AMALFI
My favourite corner.
Amalfi, one of the four Italian maritime republics that used to rule the Mediterrinean Sea during the Middle Ages. Croassroad of people: Greeks, Romans, Saracens, all in a tiny piece of land that today names the most popular Coast in Italy.
I can’t remember the number of times I have been to Amalfi, but I do remember the first ones, during which I was amazed by the beauty of this town, during quiet days of low season when not many people were around.
As the season was moving forward, I started to look for a different side of the town, a hidden one that could offer authenticity and peace from the noise of high season.
Soon I found some little and narrow alleys and tunnels right behind the Cathedral. Touching the walls on my way through, I pictured ancient times, pirates, merchants and faces burnt by the sun.
At the side of the main road, narrow openings hide steps that climb and climb, among doorsteps, shrines and hairpin bends. They climb through the walls of a town that is built vertically, on the rock. Once you are under the sun again, the sight is breathtaking.
Once you are at the top, at the foot of that big building with arches, the monumental cemetery, that centuries ago was a monastery, the view is nothing short of spectacular.
Rooftops, the tiles of Saint Andrew Cathedral’s tower, the harbour, ferries coming and going, people on the beach and at the bus stop, the majestic lines of the coast, everything is surrounded by the silence and peace of the roof of Amalfi.
This is my favourite Amalfi.