Hotel Olimpico
Litoranea di Pontecagnano Salerno (Italy)

info@hotelolimpico.it

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The Amalfi Coast Italy, Costa de Amalfi, Côte amalfitaine Italie, Amalfi Küste Italien, Italy

                                                                          Amalfi Coast

  Map of Amalfi                                                               Itineraries near Amalfi

Duomo of Amalfi                  Chiostro del Paradiso            Emeraldo Grotto

The incomparable beauty of the Amalfi Coast has enchanted visitors from all corners of the earth. The lush green terraces, suspended over a sparkling sea, the wealth of art and the architectural characteristics, make it one of the most celebrated places on earth.
Wild, daring and romantic, the Coast is an obligatory stop in any journey to Italy. From a geographic point of view the “coast of the Sirens” is the southern slope of the Sorrentine Peninsula, which in the north closes the Gulf of Salerno.

The scenery is characterised by mighty cliffs that drop into the sea, rich with bays and coves like the splendid Emerald Grotto at Conca dei Marini and the Fiordo (Fjord) di Furore. Amidst vertiginous slopes, sheer drops and precipitous cliffs, there are places where nature is still uncontaminated, like the Vallone di Porto Oasis.
The little villages that dot the “divine coast” are all to be explored, enjoying a clear blue sea, the stupefying views, the artistic treasures and the lively high society life. Shopping is also a venerated activity: in the characteristic boutiques of “Positano Fashion”, the ceramic shops of Vietri or sampling a delicious meal of traditional cuisine.

 From Positano to Amalfi
Set into the mountains, surrounded by rich mediterranean vegetation, Positano is so picturesque as to seem a spontaneous stage setting. Seen from the sea it looks like a huge nativity scene, a waterfall of little multicoloured houses clinging onto its sides.

The town develops vertically. The homes, one on top of the other, are characterised by arched porticos that give onto the sea, they are painted in pastel colours, giving it the look of a multifaceded precious stone. It is not for nothing that Positano is called “the gem of the divine coast”.
The narrow streets, lined with boutiques, run downhill between the houses flowing onto the Spiaggia Grande, a wide beach. From here there is a beautiful sea view, as well as of the town as it clambers up the mountainside.
On the main square of Positano is the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta, there since the year 1,000. The great coloured majolica cupola is visible from all over town. The little beaches of Positano are charming and easy to get to on foot or by boat: Fornillo, Fiumicello and Arienzo.

Positano is a holiday destination appreciated for VIP vacations. Around 1940 Irene Kowaliska, a painter who lived here in Villa Sette Santi, used Positano as inspiration for her paintings on cloth. The Villa Stella Romana has been host to, among other Popes, Pope John Paul II. Illustrious artists, fashion moguls and screen stars love to come here to relax.

A few miles from the coast are Li Galli (or “Sirenuse”), a tiny archipelago made up of three islets: the Gallo Lungo, the Rotonda and the Castelluccio, considered the ancient dwellings of the enchanting Sirens. Positano is not just about the sea: pleasant walks take one to visit the evocative areas around Lattari Mountains, like Montepertuso, so-called because it is said that the Madonna appeared here in a hole in the cliff (“pertuso” stands for hole). A stairway of 1,700 steps takes you to Nocelle. It is from here that the famous Trail of Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) begins, with beautiful views over the entire coast.
Or you can reach the beautiful coastal Punta San Pietro, where there is a little church on a precipice over the sea.

On a slope cultivated with vines and olive trees one finds Furore. The ancient name for the entire area was once Terra Furoris, for the deafening noise made by the sea and the wind during tempestuous nights as they echoed among the high walls of the sheer fjords that come straight down from the plateau of Agerola. A steep set of steps takes you to the bottom. The attraction of this piece of coast is irresistable, with the fjords wedged between vines and cliffs, tiny houses and the sea.

Praiano, halfway up the promontory of Capo Sottile, was the summer residence of the Amalfi’s Doge, a precoucios sign of the future of the village toward becoming a relaxing holiday resort. The lower part of town goes towards Marina di Praia, a beach carved between two high rock walls. Guarding over this marina is one of the many watch-towers that dot the coast.

The nearby Conca dei Marini is a fishing village hemmed in by a marine loop that offers a stunning slice of panorama. The two extremes of this marvellous bay are Capo di Conca, dominated by the Torre di Conca (erected in 1500’s) testimony to the terrifying incursions of pirates, and the Emerald Grotto. The waters breaking into the grotto take on an intense green hue, caused by light filtration. This grotto is full of stalactites and stalagmites, often fused together to form limestone columns of up to 10 meters.
From Conca dei Marini you can get to the plateau of Agerola (650 mt), passing through woods and fields. The area, blessed with flowering fields renown since antiquity, is famous for its dairy products and for the exceptional views of the coast from above.

