Friday, October 21, 2011

2011 Amalfi Coast Adventures: Amalfi . . .

The town of Amalfi is the largest of the small villages along the famed Amalfi coast.  I have read that between the 9th and 12th centuries Amalfi's maritime empire rivalled Venice, Genoa and Pisa.

Dominating the Piazza del Duomo is the Amalfi Cathedral (Sacred Destinations) which was built in the 9th Century and dedicated to Apostle St Andrew.  After climbing up 57 steps, you will find the church's bronze doors which came from Constantinope dating from 1066.  To the left is a beautiful cloister, Choiostro del Paradiso, with whitewashed arches and palms. There is also a museum with several ancient treasures.  I'm not very big on visiting crypts (so will pass on this), but down one level from the museum visitors will find a heavily decorated crypt with the remains of the Apostle St. Andrew. 

To the left of the Cathedral steps, I will find the Museo Civico which contain a nice collection of paintings such as the Apocalypse of St. John by Domenico Morelli.

Fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, Girasoli (Shave Ice and Gelato), said that she enjoyed the town of Amalfi (*edited). I'm going to browse the quaint alleys around the town and make my way to the Paper Museum (Museo della Carta), which is on my must see list.  On the Travel Channel show video I purchased, Samantha Brown visited a paper maker in the town of Amalfi and I found it really interesting. It kind of makes me feel sad and guilty that with today's technological advances we have been moving away from paper related products to high tech products.    

Next on my must see list, I will love to take a day to hike the Valle delle Ferriere trail to see the natural reserve and old paper mill ruins.  In this pristine setting I will come across water falls, trickling streams and a very rare plant called Woodwardia Radicans which comes from the Tertiary Age and is a rare example of pre-glacial flora.  I found this cool YouTube video which gives me an idea of what I'll see. 


I'm finding out that there are some wonderful little trails here on the Amalfi and I just hope that the weather will be kind to me so I can explore some of them.

I just looked at the calendar and realized that I have only 19 more days left before I leave, so I may have to speed my pre-trip posts up a bit.  My apologies for so many posts in such a short period of time. :)

Next up, Ravello, Capri, Paestum and Naples . . .

6 comments:

  1. That Ferriere trail sounds very cool. 19 days! It'll be here before you know it!

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  2. Hi Annie, I just commented back on my PH post. :) Yes, I think the Ferrier trail and natural reserve sounds wonderful, I hope the weather will hold for me to walk through it. Eek, 19 days left...I'm feeing a wierd combination of panic and excitement. Can't explain how they can co-exist but they do. :)

    Thanks so much for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  3. The Amalfi Cathedral looks gorgeous -- and huge! That'll take a day to explore.

    Just over two weeks til you go, you must be getting so excited!

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  4. Hi Sandra, I was just thinking about you and how you are doing with your preperation for your move. Hope all is well. Yes Amalfi Cathedral seems pretty big and the architecture very interesting. I'm so nervous like it's my first trip or something. But I am very excited too. :)

    Thanks so much for your comments. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  5. I can't wait to travel with you again this year. Okay... I know virtually traveling but it is still great. I wish you luck in blogging and weather. I got serious blog writer's block while on vacation. I'm still pushing to get motivated.

    Have a wonderful wonderful trip.

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  6. Hi Marta, thanks so much on the luck. I think I'll need it. :) I'm sorry that you had blogger's block. I really enjoyed the posts that you wrote. I have Turkey on my bucket list and will totally refer back to your blog for ideas and inspiration. I think there seems to be a pattern developing of me following you around the world. :)

    Thanks so much for your comments and welcome home! It really sounds like you had a wonderful vacation and I look forward to reading more about your experiences and seeing your beautiful photos.

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It's me Trekcapri (aka Kathy). Thanks so much for visiting and leaving a comment.