Amalfi is an excursion centre to: Grotta dello Smeraldo, Conca dei Marini, Positano, Sorrento, Ravello, Scala, Minori, Maiori, Salerno, Paestum, Pompei, Ercolano, Vesuvio, Napoli, Campi Flegrei, Capri, Ischia.
Strolls: Valle dei Mulini, where some of the oldest papers mills in Europe are still working; Pontone, Minuto, Pogerola, Vettica, Lone, Pastena, Tovere, Conca dei Marini, Furore, Agerola.
WHAT TO SEE:
The Duomo
built about the 6th century and dedicated to
St. Andrew the Apostle whose remains are kept in the crypt. Its present
facade, brilliant with mosaics, is in Oriental style; its bronze doors,
the first ones to appear in Italy, were given to Amalfi by Pantaleone di
Mauro Comite, a noble man from Amalfi who melted them in the 11th century
in Constantinople where he lived and led the Imperial Party.
The Cloister of Paradise
set beside the Duomo was built the 13th century in Arabian
style. It holds ancient sarcophagi, marble sculptures and mosaics.
The Ancient Armouries of the Amalfi Republic,
dating back to the 9th century, witness a glorious maritime past.
The Salone Morelli where you can admire the 14 paintings by Domenico
Morelli, reproduced in mosaic on the fronton of the Duomo; some paintings
and sketches by the Amalfitan painter Pietro Scoppetta and the artistic
pluteus holding the only existing specimen of the ``Tabula de Amalpha''; the
costumes for the Regattas.
The Grotta dello Smeraldo
(The Emerald Grotto) is set in the charming
bay of Conca dei Marini, 4 km away from Amalfi. This cave can be reached
by road using a lift or stairs, or by sea. At the entrance a raft gets you
in the cavern which, like magic, turns into a fantastic green temple full
of figures, caryatids and bas-reliefs formed by dripping water from the
vaulted ceilings, over the thousands of years. The most surprising thing,
however, is offered by a number of sturdy stalagmitic structures rising from
the sea which could never form if once the cave had not been on a dry ground.
This stalagmites can now be found in the water because the bradyseism made
the ground subside and carry into the see the lower part of the cavern. An
interesting feature: the underwater pottery crib.
TRADITIONAL EVENTS:
HOTELS
(To call one of the following hotels dial +39-89- phone/fax number.)
RESTAURANTS
(To call one of the following restaurants dial +39-89- phone/fax number.)
New Year's Day: parade of folk music groups and bands.
6th January: procession of young shepherds and the Three Magi.
Good Friday: procession of ``Dead Christ''.
First Sunday in June:
Historic Regatta of the ancient four
Sea Republics (by turn in the cities of Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa and Venice).
Lately, Amalfi won the Historic Regatta in 1995 and in 1996. In 1997
the regatta will be held in Amalfi.
25th, 26th, 27th June and 30th November: patronal festivities for
St. Andrew the Apostle.
Christmas time - 24 December and 6th January:
Descent of the Bright Star from the from the Ziro's Tower on the
Tabour Mountain. Crib exhibitions.
Skin-divers' pilgrimage to the underwater crib in the Grotta dello Smeraldo.
31st December: New Year's Eve Dinner and Dances. Torch light
and fireworks.
April to September: Art exhibitions, concerts and folk shows.
