The lovely
Amalfi is an ancient noble town whose glorious past as the first
Maritime Republic of Italy has bequeathed to us the Gothic Arsenal and
the magnificent Duomo Cathedral built around the 6th century and
dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle, whose remains are kept in the
crypt. Its present facade, shining with mosaics, is in the Oriental
style, its bronze doors were the first in Italy, and it boasts the
Paradise cloister (13th c.). Amalfi had its own coin (the Tarì), was the
home of Flavio Gioia, the inventor of the compass, and gave navigators
the famous maritime law known as “Tabula de Amalpha”.
Close to
Amalfi, along the coast which is the most popular destination in
Campania with its unique landscapes and mild weather all year round,
“must sees” include the Emerald Grotto, the Romanesque cathedral in
Ravello, Villa Cimbrone (with its famous belvedere), and Villa Rufolo.
Amalfi is an excursion centre for Valle dei Mulini (where some of the
oldest paper mills in Europe are still working), Conca dei Marini,
Positano, Sorrento, Minori, Maiori, Salerno, Paestum, Pompei, Ercolano,
Vesuvio, Napoli, Campi Flegrei, Capri, Ischia, Pogerola, Pastena, Tovere,
Furore and Agerola.