Amalfi, the ancient seaside city, is one of Italy’s most visited tourist destinations. Its distinctive historic center, surrounded by lemon terraces, watchtowers, bell towers, and colorful houses, as well as its convent-hotels with Moorish cloisters, still offer surprises in the early 21st century. Just a short walk from the bustling Piazza Duomo, a network of narrow alleys and steep stairways leads to unique, quiet corners where art, culture, and nature reflect the spirit and history of Southern Italy. The “unknown Amalfi” is just a stone’s throw away from the “famous Amalfi”!
The same landscape that attracts visitors from around the world today ensured prosperity and cultural influence for Amalfi since ancient times. The dense chestnut forests and Mediterranean scrub, along with the strength of the waterways connecting the inland valleys to the sea, enabled the Amalfitans to produce timber, build boats, and reach distant Mediterranean coasts as early as the 10th century. They quickly developed an efficient trade network, exchanging timber for gold in Sicily and cities like Alexandria and Cairo, and gold for spices, precious stones, and fine fabrics along the coasts of the Middle East, which they resold at home for significant profits. With these profits, they built and decorated remarkable palaces, churches, and cathedrals. For centuries, Amalfi’s culture, art, and its vertical landscape have been closely intertwined.
