AMALFI According to the tradition, Hercules, strength pagan god, loved a nymph called Amalfi, but his love was short: she died and Hercules buried her in the most beautiful place of the world, and to immortalize her, he gave it her name. According to the history, it was founded after Constantino's death; its origins came from Roman families.
The first news are about 533, during the Greek-Gothic war, with the victory of Narsete against Teia, Amalfi is under the rule of Byzantine Empire and it starts to be a part of Naples dukedom. In the VI century it's a diocese. The bishop absolved religious services and he provided to town's defence. Some aristocratics, landowners, deprived the bishop of his politic power. In 836 Sicardo, duke of Benevento, raided Amalfi, deporting the inhabitants to Salerno. In 839, Sicardo was killed, the Amalfitans rose, conquering a power and an autonomy that remained until the end of the XI century. Amalfi became Republic in 850. Very often Amalfi united itself with Saracens and Ludovico II against Byzantines, that wanted to restore the sovereignty of the Eastern Empire.
Anyway, the alliance with Saracens was unstable and not lasting. In 915, after a very cruel battle, Saracens were defeated and definitely sent away of Reggio Calabria. For all the X century and the beginning of the XI century, the Amalfitans had a commercial increase and a very reliable economic welfare, taking a very important seat in the Mediterranean, the same seat that Pisa and Genova had later. The richness of Amalfi was so big that Guglielmo Appulo wrote that only this town was so rich of gold, silver and every kind of fabrics and it was visited by Arabians, Sicilians, Africans and Indians.
That's because they had by Amalfitans the most ancient codifications, in the famous "Tabula Amalphitana", that was the most accredited code of all the sailor nations of that time. It controlled the relations between ship's master and sailor, between sailors and traders. The same Flavio Gioia's legend, probably lived at the beginning of the XIV century, gives to Amalfi the credit to have perfected the compass for the navigation and given materials about the first medieval nautical papers. Ruler in spices field, in scents, in silk and precious carpets, in the X century Amalfi coined the Golden Coin, the golden and silver Tarµ, that were used in Greek Empire, in Africa and in Longobardo principate.
Amalfi development was so high thanks to its independence. In 1039 Guaimario V, prince of Salerno, took possession of Amalfi dukedom, with the dominion of Salerno on Amalfi. Pressed by Salerno, the amalfitans governed by Sergio IV, asked to Roberto il Guiscardo, in 1073, to help them. Salerno capitulated but amalfitans was conquered by Normans. After the Norman king's death, in 1085, Amalfi tried to be free out of Normans power. In 1135 Amalfi suffered a horrible sack by Pisani, traitors, called for helping against Normans. It's from now that Amalfi decadence began. In 1343 a terrible sea-quake, described by Petrarca, hit the coast, the most part of the town was destroyed (probably with it also the Ducal Palace, mentioned in a document as Palatium Amalphitanum), the fortifications were submerged, the shipyards, nautical equipments.
Five years later, the famous plague of 1348, described by Boccaccio, completed the destruction among people. Amalfi and all coast towns, that were beautiful places, populated and fortified, rich of beautiful places, decorated by frescoes, marbles, columns, fountains, became modest towns, without richness, coming back to the traditional economy: fishing, local handicrafts, agriculture. Only at the end of nineteenth century, tourism gave to amalfi a very big increase, that now is the economic centre of all the coast that from Amalfi takes its name.
WHAT TO VISIT The Duomo, at the top of a steep flight of steps, dominates the town's main piazza.
it' s decorated, almost gaudy facade topped by a glazed tiled cupola that's typical of the region. Inside, it's a mixture of Saracen and Romanesque styles, though now heavily restored, with a major relic in the body of St Andrew buried in its crypt. The most appealing part of the building is the cloister oddly Arabic in feel, with its whitewashed arches and palms.
It was built in the eleventh century, rebuilt in the Arab-Norman style in the twelfth and further altered in the eighteenth. The bell tower was built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The thirteenth century Paradise cloisters, surrounded by an elegant portico with pointed, interwoven arches and supporting columns, was built by Archbishop Filippo Augustariccio as a sepulchre for illustrious people of the town. You can also visit the arsenal of the Republic which is a grandiose Gothic construction, the Cappuccini Hotel which was a thirteenth century convent with cloisters and a loggia, the Civic Museum containing the Tabula Amalphitana which is the oldest navigational manual in the world, and the map museum.
