Sea Itinerary
Amalfi
Amalfi is one of the most beautiful towns along the Coast of Amalfi.
Its beauty is difficult to describe for it comprises ancient history and art, traditions, climate and captivating colours.
A myth dating from 533 narrates that a very beautiful woman called Amalfi was buried here. Her lover, Hercules, built in the honour of the great love of Amalfi the splendid town that carries her name today.
The history of the powerful town of Amalfi is long. From 850 A.D. until the 11th century it was a republic occupying a vast territory that bordered with the Duchy of Naples. During the 10th century Amalfi rose to great economic power thanks to its fleet, which allowed to establish business connections with Alexandria in Egypt, Tripoli, Constantinople, Genova and Pisa.
Being responsible and hard-working, the people of Amalfi gained great wealth, mirrored not at last in the churches and monasteries built. These art works are also testimonies of the long reaching influences the business alliances with different peoples left in the culture of the Amalfitanians.
Amalfi's Code of maritime Navigation, called "Tabula Amalphitana", was adopted by other maritime communities and together with the power of the fleet of Amalfi it helped to strengthen the duchy's dominating position in the area.
Flavio Gioia, a famous citizen of Amalfi, was the inventor of the compass. Despite advances in technology this technical device remains the most reliable system of traditional sea navigation.
It is to be noted that in 900 Amalfi brought in circulation its own coin that also reached the far coasts of Africa.
The year 1137 marked a harsh end of the prosperity of the town. This period of invasions, natural disasters and a devastating pest epidemic forced the inhabitants of Amalfi to return to agriculture and handcrafts for living.
Between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century the seaman of Amalfi continued to work on the compass and produced paper in industrial quantities by means they became aquainted with in the Arab world.
The difficulties for the people of Amalfi increased during the war between the Angioini and the Aragonesi, as the former confiscated the fleet their fleet.
Other hard strokes were the strong competition with the Catalan merchants for the control over the terrirtory of the lower Tirreno, the plagues of 1306 and 1348 and the dramatic seastorm of 1343 that destroyed the port.
The search of many foreign travellers for natural and artistic beauties during the Romantic period introduced the beginning of tourism to Amalfi and its people, that untill today remains one of the prime economic resources of the zone.
In order to discover and appreciate the vast amount of historic and artistic monuments of Amalfi it is necessary to spend at least a number of days there. One can begin the tour in the square opposit the port where the monument of Flavio Gioia, the inventor of the compass, is to be found. Only a few steps further, in the antique Arsenals, the people of Amalfi constructed their ships.
Porta della Marina is one of the entrances to the town and leads to Piazza dei Calzolai and Piazza del Duomo. It is in the last square where one can find the fountain of S. Andrea Apostolo, built in 1760. Also in this square is the building in which during the Medieval period the nobles and the head of the fleet of Amalfi resided, safeguarding a copy of the famous "Tabula de Amalpha".
The Cathedral of Amali
The cathedral of Amalfi is the vivid testimony of various artistic styles that have merged during the centuries into the splendor that we can still see today.
In the middle of the 11th century the people of Amalfi decided to built a new cathedral, incorporating the already existing church of Our Lady of the Assumption. After the Council of Trento the cathedrals were separated again and decorated with ornaments in order to conceal the Arab modifications. The restorations of 1961 brought to light the fusion of church and mosque that lasted for six centuries.
The cathedral itself is a very complex construction telling not only its own story, but the story of the town. So, underneath the entrance to the cathedral the former town prison is to be found.
To the left of the cathedral one can visit the Cloister of Paradise, once the cemetery of the noble citizens of the town. A particular architectural element of the cloister is the overlapping arch that represents the fusion of the Romanesque and Amalfitanian style. Nearby, to the left, is located the Church of the Cross - the oldest cathedral in town, dedicated to the Assumption and the SS. Cosma and Damian.
The restoration during 1931 eliminated its Baroque decorations and showed the church's original Romanesque features.
The bell tower of the cathedral is a masterpiece built between 1180 and 1276. The lower parts show Romanesque elements whereas the upper parts reflect Arab influences. The beauty of the mullioned windows and the intersections of the maiolic arches in the upper part are to be underlined.
The mosaic tympanum by Domenico Morelli represents Christ on the throne overlooking the scene of the Apocalypse of Saint John and the Deciples.
The porch stemming from the 19th century, the tipical Arab arches and the frescos form a marvelous ensemble.
To be mentioned are the doors of the central porch made of bronze, melted in Constantinoples in 1060 and framed by the marble porch of the 8th century which figures antropomorph, geometrical and floral motives.
Inside the cathedral are to be discovered the vault decorations, the crypt, the Cloister of Paradise, the bust of S. Andrea, the mother-of-pearl cross from Jerusalem which came to Amalfi in 1930, the painting of Our Lady with the Child from the 15th century, the Chappel of the Crucifixion from the end of the 13th century. The Basilica of the Crucifixion was found in the 9th century and can be reached via the cloister. It is in the basilica where the Museum of Sacred art can be found.
Supportino Rua, the main street of the medieval period, the museum of paper, the factory of ceramics and the valley of the mills are other sights to be mentioned.
Among the particular storic events of Amalfi one of the more beautiful is the "Storic regatta of the four maritime republics" (Genova, Pisa, Amalfi, Venice). The regatta takes place once every four years. Before the race one can admire the representatives of the four republics dressed in faithfully reproduced costumes of the historic period. The event offers an opportunity to get to know the local people that follow the race with great interest and passion.
WEB SITE TOWN HALL OF AMALFI: www.comune.amalfi.sa.it