It is the painted village, the village that doesn’t exist. A town that should be discovered slowly by wandering among heroic vineyards, searching for signature walls, and engaging in unique “flying” experiences.
May 30th, 2023. By Editors, cover photo by Vito Fusco
“Don’t look for the donut-shaped houses gathered around the square here. You will not find it. Furore, the village that is not there, the village that is not a village, with its built-up area scattered on the mountainside overlooking the sea, offers itself in small doses, lets itself be discovered with coquettish reluctance,” wrote Raffaele Ferraioli, former mayor of Furore and luminary of the Amalfi Coast, in the preface to the small volume by Cantine Marisa Cuomo. A nonexistent village that houses within it “vineyards and gardens, terraces and pergolas, hillocks, and hairpin bend that slope down to the sea. And walls: dry-stone walls, painted walls, historiated walls. Art walls. And churches, and soaring bell towers and arabesque domes,” he continues.
A place where words become images, where silence embraces every corner, where nature, wild and lush, has offered itself in its generosity to wise hands that have been able to seize every opportunity given with humility, devotion, and care. Furore is the village to be discovered slowly, where the frenzy of unearthing is put aside where “every glance is already emotion and every thought is already a dream.”
Church of St. James
It sinks its foundations on a terrace and stares firmly and proudly at the blue waters of the sea. Surrounded by lush nature, this small rock church’s facade is majolica decorated with the figure of St. James. Inside, it has Byzantine-style frescoes attributable to the 14th century, mainly in the chancel and apse, depicting the figures of Magdalene and Saints Catherine and Margaret.
Fjord
The rock opens up, and the sea runs fast, generating a furious hissing sound that gave the country its name. To reach this corner of paradise, once the site of an international diving competition, one must descend steep stairs around which a wild garden develops where one can admire various species, including Crithmum sea fennel, Centaurea, wild caper, red valerian, euphorbia, and rosemary.
As one travels along the path, a parade of monazzeni, the ancient and colorful fishermen’s storage houses, become visible. St. Catherine of Alexandria’s small, repetitive church rises not far from the dwellings. It is the place that enchanted the director. Roberto Rossellini, in which he set Miracle, the second episode of the film Love, is where he built his love nest with Anna Magnani.
Murals
In the 1980s, the Muri d’Autore exhibition, strongly desired by the then-mayor Ferraioli, transformed Furore into the Painted Country. Therefore, the facades of the houses became canvases on which national and international artists created permanent works. These, still visible today, gave life to artistic urban trekking in which to get lost among colors and figures.
Among the pieces that appear in this open-air gallery are those of the Mazzella brothers, Germany’s Fritz Gilow, Poland’s Christian Wontrowa, Brazil’s Klenia Sanches, Carla Grosio, Pippo Borrello, and Carlo Fayer, to name but a few. A collection that has expanded from the 1980s to the present by bringing together talented artists in Terra Furoris.
Zipper Line
You glide over the Fjord hanging from the cable of the Amalfi Coast’s first zipper line to Conca Dei Marini. A journey through the sky that lasts just a few minutes passes through Furor’s lush nature to the blue sea of Conca dei Marini. A one-of-a-kind experience that arouses adrenaline and amazement. The ‘flight” starts from the locality of Schiato in Furore and ends at Punta Tavola in Conca dei Marini.
Cantine Marisa Cuomo tastings
It has made the whole area famous for the quality of its wines. Among rock walls were built heroic vineyards that have given rise to award-winning labels, including the white Fiorduva. Founded in 1980 by husband and wife Andrea Ferraioli and Marisa Cuomo, the winery offers tastings by reservation only, including a visit to the vineyard. A must-do experience for all wine lovers.