From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Amalfi
Amalfi
Amalfi Province Salerno
Frazioni Lone, Pastena, Pogerola, Tovere, Vettica
— Comune —
Government
Comune di Amalfi
• Mayor Alfonso Del Pizzo (Lista Civica Amalfi da
Vivere)
Area
• Total 6.11 km2 (2.4 sq mi)
Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
Population (1 May 2009)
• Total 5,353
• Density 876.1/km2 (2,269.1/sq mi)
Demonym Amalfitani
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
DST)
• Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Panorama of Amalfi
Postal code 84011
Dialing code 089
Patron saint Saint Andrew
Saint day November 30
Website Official website
Coat of arms Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno,
in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, c.
35 km southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep
ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 meters, 4,314
feet), surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery.
The town of Amalfi was the capital of the maritime re-
public known as the Duchy of Amalfi, an important trad-
ing power in the Mediterranean between 839 and around
1200.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Amalfi was a popular holiday
destination for the British upper class and aristocracy.
Amalfi is the main town of the coast on which it is lo-
cated, named Costiera Amalfitana, and is today an impor-
tant tourist destination together with other towns on the
same coast, such as Positano, Ravello and others. Amalfi
is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
History
First mentioned in the 6th century, Amalfi soon after-
wards acquired importance as a maritime power, trading
Amalfi
Location of Amalfi in Italy grain from its neighbors,[1] salt from Sardinia[2] and
Coordinates: 40°38′N 14°36′E / 40.633°N 14.6°E / 40.633; slaves from the interior, and even timber, in exchange
14.6Coordinates: 40°38′N 14°36′E / 40.633°N 14.6°E / 40.633; for the gold dinars minted in Egypt and Syria, in order to
14.6 buy the Byzantine silks that it resold in the West. Grain-
bearing Amalfi traders enjoyed privileged positions in
Country Italy
Region Campania
the Islamic ports, Fernand Braudel notes. The Amalfi ta-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Amalfi
bles (Tavole Amalfitane) provided a maritime code that assisted by forty-six Pisan ships. The Pisans, commercial
was widely used by the Christian port cities. Merchants of rivals of the Amalfitani, sacked the city; Lothair claimed
Amalfi were using gold coins to purchase land in the 9th as part of the booty a copy of the Pandects of Justinian
century, while most of Italy worked in a barter economy. which was found there.
In the 8th and 9th century, when Mediterranean trade In 1135 and 1137, it was taken by the Pisans and
revived it shared with Gaeta the Italian trade with the rapidly declined in importance, though its maritime
East, while Venice was in its infancy, and in 848 its fleet code, known as the Tavole Amalfitane, was recognized in
went to the assistance of Pope Leo IV against the Sara- the Mediterranean until 1570. A tsunami in 1343 de-
cens. stroyed the port and lower town,[3] and Amalfi never re-
covered more than local importance.
In medieval culture Amalfi was famous for its flour-
ishing schools of law and mathematics. Flavio Gioia, tra-
ditionally considered the first to introduce the mariner’s
compass to Europe, is said to have been a native of Amal-
fi.
Amalfi has a long history of catering for visitors, with
two former monasteries being converted to hotels at a
relatively early date. Celebrated visitors to Amalfi includ-
ed the composer Richard Wagner and the playwright
Henrik Ibsen, both of whom completed works whilst
staying in Amalfi.
The Amalfi coast.
Main sights
Amalfi occupied a high position in medieval architecture;
its cathedral of Sant’Andrea (St. Andrew, 11th century),
the campanile, the convent of the Cappuccini, founded
by the Amalfitan Cardinal Pietro Capuano, richly repre-
sent the artistic movement prevailing in Southern Italy
at the time of the Normans, with its tendency to blend
the Byzantine style with the forms and sharp lines of the
northern architecture.
Cathedral
Main article: Amalfi Cathedral
View of Amalfi.
