Amalfi Coast
About Amalfi Coast
The Amalfi Coast is stretch of coastline along the southern edge of the Sorrentine Peninsula. It’s an attractive holiday hotspot, with a rugged shoreline, with sheer cliffs dotted with picturesque fishing villages and beaches. The coastal road between the port city of Salerno and clifftop Sorrento passes terraced vineyards, grand villas and lemon groves. Some of the towns worth a visit include Amalfi itself, Positano, and Ravello.
If you like to go hiking, there is no place to go on a trek than the Sentiero Degli Dei along the Path of the Gods. It runs from Agerola to Positano on top of the Amalfi coast and affords visitors with awesome views from above.
Amalfi has a rich tradition and its people have a passion for Limoncello and have created some delicious cakes made with the liquor named Delizia al Limone. Be sure to pay a visit to some of the local vineyards and farmhouses to sample some of the best foods the Amalfi Coast can offer and make your taste buds come to life.
If you visit Ravello in July and August you can make the most of the Ravello Festival, with many events going on. These range from orchestral music to ballet performances, exhibitions and film screenings. You can also go and see the beautiful cathedral, erected in 1086. These are just two of the many things you can enjoy in this delightful town.
One thing you should see on your trip to the Amalfi Coast is a visit to the Emerald Grotto or the Grotta Dello Smeraldo a cave found in the Conca Dei Marini. This is less well known than the Blue Grotto but is even more interesting and is a stunning spectacle. This is one stop that is truly unmissable.
One thing is certain when you come to the Amalfi Coast, there is no shortage of places to visit for a fun-filled action-packed holiday. It’s the perfect place, in short, for the holiday of a lifetime.
Positano is very romantic place, as all towns along the Amalfi Coast also Positano lies on the steep mountain offering a wonderful panorama from any angle.
History
The term Amalfi is derived from the Latin Malfi, a sea village deserted by the Roman people in the 4th century A.D. Others think the names comes from Amalfi, a nymph from Greek mythology who Hercules is said to have loved.
Romans resided there, who had escaped from Longobard invasions. There were lots of camps and marching forts called Castra set up to defend Naples, which was then a Byzantine city. The Romans needed to maintain good relations with the Byzantine for trade reasons. Amalfi became the name of the town in 839 AD after resisting Longobard invasions when their Princes coveted the rich town.
The people of Amalfi invented the compass, and in the early 13th century its use spread across the Mediterranean Sea. During the Maritime republic, Amalfi rivalled Genoa, Pisa and Venice as one of the most important powers in Italy. The town was prosperous thanks to its commerce. Merchants had colonies in many locations on the Mediterranean Sea.
Amalfi was subdued for a short time in 1039 by the Prince of Salerno. Under Norman rule from 1131, the commerce in Amalfi decline because the Normans opposed the Byzantines. Amalfi did have a strong naval and military presence in the middle ages. This began with Amalfi’s contribution to the defence of Rome at the Battle of Ostia. The ruins of the ships built in the town can still be seen, and you can learn about the thirty defensive bulwarks built several times along the coastal strip that goes from Vietri Sul Mare to Positano. This tells the story of eight hundred years of how the population defended itself from the raids of the Saracens and Corsairs. In 1398. Amalfi was under the control of the Aragon family but suffered a plague in 1643 which wiped out a third of its people.
In the summer of 1807, Giuseppe Bonaparte visited the coast, was enamoured of it and decided to construct a road that ran from Amalfi to Naples. It was completed in 1854. In the twentieth century, Amalfi became a famous holiday destination for tourists, attracting actors, actresses, artists and writers. It remains a famous haunt of the privileged, the rich and the famous. The coast was listed as a World Heritage site in 1997.
What are you waiting for? Start planning an unforgettable holiday to the Amalfi Coast today to enjoy some truly magical experiences.
Weather in Amalfi Coast
Light rain tomorrow through Saturday.
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