The heart and the soul of the coast is Amalfi. In the serene blue of the sky and sea, Amalfi, guarded by its port, seems held in the palm of a hand. Above, the scenic drapery of the mountains, hinged like a backdrop, dotted with houses; below, a picturesque weaving of alleys and steps, all the way to the Piazza, where the Cathedral dominates from the top of its majestic stairs. A unique scene, where historic memory intertwines with unforgettable natural beauty. Suspended between the slopes of Lattari Mountains and the sea, the picturesque alleys of Amalfi today host a large number of tourists, but there was a time , when the powerful Marine Republic had its moment of maximum splendour between the 10th and the 12th centuries, that they kept the outsiders (Longobards and Saracenes) at bay.
Rich and populated Amalfi enjoyed lively contact with the Orient. In memory of its ancient power every four years, in June, Amalfi holds the “Historic Regatta of the Marine Republics”.

The town of Amalfi, clinging to the slopes of the coast, is characterised by the famous Duomo (9th century). Its scenic position at the top of steep stairs, that open up among the houses gathered around the small square, give a particular flavour to Amalfi’s historic centre.

The imposing polychromatic façade of the church, illuminated by gilded and enameled mosaics, is impressive. Traces of the middle ages are to be found in the elegant Cloister of Heaven, with its arabesque lines. From the cloister go to the Crucifiction Chapel, where the Diocesan Museum is hosted. In this chapel is the entrance to the crypt, dating back to the 1200’s. The complex is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture of the Amalfi coast. An exploration of Amalfi that desires the inclusion of the less known places should make a stop at the Antichi Arsenali, where famous galleys, with over one hundred oars, were constructed and destined to commerce with the Orient.

The Tabula Amalphitana is preserved in Palazzo Morelli, seat of the municipality and of the Civic Museum. It was the first code of naval law, established in the times of the Republic and valid for the entire Mediterranean Sea. The famous “drafts” of Domenico Morelli, one of the most famous painters of the 1800’s, from which the mosaics which adorn the church were created, can be admired.
Amalfi is also famous as the home of handmade paper.

The first workshop were opened along the Valley of the Mills, where the Paper Museum is. This area, crossed by the Canneto River, and that of the nearby Valley of the Ferriere, a charming

From Ravello to Vietri
One of the gems of the Amalfi Coast is Ravello, 350 meters above sea level, where the light effects and magical architecture create a vision of rare intensity. Its name is immortalized in Boccaccio’s Decameron. Famous for its tranquil and serene atmosphere, Ravello offers architectural gems of rare elegance. The 11thcentury Duomo, dedicated to San Pantaleone, is rich with artistic treasures like the grand bronze central door adorned with 54 panels. To the right of the Cathedral a square tower marks the entrance to Villa Rufolo. Immersed in a verdant park of exotic and mediterranean flora, the original structure dates back to the 13th century; and even today some of its arab-sicilian architecture is evident. The polychromatic arabesque colonnade is splendid. The garden is one of the most beautiful in Campania.
Nature and men’s touch compete to create a highly evocative atmosphere: villas lined by limes trees and cypresses, cascades of flowers. From the belvedere the sea seems infinite. Each summer, in the gardens of the villa, the concerts of the Ravello Festival are held. Wagner’s inspiration for the Klingsor Garden , in his opera Parsifal, came from the gardens of Villa Rufolo.

Villa Cimbrone was, originally, a simple hut. It was bought in 1904 by Ernest William Beckett who transformed into an exceptionally fascinating Villa. It has hosted many celebrated personalities, from Winston Churchill to Greta Garbo.
There is a very special feeling in the cloister of the villa, still showing elements of the ancient arab-sicilian style it was built in.
The belvedere is a terrace that gives on to infinity, and has no equal in this world.

San Giovanni del Toro and Santa Maria a Gradillo churches, both built in the 12th century, also merit a visit. The San Giovanni del Toro church has a pulpit rich in mosaic decorations.
The Coral Museum, which exhibits coral, cameos, decorated mother-of-pearl and shells from Roman times to the 1900’s, is also interesting. Scala is close to Ravello, one of the most picturesque site of the coast. Its Cathedral has a wooden Deposition from the Cross dating back to the 1200’s.
A charming seaside village, Minori, with its little pink houses over the beach, also offers splendid scenery. For its lovely position along the coast, it was where the ancient Romans dedicated themselves to relax, as witnessed by the many ruins, amongst which the Villa Romana, from the 1st century BC, a 2,500 sq mt archaeological complex containing a viridarium (garden), a nymphaeum-triclinium, and the splendid mosaics. At the Antiquarium Museum there are relics dating back to the 1st century BC.
In the centre of the village, near to the little port, is the Basilica di Santa Trofimena, patron of the city, built in the 12th century. Many others little churches and towers dot the area.

