Villa Daria, Praiano

Villa Daria occupies an entire floor of a historic three-story building that clings to the rocky coastline. The ocean view will spread out before you, offering a fascinating aspect from which to enjoy the glorious Amalfi Coast: between you and the sea there is only a narrow strip of green-fringed coastline, forming a narrow pathway that is capped by an ancient rectangular guard tower.

Villa Daria is located in the “Vettica” neighborhood of the historic center of Praiano, on the sloping land that extends from the main coastal road down to the ocean. Here, there are small whitewashed buildings with vaulted roofs, connected by narrow vertical stairways and equally narrow lanes which can be traversed only on foot. Along these alleys you will find ancient votive shrines, each containing the image of a Saint painted on ceramic tiles. The owners of the properties along the alleys used to build these small shrines on the external walls to mark and protect the property itself. Walking along these alleys is pleasant, notwithstanding the steps, because at every turn a new and enchanting view of the coast and of the sea suddenly appears in front of you.

Every house here has a small garden or a yard full of flowers. Scattered among the houses there are small plots of land, where neat vegetable gardens are grown, overflowing at any time of the year with vegetables and perfumed citrus trees. These gardens are as nice to see as flower gardens. This is where the real residents of Praiano live, away from the tourist crowds.

To reach the villa from the main coastal road, you will first need to walk down a short stairway of approximately 15 steps to reach the piazza of a splendid seventeenth-century baroque church dedicated to St. Gennaro. This broad piazza is angled towards the sea, and from here you will be able to enjoy a particularly charming panoramic view of the Amalfi Coast. A narrow pedestrian road leads away from the piazza - after walking along this path for about 150 meters (165 yards), you will arrive at the villa. Along this walkway, there are 109 stairs.

The last part of the journey will take you down a small stairway that faces directly onto the sea. Here, the sea forms a fantastic narrow passageway, watched over by the ancient Torre di Grado, constructed in the 1600s to defend the area from invaders who approached by sea. The stairs lead to a patch of land cultivated with lemon trees and a vegetable garden which extends onto the cliffs that perch above the sea. This land belongs to Villa Daria, and is lovingly cultivated by the owners. The land here is jagged, much like the cliffs that support it. One part of this land, called “il Belvedere”, or “the Lookout”, is on an impressive outcropping of the cliff, surrounded on three sides by the sea. From this land, the sea can be reached by a pathway. When you reach the water, you will find a concrete platform from which you can bathe in the ocean.