"The day of judgment for the Amalfi who go to heaven will be a day like any other" (Fucini).
Amalfi is an earthly paradise. Colorful vistas from precious tones that return from the sea to the rocks. A legend says that its name comes from the nymph Amalfi, loved by Hercules. The hero, after his death, he gave her burial in the place which he considered the most beautiful in the world and that gave birth to the pearl of the coast.
Historically the Amalfi town owes its name to its founders, Roman settlers coming from the village of Melphi. During the Byzantine period it became the first Maritime Republic and the territory included almost all of what we now call properly, the Amalfi Coast, from the sea up to Scala and Agerola inward.
After a great period of prosperity found himself fighting a long battle with raids and piracy, especially naval. This, however, served to increase the naval force and he could also get rid of the subjugation of the kingdom of Naples.
Subsequently they began the long battles with the Arabs, the latter never managed to conquer it. Succeeded instead in 1038 Guaimaro IV, Prince of Salerno, but in 1052 the city was again dependent. Will be the last year of freedom because in 1137 he became master of the city Norman King Roger of Hauteville.
His history of the Maritime Republic is renewed every year, from June to August, with the Historical Regatta. The race is a race between galleons reconstructed models of the twelfth century that recall the colors of the Maritime Republics (Venice, Pisa, Genoa, Amalfi). Of its past of ancient maritime Serbian memory it also Tabula Amalphitana, code of maritime trade in force in the Mediterranean until the sixteenth century.
In Amalfi you can visit and admire: The cathedral whose construction dates back to 987 in 1700 and its aspect of Romanesque style was transformed in Baroque style, the cloister of Paradise site right next to the Cathedral of 1200 with frescoes by Giotto school of Romanesque-Arab, the museum of the Church of the "Crucifix" a large complex which dates back to the ninth century, where you can admire the "Treasure of the Church", in the end there is the museum of the paper in 1300.
Amalfi is not just history and art. It is also a landscape masterpiece, a pearl that at dusk is accessed by the glow of the setting sun, off the sea, while from the ground the hedges of bougainvillea respond, incediate by the characteristic red flowers with calyx.
Pearl of the Mediterranean, mirror millenary historical tradition, unique in its natural beauty, Amalfi certainly enchants the heart. Who then has the good fortune to visit it in the days of 27 June and 30 November, also has the opportunity to participate happily, together with the community, the festival dedicated to the patron Saint Andrew, patron of the fishermen. Both dates are related to the figure of the saint: November 30 is celebrated the death in 60 d. C., 27 June we celebrate the anniversary of the miracle attributed to him in 1544, when he saved the city from pirates, sparking a violent storm in the port. The statue or 'old is carried by a congregation in procession through the town until you reach the beach where there are fishermen waiting. To pay homage to the saint, the fishermen give the fish, take him in the shoulder and led him to race to the Duomo. E 'right now you experience the miracle of Sant' Andrea with the escape from the tomb, which houses the relics of an oily liquid called manna. It's an explosion of joy, everyone embraces the festivities that end at night with the spectacular fireworks.
