10 Reasons To Visit The Amalfi Coast!  by James Burrows
 

The Amalfi Coast (Costiera Amalfitana) is the lovely coastline on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula of Italy. The UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage site – Amalfi Coast is popular destination, known for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, and Mediterranean foods & gastronomic delights.

Summer is the perfect time to visit the Amalfi Coast and its superb surroundings including Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano, Naples, Ischia, and Capri. Other celebrated towns of the Coast include Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Ravello, Atrani, Praiano, and Scala. You have numerous reasons to visit the Amalfi Coast, but here are top 10 reasons to visit the Amalfi Coast.

The Amalfi Civic Museum (Museo Civico), situated in Amalfi's Town Hall, is one of the major attractions to visit the coast. The museum is home to manuscripts from the imaginative Tavoliere Amalfitane, a maritime code used throughout the whole Mediterranean up till 1570. Other things displayed pay honor to Flavio Gioia, Amalfi most illustrious merchandiser and adventurer, who is believed to have made up the compass 800 years ago.

The “Grotta Dello Smeraldo,” located 5 Km drive from Amalfi, in one of the best bay of the Coast, in the Municipality of Conca dei Marini, is one of the mesmeric sites of the Amalfi Coast. The beautiful cave is known as emerald; the sun light getting in, through a tunnel under water makes the emerald color. It is accessible via ferries from the Amalfi's port.

The other place where you can discover the wonder past of the Republic is the Old Arsenal. It is located on the left side of the “Porta della Marina”, one of the oldest doors embarked to the sea. Currently this side has just 10 columns parting the armory in two passages with cross vault.

Santa Maria de Olearia is monastic complex that was constructed between 950 and 1000 years AD. by the monks Pietro and Giovanni. The monastery is significant, as it grasps the middle-age monastic remainders. Here you can find three different chapels with special structural designs; the most previous chapel, located under the other two, holds many spiritual frescoes. On the virgin’s left side, there is a bearded holy person with his long white tunic and his yellow shroud. The fourth stature symbolizes the costumer of this chapel holding a church model on his hands. The central chapel made in the XI century, holds frescoes painting in the XII century. The last chapel, devoted to S. Nicola, has lots of frescoes that signify some wonder of the Saint.

The Cathedral of Amalfi is architectonical composite built by two communicating churches, a tomb, a staircase, an entrance hall, a church tower, and a religious residence known as “Chiostro del Paradiso”. The first hub of this building complex is the northern church constructed during the IX century.

Natural Reserve of the “Ferriere" was born in 1972. It is located in the north of the Amalfi valley, and covers up a total area of 455 hectares, amongst the Scala’s mounts covered by the "Canneto" river. The geomorphology of this vale is unique. It has a fantastic wood with beechs, ilexes, pines and limes, and lots of animals, such as the salamander, the badgerm, and the fox, and birds, such as kestrel, and the red woodpeckers.

Punta Campanella is one of the best marine areas subsisting in Italy. This area holds two regions including Napoli and Salerno, and it notice the Council of Massa Lubrense, Positano,Vico Equense, Sant’Agnello, Sorrento, Piano di Sorrento, for about 1.128 hectares.

Ravello is known for two fantastic villas – villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone. Several creative persons were strongly attracted towards this place and received encouragement for many of their works. Villa Rufolo was made during the XII century, and Villa Cimbrone was established in the XII century over the Roman villa ruins.

The “Cross of Malta” is a cross with 8 points, and it is Byzantine origin, most likely from the VI century. It symbolizes – the “eight Beatitude Theological,” as said by S. Mattew or the Ethernity. The Amalfi people have used this cross as a mark of the Republic since XI century; it is long-established by a few "Tarì" (Amalphitain coins) that exemplifies this cross clearly.

Last not least is the Amalfi cuisine; don’t forget to taste the special cuisine of this wonderful place. Some of the well-known dishes include l'orata al forno, la zuppa di pesce, la carne alla pizzaiola, le cozze alla marinara, and l'insalata di mare. Lemons are always used in the local foods and surely the liqueur of lemon is the most famed foodstuffs on the coast.

About the Author:

Author writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Amalfi Coast holiday apartments, Amalfi Coast hotels, bed and breakfasts, and Amalfi Coast vacation.