An independent republic from the 7th century until 1075,
Amalfi extracted itself from Byzantine vassalage and first
elected a duke in 958; it rivalled Pisa and Genoa in its do-
mestic prosperity and maritime importance before the
rise of Venice. In spite of some devastating setbacks it
had a population of some 70,000, reaching a peak about
the turn of the millennium, during the reign of Duke
Manso (966–1004). Under his line of dukes, Amalfi re-
mained independent, except for a brief period of Salerni-
tan dependency under Guaimar IV.
In 1073 the republic fell to the Norman countship of
Apulia, but was granted many rights. A prey to the Nor- Duomo di Amalfi and the piazza.
mans who encamped in the south of Italy, it became one
of their principal posts. However, in 1131, it was reduced At the top of a staircase, Saint Andrew’s Cathedral (Duo-
by King Roger II of Sicily, who had been refused the keys mo) overlooks the Piazza Duomo, the heart of Amalfi. The
to its citadel. The Holy Roman Emperor Lothair, fighting cathedral dates back to the 11th century; its interior is
in favour of Pope Innocent II against Roger, who sided
with the Antipope Anacletus, took him prisoner in 1133,
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Amalfi
The Arsenal of the Maritime Republic
(Gli Arsenali della Repubblica)
The structure of the arsenal consists of two large stone-
built halls with vaulting supported by repeated pointed
arches. The vaulting rests on ten piers, originally there
were twenty two, the missing twelve and the structure
they supported having been lost to centuries of coastal
erosion. The main function of the arsenal was the build-
ing, repair and storage of warships. Amalfitan war-gal-
leys were among the largest to be found in the Mediter-
ranean during the Early Middle Ages. The building now
contains architectural and sculptural remains, a row-
The Chiostro del Paradiso
barge used in the Historical Regatta, a number of models
of ships and it also acts as a venue for visual art exhibi-
adorned in the late Baroque style with a nave and two tions. Starting from December 2010, the Ancient Arsenals
aisles divided by 20 columns. of Amalfi host the Compass Museum on the premises of
The gold caisson ceiling has four large paintings by the two aisles of the building, which were spared by the
Andrea d’Aste. They depict the flagellation of Saint An- Amalfi seaquake of 1343. "The Ancient Arsenals of Amal-
drew, the miracle of Manna, the crucifixion of Saint An- fi". http://amalfi-coast.com/amalfi-ancient-arsenals.
drew and the Saint on the cross. From the left hand nave Retrieved 25 January 2012.
there is a flight of stairs which leads to the crypt. These
stairs were built in 1203 for Cardinal Pietro Capuano, Museum of Handmade Paper (Museo del-
who, on 18 May 1208, brought Saint Andrew’s remains to
the cathedral from Constantinople.
la Carta)
The bronze statue of Saint Andrew in the cathedral
was sculpted by Michelangelo Naccherino, a pupil of
Michelangelo; also present are Pietro Bernini marble
sculptures of St. Stephen and St. Lawrence.
In 1206, Saint Andrew’s relics were brought to Amalfi
from Constantinople by the Pietro Capuano following the
Sack of Constantinople (an event of the 4th Crusade) af-
ter the completion of the town’s cathedral.[4] The cathe-
dral contains a tomb in its crypt that it maintains still
holds a portion of the relics of the apostle. A golden reli-
quary which originally housed his skull and another one
used for processions through Amalfi on holy days can al-
so be seen.
View of Piazza del Duomo.
Chiostro del Paradiso
The Chiostro del Paradiso - ’Cloister of Paradise’ was built The Museum of Handmade Paper celebrates the long-es-
by Filippo Augustariccio between 1266 and 1268 and was tablished paper manufacturing history of Amalfi. Amalfi
used as a burial ground for noble families of Amalfi. The was one of the first centres of paper making in Europe,
white columns and pointed arches reflect the clear influ- the skill having been acquired by the Amalfitans from the
ence that the Arab world had on Amalfi, similar to those Arabs. The museum is housed in an old paper mill once
found in the courts of the palaces of the Middle East.[5] owned by the Milano family.
