Ciao! I'm Laura.
  • Journal
  • About
  • Writing
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Journal
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Writing
  • Contact

Ciao Amalfi

Amalfi Coast, Architecture, Costiera Amalfitana, My Menu, Pontone, Scala, What's On · September 4, 2009

A Night of Music & Magic in Scala

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog Concert

 

The moon, accompanied by her bright friend Venus, shone brightly over the Amalfi Coast a few nights ago. Along the moonlit and silent coastline, the ruins of the once magnificent Basilica di Sant’Eustachio tucked up high in the mountains about Amalfi were aglow. A magical night in Scala was about to begin. As I scurried down the steps to the ruins, I heard something familiar being recited. It was an excerpt of Homer’s Odyssey telling of the brave Odysseus and his voyage past the deadly sirens, long thought to have once inhabited the coastline along the Sorrento Penninsula. Thus began an enchanting evening!

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog Moon Olive Trees  La luna through the olive trees

 

The event was called Il Viaggio in Italia (The Journey in Italy) featuring solo performances by great Italian singer Lucio Dalla interspersed with readings by Marco Alemanno of writings by travelers to Italy. It was held at the ruins of the Basilica di Sant’Eustachio in Scala, which I’ve written about here on Ciao Amalfi. I couldn’t think of a more evocative setting on such a beautiful night on the Amalfi Coast. After squirming uncomfortably in the pews that had been carried down the steps and placed in the church (now I know why the church that got ride of them did so), we got up and started exploring the ruins. Seeing them inside for the first time on a moonlit night with the music and recitations in the background was truly magical!

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog Sant Eustachio1

 

 

Ciao Amalfi Coast Blog Sant Eustachio2

 

It was amazing to stand right at the base of the church and see the details so closely. I was able to distinguish for the first time the original details and what was added during a restoration to stabilize the ruins in 2002. For those architecture fans, here is a video with more detail:

 

 

 

 

And for those fans of Lucio Dalla, here is a video of him singing one of my favorite songs called Caruso.

 

 

 

 

I apologize that the video is cut off, but I have a strange problem with  my camera that prevents me from making videos much longer than two minutes (or they will be stuck forever on my camera). If you want to hear the entire song, here is a moving video of Lucio Dalla performing Caruso at Naples’ San Paolo stadium. 

 

 

 

 

This concert was the opening event for a conference taking place in Scala today and tomorrow called Grand Tour: Viaggio in Italia. In an area of Italy famous for its many visitors today, it seems quite appropriate to go back to the origins of today’s tourism, the Grand Tour, which brought so many visitors from across Europe to Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. While these original tourists brought canvases and sketchbooks rather than the digital cameras of today, they marked the trail down to Naples, further south to Calabria and onward to Sicily. These were the tourists who wrote home telling of the beauty of southern Italy, its impressive historic sites, its people, culture and traditions, and who knew they had found a place at once remarkable and unforgettable. Avanti viaggiatori! Onward travelers!

Posted In: Amalfi Coast, Architecture, Costiera Amalfitana, My Menu, Pontone, Scala, What's On

You’ll Also Love

Summer Snapshot: Amalfi through the Lemon Groves
Tempting Tuesday: San Filippo Neri in Pontone
Capri in Sight

Comments

  1. Scintilla @ Bell'Avventura says

    September 4, 2009 at 14:42

    I love Dalla! Always have, but I go back a long way…
    Lucky you to see him sing and in such beautiful settings.
    I believe he sang at Positano too for the opening of an art show in the crypt of the church.

    Reply
  2. Chef Chuck says

    September 4, 2009 at 16:49

    WoW Laura, Magical yes!!! You give me a great sense of being there. This event is one I would treasure. I feel so close to that church and now even closer! The angles give you a very different point of view on which the texture grabs you or at least me! Is this an annual event? If so,I need to contact my travel agent! I will watch the video everyday,I love it. Grazie Grazie 🙂

    Reply
  3. Laura says

    September 4, 2009 at 18:30

    You write so well…this description has left me amazingly calm this morning. Very beautiful. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Peter says

    September 4, 2009 at 18:32

    Sounds like a pretty enchanting evening! I would have loved to bring Fil to that 🙂

    …Next one be sure to let me know – because I'm writing from Fiumicino right now!

    Reply
  5. Laura says

    September 4, 2009 at 22:30

    NOTE: One of my twitter followers suggested that it might be Jupiter and not Venus. Non sono un' astronoma! If anyone knows for sure, please do verify. Grazie!

    Reply
  6. Sandra says

    September 5, 2009 at 10:18

    Great post, Laura. and beautiful photographs. Jupiter is in the constellation Capricorn and found near the moon this time of year. Neptune is near also but too faint to see with the naked eye.Venus rises just before the sun..bright morning star. Great writing…thanks for sharing this romantic evening on the Amalfi Coast.

    Reply
  7. Saretta says

    September 5, 2009 at 15:36

    Sounds like a wonderful evening! You were lucky to hear Dalla sing in person!

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    September 6, 2009 at 16:52

    Ciao Scintilla! This was my introduction to Dalla, and it was indeed magical. I have been enjoying listening to more of his music now. Wow, hearing him in the church in Positano would also be a great venue!

