The pretty little seaside town sandwiched between two famous towns but without the crowds

The beautiful seaside town is sandwiched between two of Italy’s most famous towns on the Amalfi Coast, but benefits from being without the crowds that have come to be infamous in the region.

Derived from the Greek word “Pelagianum”, meaning “open sea”, Praiano is nestled just over six miles from both Positano and Amalfi. This makes “it a perfect base from which to visit both,” wrote Condé Nast.

For history lovers, Praiano is home to many ancient Italian churches, including the 12th-century Church of San Luca Evangelista, famous for its majolica floor & has Renaissance paintings attributed to Giovanni Bernardo Lama.

One can also visit the 15th-century Church of St. Gennaro, the only building of baroque architecture along the Amalfi Coast.

The piazza next to the church hosts several concerts, sporting events and festivals throughout the year, especially during the Luminaria di San Domenico festival in late July or early August.

During this, the narrow lanes and piazza are lit up with thousands of torches and candles in the evening.

The town is also known for its majolica-tiled votive shrines, constructed by local families in order to claim ownership of their property but also to obtain its divine protection. One can also explore Praiano’s small lanes, narrow flights of steps and pastel-coloured cottages.

Praiano is also famous for its beautiful sunsets, meaning it is considered one of the most romantic of all those on the coast.

Torre a Mare is a medieval guard tower close to Marina di Praia beach, set high on a headland. Once used as a lookout for Saracen invaders, the tower is now an artist studio, showcasing the area’s local art and culture.

Reflecting the “verticality” of the towns on the Amalfi Coast, the town is split into two, with the lower area called “Praiano Maggiore”, and the higher part “Praiano Vettica”, where you can reach the Path of the Gods that begins Agerola and ends in Nocelle. This 4.3-mile trial winds through the Lattari mountains between the villages of Bomerano hamlet and leads past centuries-old Saracen structures.

The town is also known for its beautiful beaches with white sand. Spiaggia delle Praie beach can only be accessed from the sea, adding to the area’s romantic feel. Meanwhile, Marina di Praia beach is dramatically set between steep rocky cliffs with a pebbled shore. Behind it, the Da Armandino restaurant has been delighting tourists with its marine cuisine since it opened in the 1950s, including spaghetti with scampi, seafood risotto and squid with potatoes.

The beach has been busy since medieval times, serving as a spot where local fishermen built and repaired their boats - Praiano was a fishing village after all.

Finally Furore Fjord - or Fiordo di Furore - found a few miles away from Praiano, awards you with picturesque beauty. Once you have climbed the long staircase leading down to the sea in the village of Furore, you can find a stone bridge connecting the fjord cliffs which arch over a blue bay. You can also see old fishing village homes restored and transformed into an open air museum, complete with murals. There is even a very small beach, tucked away inside the fjord, but this gets busy quickly, so head there early to reserve a spot.

Visitors on Tripadvisor described Praiano, and Marina di Praia Beach specifically, as a spot to “escape the masses” of the “rammed” Amalfi coast, as well as being a “hidden gem”.

The Church of San Luca Evangelista too was described as “beautiful” and “charming”, with one visitor getting to experience “the acoustics as the congregation was singing during lent. Worth the million step climb”.