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Amalfi | Amalfi environments | Minori | Cetara | Erchie | Positano | Vietri sul Mare | History | weekend in Amalfi
 Amalfi history
Amalfi is a continuous call for tourists coming from all over
the world, thristed of light and beauty, the place of an
everlasting spring. In this heavenly nook, history and
legend are weaved, and they create an inseparable whole.
According to the tradition, Hercules, strength pagan
god, loved a nymph called Amalfi, but his love was
short: she died and Hercules buried her in the most
beautiful place of the world, and to immortalize her, he
gave it her name. According to the history, it was
founded after Constantino's death; its origins came from
Roman families.
The first news are about 533, during the
Greek-Gothic war, with the victory of Narsete against
Teia, Amalfi is under the rule of Bizantine Empire and
it starts to be a part of Naples dukedom.
In the VI century it's a diocese. The bishop absolved religious
services and he provided to town's defense. Some
aristocratic, landowners, deprived the bishop of his
politic power. In 836 Sicardo, duke of Benevento, raided
Amalfi, deporting the inhabitants to Salerno.
In 839, Sicardo was killed, the Amalfitans rose, conquering a
power and an autonomy that remained until the end of the
XI century. Amalfi became Republic in 850. Very often
Amalfi united itself with Saracens and Ludovico II
against Byzantines, that wanted restore the sovereignty
of the Eastern Empire.
Anyway, the alliance with
Saracens was unstable and not lasting. In 915, after a
very cruel battle, Saracens were defeated and definitely
sent away from Reggio Calabria. For all the X century and
the beginning of the XI century, the Amalfitans had a
commercial increase and a very reliable economic
welfare, taking a very important seat in the
Mediterranean, the same seat that Pisa and Genoa had
later.
The richness of Amalfi was so big that Guglielmo
Appulo wrote that only this town was so rich of gold,
silver and every kind of fabrics and it was visited by
Arabians, Sicilians, Africans and Indians.
That because they had by Amalfitans the most ancient
codifications, in the famous " Tabula Amalphitana ",
that was the most accredited code of all the sailor
nations of that time.
 It controlled the relations
between ship's master and sailor, between sailors and
traders. The same Flavio Gioia's legend, probably lived
at the beginning of the XIV century, gives to Amalfi the
credit to have perfected the compass for the navigation
and given materials about the first medieval nautical
papers. Ruler in spices field, in scents, in silk and
precious carpets, in the X century Amalfi coined the
Golden Coin, the golden and silver Tara, that were used
in Greek Empire, in Afric and in Longobardo principate.
Amalfi's development was so high thanks to its
independence.
In 1039 Guaimario V, prince of Salerno,
took possession of Amalfi's dukedom, with the dominion
of Salerno on Amalfi. Pressed by Salerno, the Amalfitans
governed by Sergio IV, asked to Roberto il Guiscardo, in
1073, to help them. Salerno capitulated but Amalfitans
were conquered by Normans. After Norman king's death, in
1085, Amalfi tried to be free out of Normans power. In
1135 Amalfi suffered an horrible sack by Pisani,
traitors, called for helping against Normans. It's from
now that begins Amalfi's decadence.
In 1343 a terrible sea-quake, described by Petrarca, hit the coast, the
most part of the town was destroyed ( probably with it
also the Ducal Palace, mentioned in a document as
Palatium Amalphitanum ), the fortifications were
submerged, the shipyards, nautical equipments. Five
years later, the famous plague of 1348, described by
Boccaccio, completed the destruction among people.
Amalfi and all coast's towns, that were beautiful
places, populated and fortified, rich of beautiful
places, decorated by frescoes, marbles, columns,
fountains, began modest towns, without richness, coming
back to the traditional economy: fishing, local
handicrafts, agriculture. Only at the end of nineteenth
century, tourism gave to Amalfi a very big increase,
that now is the economic epicenter of all the coast that
from Amalfi takes its name.
 Positano - Photo © Marisa Haralson
At the outset of Amalfi, you can see S.franceso tower, said
Tumulo ( Tumulus ) and the Convento dei Padri Minori
Conventuali whose building is traditionally
attributed to S.Francesco. After Monastery's
suppression in 1087, you can see only the cloister that
presents a lot of ogive arches. A very simple cornice
complets the cloister: among the arches many little
windows. Near the cloister there's S.Antonio church,
with a aisle-less, a marmoreal altar and cinerary ruins
in the sacristy.
In the crypt you can see very
interesting frescoes of thirteenth century. Here lie
Father Domenico Girardelli da Muro's mortal remains,
that was the teacher of the blessed Bonaventura da
Potenza whose mortal remains lie in S.Francesco
On the mountain you can see the ex-monastery of Benedictines dedicated to S.Lorenzodel Piano and built by the
doge Mansone III in 980 for the unmarried and virtuous
women of the town.
In 1840 it was transformed in a
cemetery. Here lie the mortal remains of the historic Amalfitan
Matteo Camera. In the monastery, today the
seat of the municipality, you can see the text of
the nautical system of Amalfi, the famous Tabula
Civitatis Malphae. These tables are about the
navigation: the freight's price, captain and sailor's
duty, the indemnity of the assurances of naval trades, etc.
And also some news about the social security as the
society's duty to take care of the sailor or member, ill
or wounded. From here you can see the Madonna of
Pompei church, built in eighteenth century. The
portal is decorated with stucco works of baroque and it
introduces a aisle-less decorated with stucco works. Very
interesting is the tiled floor with majolica of
eighteenth century.