It is a true open-air museum, with Roman and medieval
pillars, sarcophagi depicting the wedding of Peleus and
Thetis, the other the rape of Proserpina, a fourteenth- Culture
century sarcophagus and fragments of the façade of the The Amalfi coast is famed for its production of Limoncel-
Duomo. lo liqueur and the area is a known cultivator of lemons.
The correct name is "sfusato amalfitano", and they are
typically long and at least double the size of other
lemons, with a thick and wrinkled skin and a sweet and
juicy flesh without many pips. It is common to see lemons
growing in the terraced gardens along the entire Amalfi
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Amalfi
coast between February and October. Amalfi is also a
known maker of a hand-made thick paper which is called
References
"bambagina". It is exported to many European countries [1] Historians’ usual association of Amalfi’s early
and to America and has been used throughout Italy for maritime trade arising from its position, pressed
wedding invitations, visiting cards and elegant writing between the harbor and an infertile and
paper. The paper has a high quality and has been used by mountainous circumscribed hinterland, forcing it
artists such as Giuseppe Leone, who described it: "There into trading on the sea, is downplayed by M. del
is a whole world that the Amalfi paper evokes and an Treppo and A. Leone, Amalfi medioevale, 1977.
artist who is sensitive to the suggestion of these places is [2] Robert-Henri Bautier, "La marine d’Amalfi dans le
aware that it is unique and exciting". traffic du méditerranéen du XIV siècle, à props du
Three traditional events draw numerous visitors to transport du sel de Sardaigne", Bulletin philologique
Amalfi. First are the feast days of Saint Andrew (25–27 et historique du Comité des Travaux historiques et
June, and 30 November), celebrating the city’s patron scientifiques, noted in Fernand Braudel, The
saint. Then there is "Byzantine New Year’s Eve" (31 Au- Perspective of the World, vol. III of Civilization and
gust) celebrating the beginning of the New Year accord- Capitalism (1984), sketching the economic history of
ing to the old civil calendar of the Byzantine Empire.[6] Amalfi, pp 106-08.
The third event is the Historical Regata (first Sunday in [3] Braudel p. 107
June), a traditional rowing competition among the four [4] Buonaiuti, Ernesto (1907). "Amalfi". The Catholic
main Italian historical maritime republics: Amalfi, Genoa, Encyclopedia. I. New York: Robert Appleton
Pisa and Venice. This event is hosted at every year by a Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/
different city, so it comes to Amalfi once every four years. 01379a.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-14
[5] "Il Chiostro del Paradiso". ITC.
http://www.itcamendola.it/sitoalunni/
Airports costiera_amalfitana/amalfi2.html. Retrieved
October 27, 2009.
The nearest airports are: [6] The Eastern Orthodox Church continues to
• Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport (QSR) 45 km celebrate the beginning of the liturgical year on
• Napoli-Capodichino (NAP) 74 km September 1, a date chosen because of its
proximity to the Jewish New Year.
See also This article incorporates text from a publication now
in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913).
• Amalfi Coast • Italian armored cruiser Amalfi "Amalfi". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Compa-
• Amalfian Laws • Muristan, founded by an ny.
• Archdiocese Amalfitan merchant
of Amalfi • Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport
• Duchy of • Sorrentine Peninsula External links
Amalfi • Official Municipality web site
• See pictures from the Antonio Mucherino’s web site
Panoramic view of the town of Amalfi, with the Amalfi Cathe-
dral in the center.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amalfi&oldid=473245412"
Categories:
• Cities and towns in Campania
• Communes of the Province of Salerno
• Amalfi Coast
• Coastal towns in Campania
• Maritime Republics
• World Heritage Sites in Italy
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Amalfi
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