Amalfi is a municipality of 5,421 inhabitants in the province of Salerno. It gives its name to the stretch
of peninsula that it stands on, and since 1997 the Amalfi Coast has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It is a place of eternal spring and boasts a sea of unrivalled colours. According to legend, Hercules, the pagan
god of strength, was enamoured of a nymph named Amalfi, but she died and he decided to bury her in the most
beautiful place in the world, where he then built the town that bears her name.
In the 11th century it became one of the Maritime Republics, vying with Pisa, Venice and Genoa for control of the
Mediterranean.
From Amalfi's period of maritime glory there remain the Arsenal,
the maritime code known as the Tabula de Amalpha
(conserved in the Museo Civico) and the tradition of the invention of the compass.
One of the town's most flourishing historic trades was that of paper-making, which is still alive today. In the
most central part of the town, known as the Valle dei Mulini, we can see the remains of the old paper mills, where
the famous Amalfi paper was produced since the 13th century. Only two
of the paper mills are still active, but
visitors can also enjoy a visit to the Museo della Carta.
In the centre, partly built into the hillside and characterised by its white houses constructed on layered terraces,
the principal monument is the Duomo, built in the 11th century and subsequently partly reconstructed in Arab-Sicul
style. The cathedral preserves several elements of its original ancient structure, such as the bell tower, the
bronze doors of the main entrance and the Cappella del Crocifisso.
From the Duomo we can proceed directly to the picturesque Chiostro del Paradiso.
Amalfi has numerous events and traditions to attract tourists: the descent
of the comet from Mount Tabor
(6 January), the Feast of Saint Joseph (19 March), the
Feast of Saint Anthony (13 June), the
Historic Regatta,
(every four years, in turn with the other Maritime Republics, with an historical re-enactment in costume on the
third Sunday of June), the Byzantine New Year, the Lemon Fair in
September and the Feast of Saint Andrew,
the patron saint of Amalfi (30 November).
