Conca and its surroundings
Conca dei Marini, a city of sailors, is one of the most picturesque villages on the Amalfi Coast, with views of stunning beauty. It still retains more of its charm as an ancient fishing village than the nearby and more celebrated Amalfi (4 km), Ravello (10 km) and Positano (12 km).
The village, made up of small, mostly whitewashed houses, has been built on the slope, with steep paths and narrow steps that connect the upper part of the village with the lower part by the sea. It overlooks a small bay dominated by the so-called Saracen Tower (Torre Saracena), an ancient square-based watchtower built in 1563 to defend the population from Saracen pirate raids.
The Emerald Grotto (Grotta dello Smeraldo) is one of the highlights of Conca dei Marini. About 24 metres high, 60 metres long and 30 metres wide, the Emerald Grotto has its bottom covered by sea water that penetrates through a fissure in the rock together with sunlight, thus creating the emerald colour taken on by the water.
The Amalfi Coast offers interesting trekking routes, which are particularly especially enjoyable in autumn and spring, like the Sentiero dei Pipistrelli Impazziti (Path of the Crazy Bats) and the famous Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods).
In summer the enchanting and elegant beach of the fishing village, called La Marina by the locals, fills up and it is possible to try different delicacies in the various restaurants or rent boats to reach inaccessible beaches. The beach can be reached directly from the house via a staircase of about 600 steps.
Conca dei Marini took third place among the most beautiful villages in Italy in the competition Borgo dei Borghi on the TV programme Kilimangiaro in 2017 and fourth place among the smallest municipalities in Italy.
The Amalfi Coast is renowned for its typical seafaring villages, for the paths winding through nature as they overlook the sea, going past the Saracen watchtowers scattered like bundles of cards along the coast; it is a highly coveted film location by all filmmakers from around the world.
It is renowned for Amalfi, the ancient Maritime Republic; for the events of international classical music that converted Ravello into the City of Music, as well as being an unmissable stop on the Grand Tour of the 18th century, because of the ceramics of Vietri, and the worldly charm of Positano. It is known for illustrious visitors who, in the past as well as in the present, have appreciated its beauty.
During the year, numerous events, festivals and religious celebrations are organised. The first few days of August see the holding of the Festival of the Santa Rosa Sfogliatella, a typical Campania sweet invented in 1600 by the wise hands of the Dominican nuns in seclusion in the convent of Santa Rosa di Conca dei Marini. Three rare and precious examples of wooden altars are still preserved in the convent church, which can be visited.
The feast of the Madonna della Neve (Our Lady of the Snow) takes place on 5 August, the day of the legendary miracle. The celebration sets out from the small chapel down at the Marina, of which Our Lady of the Snow is the protector. The chapel is exceptionally open and from there a procession continues into the sea, with an impressive night procession of boats.
Usually at the end of July there is a tribute of dedication and gratitude to the seafarers, embodied in the Festa del Mare (Festival of the Sea). The celebration opens with a mass in the small chapel down at the Marina, followed by the placing of a laurel wreath at sea. Then there is dancing by the sea with the music of the village band, eating a delicious serving of freshly fried fish.
During the summer months, various concerts and theatrical performances are held in the charming open-air Auditorium. The highlight of the programme is the customary concert of classical music at dawn, which is always held in early August.
Resting on the same promontory, it faces the Sorrentine coast (27 km) on the other side, which in turn sits opposite the island of Capri, whose profile can be made out from our windows. Pompeii (50 km) and Vesuvius (75 km), to the north, are also well worth the trip. To the south lies the Cilento Coast (Castellabate is 90 km away) and the temples of Paestum (75 km).
Thanks to its enviable position, the holiday home Il Glicine offers its guests all the multifaceted aspects of the Coast and easy connections with all the other jewels of the Amalfi Coast.