With its long beach and lovely shoreline, Maiori boasts the best hotels of the area. Ruins of castles and towers give testimony to its medieval splendour, when it was encircled and defended by walls and fortifications. The church of Santa Maria a Mare dominates the town and every year on August 15 festivities commemorate an event dating to 1204, when fishermen pulled a statue of the Virgin from the water after it had been dumped by a boat from Costantinople that was in trouble and had sought refuge in the Maiori bay during a tempest.
On the main altar there is a wooden sculpture of the Madonna and Child and a collection of art is cared for in the Sacristy Museum and the crypt below it.
The popular sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie has medieval origins, but was restructured in the 1700’s.
The unusual stone complex of Santa Maria Olearia, a benedictan abbey built around the year 1000 is worth a visit. In the buildings that hug the rock cliff, in one of the natural grottoes of the area, there are halls, chapels and small frescoed porticos.
A boat trip will take you for a visit to the Grotta Sulfurea and the Grotta Pandora. The first one is rich in sulfuric-magnesic water with therapeutic properties; in the second one the emerald-green scene, the stalactites and stalagmites create an unforgettable scenario.
Also around Minori one can find many signs of the past, a lovely seaside resort as well as a grand Roman villa.

A few kilometres from Maiori is Erchie, with a tower on a boulder which separates the two beaches. The benedictine monastery Santa Maria di Erchie, founded in 980 and destroyed in 1451, gave this place its name. This small village with the characteristically white houses, the delightful beaches and the crystaline sea is ideal for a moment of relax in contact with nature.

Just before Vietri is Cetara. This has always been a fisherman’s village and its name comes from the latin word “cetaria” or tuna fishing net. This village with its picturesque white architecture and its intimate beach is one of the jewels of the coast. In between the little square houses the church of San Pietro stands out with its majolica cupola and its bell tower from the 13th century.


At the base of the Amalfi Coast, on the side facing the Gulf of Salerno, Vietri sul Mare dominates from the small Valle di Bonea above, erected on the bastions of limestone and sloping down to the coast. With its small churches , their majolica-covered domes, and the small tile-covered houses, Vietri seems suspended between heaven and earth. In ancient times the town was Etruscan, but it was later dominated by the Samnites, the Lucanians and finally by the Romans. The church of San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist), dating to the 17th century, with its majestic dome and high bell tower, is located at the highest point of the old centre of town. The ceramics industry, for which Vietri is world famous, was already a booming business in the Middle Ages. Over the centuries artisans and artists have created prized works, a part of which can be admired in the Ceramics Museum , which is located in the belvedere-tower of the Villa Guariglia in Raito.

AMALFI COAST ATTRACTIONS
Amalfi - The panorama of Amalfi is wonderful, with white houses clinging on the rocks, which is in contrast to St. Andrew Church, which dominates the centre of the village.This church, built in the 12th Century, is reached by climbing 57 steps and the historical religious past of the Amalfi church can be discovered. The streets of Amalfi hide squares, on which rests old smith's shops, the Valiendola quarters, a 13th century monastry and a museum, where one can view the rudimental machines and instruments from the past 4 centuries.

La Grotto dello Smeraldo - It is placed in one of the best bays of the Coast and the cave is called "emerald" because the sunlight comes in through a tunnel under the water ( the tunnel connects the cave to the open sea) and makes the water emerald in colour. Four metres below the water, you can see a special ceramic Christmas crib given to the locals. You can reach the cave by boat, which leave regularly from Amalfi harbour.

Santa Monica de Olearia - This monastic complex was built during 950 and 1000 AD and holds Middle-Age monastic remains. It has three different chapels with different architecture with the oldest of these, holding many religious frescoes.

The isles li Galli - The isles feature in the Odyssey poem, where Ulysse met the Syrens and where Nureyev lived for many years. During the Amalfi Republic, the Dukes were exiled to the castle, especially built for them. The stretch of sea is dangerous here, with many wrecks from the Roman Empire are still being discovered.

AMALFI COAST PARKS & GARDENS
Natural Reserve of the Ferriere - Situated in the north of the Amalfi Coast and created in 1972, the reserve has an area of 455 hectares, including the Canneto river. It is protected by the cold winter wind and has a high level of humidity, which is important for some rare plants, like the pre-glacial giant fern. The area is also home to a forest of beeches, ilexes, pines and limes as well as the bodgerm fox, salamander and birds, such as the red woodpecker and kestrel.

Punta Campanella - One of the many marine reserves in Italy, this covers about 1128 hectares and not only protects many sea creatures and fish, but many other forms of marine life as well. It is run and looked after by a local organisation, which also organises educationals, to showcase the importance of the preservation of this and other reserves.