Near the sea there's
Flavio Gioia square with a monument for compass'
inventor. From here you can see the remains of the
arsenal in which were built the big galleys with 116
oars, the biggest of X - XI century. What you can see
today, it's just a part because it was destroyed by the
sea storm in 1343. In the Duomo square you can see the
baroque fountain said of S. Andrea or Popolo built in 1760. In front of the fountain you can see the
cathedral.
It's composed by two basilicas: the lower is dedicated to the
Assunta and then to the Crocefisso, about the VI
century, it has a aisle-less because the left nave is a
part of the Paradise cloister and the right is just a
storage; the high basilica, dedicated to S. Andrea has
the transept and the crypt, it's about 839 when it was
violated by the prince Longobardo of Salerno, Sicardo.
As said, the cathedral has S. Andrea's name for a
miracle: it was 27 of June in 1544 when to the horizon
appeared Kaie-ad-din's ships, knew as seas' scourge.
All the Amalfitans, full of fear, began to pray invoking S.
Andrea's help. Suddenly all the coast was hit by a
terrible storm and all the pirate ships were forced to
go away. So the Amalfitans consecrated 27 of June as a
holiday. During this day the bishop takes away the
ampoule in which there's the Manna.
 To Proto's family there's
a part of an old galley, picked up after the storm, on
which are craved putts, fauns and dragons. The miracle
is also remembered in a painting of the Amalfitan
painter Ottavio Eliani and it's on the high altar. The
cathedral was built in the IX century, it was extended
in 990 when the doge Mansone III, obtained by Pope
Giovanni XV the promotion and the elevation of this
Episcopal church to metropolitan dignity. It was rebuilt
in 1203, adapted in 1526, 1556 and 1691 and still
rebuilt in 1701-1731 for the archbishop Michele Bologna.
After the ruin of the front on December 24th
1861, the atrium and the front too, were rebuilt by Enrico
Alvino with Domenico Morelli, here a mosaic
represents Christ on the throne among the symbol of the
Evangelists. It's about 1875 in a Norman and Campania's
style. On the left there's the bell-tower built between
XII and XIII century. It was restored in 1768 and in
1934 was removed all the baroque style. About the end of
XII century are the base zone and the two orders, the
first with mullioned windows decorated by yellow tufa
and the second by windows with three lights decorated by grey tufa.
The belfry has a central main body with 4
little towers covered by a roof with yellow and black
tiles and everyone has three mono windows. Wonderful are
the plaited arches supported by columns with stellar and
flowered style. So, an imposing staircase with 57 steps,
gives access to the covered atrium and supported by 26
columns. On the right you can see cardinal's bust of
Pietro Capuano, the Assumption of Domenico Morelli and
Paolo Vietri. There are also 4 frescoes about S. Andrea
and the miraculous fishing made by Paolo Vietri. Very
important is the bronze door with silver overhanging,
built in Costantinopoli in 1066 by Simone of Siria payed
by the Amalfitan Pantaleone of Mauro Comite. It's
divided in 24 panels with 4 pictures: Christ, the
Madonna, S. Andrea and S. Pietro. Inside a baroque
style, it's built in Latin cross style with 3 naves
divided by 20 pillars and columns.
 The
coffer ceiling is golden with 4 big paintings by Andrea
d'Aste, they represents S. Andrea's flagellation,
Manna's miracle, the Crucifixion and the Saint on the
cross. On the high altar S. Andrea's crucifixion and on
both sides two amboni decorated by mosaics about XII
century. In the chapel, on the left, an old baptismal
basin of red porphyry coming from Paestum, at the end of
the right nave there's the bishop Andrea d'Acento's sepulcher.
From the left nave, a staircase leads to the
crypt. On staircase's walls there's a painting about the
Madonna col Bambino and S.S. Giovanni and Andrea and the
Pieta' . The crypt is divided by 2 naves. On the altar the
bronze statue of S. Andrea given by Philip III of Spain
and marble statues of S. Lorenzo and S. Stefano by
Pietro Bernini. Under the altar are reserved S. Andrea's
relics, removed in 1208 by the Cardinal Pietro Capuano,
back from the Holy Land. Saint's bones issue an
extraordinary substance, the Manna.
An old pilgrim, back
from the Holy Land, discovered this supernatural fact on
November 24th 1304. From then, relics were put in a way
for picking up the Manna by a little tube during a miraculous mission. From the Cathedral you can go to
Crocefisso Church and from here to Paradise cloister.
Here many mosaics, friezes about XI and XII century, 2
roman sarcophagi with bas-relieves about Peleo and
Teti's wedding and Prosperina's rape, a sarcophagus
about the Decurion Ottavio Rufo, a statue symbolizing
the Justice, sarcophagi with the Madonna col Bambino and
the apostles, a bas-relief with the Madonna col Bambino
and S.S. Andrea and Battista.
Behind the
Cathedral there's S. Maria Maggiore Church about
X century. In Franconcello zone "ad Falconcellum"
there's S. Pietro's Benedectine Monastery about X
century. In 1815 it was changed in a hotel. Important
are S. Maria Addolorata Church, S.S. Filippo and
Giacomo Church.
Courtesy of Hotel Onda Verde - Amalfi Coast
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