    Ciao Chuck! I thought of you so many times during the concert and when I was taking those photos. I knew they would make you very happy! I was surprised as well about how seeing it at night highlighted the texture and colors in an interesting way. This isn't an annual event, but there are usually a few concerts held in the ruins of the church every summer. I don't know how to suggest finding out in advance about them, but I can certainly keep you posted! 🙂

    Ciao Laura! Wow, [blush], thank you so very much for your very kind words. So happy to hear this post was a nice moment during your day!

    Ciao Peter! I'll keep you posted for sure. 🙂 This one wasn't well advertised, and I found out about it the day before. I hope you didn't have to wait too long for your luggage at Fiumicino! (The long waits have made the news recently.)

    Ciao Mom! Thanks for setting me straight about Jupiter and Venus. 🙂 I didn't know you could see Jupiter so clearly, but it has certainly been a beautiful addition to the night sky here recently.

    Ciao Saretta! Yes, it was one of the lucky spur of the moment events that make me glad I always have my camera with me. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Chef Chuck says

    September 7, 2009 at 02:16

    Thank you for thinking of me, I suppose my families surrounding magical spirits were within you!! You are a wonderful person! Grazie 🙂

    Reply
  10. Laura says

    September 9, 2009 at 09:08

    Ciao Chuck! Your family sure built a magnificent church all those centuries ago. Walking through the ruins, I was wishing I could have seen how beautiful it must have been when it was built. Wow! We just have to close our eyes and imagine today. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

September Banner: Late Summer Sun in Conca dei Marini

Trending Now

  • ciao-amalfi-winter-things-to-do Visiting the Amalfi Coast in the Winter – 5 Things You Need to Know
  • Amalfi Coast Travel Positano Beach Spiagga Grande A Guide to the Beaches of Positano
  • Amalfi Coast Webcams New Live Streaming Webcams of Amalfi!
  • Amalfi Coast Beaches Colourful Sun Umbrellas at the Marina Grande Beach in Amalfi - Horizontal A Guide to the Beaches of Amalfi

Ciao!

My name is Laura and the Amalfi Coast is my passion and my home. I’m a writer and photographer who is endlessly inspired by the incredible beauty of the Amalfi Coast. Welcome to Ciao Amalfi!

Ciao Amalfi

  • Journal
  • Moon Amalfi Coast
  • Newsletter
  • Contact

Amalfi Coast

  • Amalfi
  • Positano
  • Ravello
  • Amalfi Coast

Explore

  • Travel
  • History & Culture
  • Food & Drink
  • Shopping

Laura Thayer

  • About
  • Writing
  • Book Reviews
  • Work with Me

Latest on Instagram

A spectacular view of a truly spectacular place as A spectacular view of a truly spectacular place as I flew out of Naples yesterday morning. A little bit delayed due to Winter Storm Olive in the midwest, but I was greeted in central Nebraska by blue skies and flocks of Sandhill cranes and snow geese. “Oh, to love what is lovely” as Mary Oliver wrote about that joyful experience of seeing snow geese golden in a sunny sky. ✨
It’s International Cat Day in Italy, but Puffy s It’s International Cat Day in Italy, but Puffy slept right through it. He’s been such a good cat since we lost Toulouse in September - we’re all still adjusting. This year Puffy will be 15! 🐈
This month’s Ciao Amalfi newsletter is out! A li This month’s Ciao Amalfi newsletter is out! A little bit of a love letter to Amalfi, an excellent book for walking by @robgmacfarlane, February on the Amalfi Coast, and one very dramatic historic photograph. Hope you enjoy the read! {link in bio}

#ciaoamalfi #Amalfi #amalficoast #visitamalfi #visitamalficoast
Woke up with the winter blues and this song I love Woke up with the winter blues and this song I love by Jack Teagarden in my head. 🎶
What 31 days of January morning walks looks like. What 31 days of January morning walks looks like. It’s been gorgeous and windy and stormy and wild - and everything in between. Should I pick a different spot to take a photo a day next month?
Non Amalfi Coast question. Do you wake up in the m Non Amalfi Coast question. Do you wake up in the morning with music or a song in your head? I do nearly every morning and it’s curious to me what shows up. Usually it’s something I’ve been listening to, but sometimes it’s really random, like someone’s left the music room door slightly ajar in the brain. This morning it was a jaunty version of “Loch Lomond” from the 1940s sung by Maxine Sullivan. (You’d think that would be from the random category but I actually listened to it yesterday.) So that’s what was swinging about in my head as I took a walk early this morning. 🎶
Happy Burns Night! I love a country that has a hol Happy Burns Night! I love a country that has a holiday for their national poet. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Here’s one of my favorite poems he wrote.

Musing On The Roaring Ocean
by Robert Burns

Musing on the roaring ocean, 
Which divides my love and me; 
Wearying heav’n in warm devotion, 
For his weal where’er he be. 

Hope and Fear’s alternate billow 
Yielding late to Nature’s law, 
Whispering spirits round my pillow, 
Talk of him that’s far awa. 

Ye whom sorrow never wounded, 
Ye who never shed a tear, 
Care-untroubled, joy-surrounded, 
Gaudy day to you is dear. 

Gentle night, do thou befriend me, 
Downy sleep, the curtain draw; 
Spirits kind, again attend me, 
Talk of him that’s far awa!
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 Ciao Amalfi · Theme by 17th Avenue