructions: one is cylinder –shaped and dates from the Angevin period , while the other is square in design and was built during the latter half of the 16th century . Cetara was jointly administered by Maiori and Cava dei Tirreni until 1883 when it became an autonomous municipality .
Today , the quaint beauty of this town , which appears like a miniature mountainside carving comes under siege by hordes of tourists at various times of the year .