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TRAVEL · September 1, 2016

Sunrise on September

This morning I opened the windows to a majestic sight. The days, indeed, are getting shorter. For so many months now I've opened the windows to find the sun shining bright. Today I caught the magic moment just before the sun appeared over the mountains, when the sky is aglow and everything is tinted ...

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Autumn colors on the Amalfi Coast

TRAVEL · December 5, 2012

Autumn Colors on the Amalfi Coast

Much of the beautiful autumn colors that I look forward to each year on the Amalfi Coast have been blown away by a few big rain and wind storms. However, on the drive to the airport in Naples last week, I was happy to see some beautiful colors still lingering up in the mountains above Tramonti. I ...

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TRAVEL · November 3, 2012

The End of the Season

Like clockwork, the end of October often brings with it a big storm and an abrupt change in the seasons. One day the beaches will be dotted with sunbathers enjoying the last warm autumn days while holding onto summer for as long as possible and then the next the beaches will be barren and covered ...

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TRAVEL · September 22, 2012

First Day of Autumn on the Amalfi Coast

Happy first day of autumn! Or, at least the calendar says it's the first day of autumn. The weather is a perfect sunny and 75° with a lovely breeze today. Autumn? Well, not quite yet on the Amalfi Coast. September is often one of the most pleasant months of the year, with weather still warm enough ...

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TRAVEL · December 3, 2011

On the Road Home

Earlier this week I arrived back home in Italy at Naples' Capodichino airport, the closest airport to the Amalfi Coast. Anyone who has driven on the autostrada through Naples knows that the stress of  international travel is nothing compared to simply surviving the short drive from the airport to ...

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TRAVEL · November 27, 2011

Autumn Glory on the Amalfi Coast

"The pleasure of doing a thing in the same way at the same time every day, and savoring it, should be noted."   — Arnold Bennett One of the joys of doing the same thing over and over again, whatever it may be, is finding the beauty in the littlest of details. While out walking, I love watching the ...

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TRAVEL · November 16, 2011

An Autumn Walk in Ravello

Autumn is a glorious time of year to visit the Amalfi Coast. One of my favorite spots to walk during any season is the town of Ravello located high in the mountains overlooking the coastline. If you enjoyed the Autumn Walk in Scala, you're going to love coming along on a beautiful autumn walk ...

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TRAVEL · November 12, 2011

An Autumn Walk in Scala

Autumn arrives quietly on the Amalfi Coast. Slowly the grape vines take on a rich red hue and the leaves of the sycamores turn a golden brown in the evening light. It's an exercise in looking closely at first, but before long the landscape is dotted with autumn colors. This year's warm and dry ...

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LIFESTYLE · October 26, 2011

October – Slow, slow!

The colors and scent of autumn bring to my mind two things - my mother, who taught me to treasure nature and its many wonders, and the poetry of Robert Frost. As it would happen, they are both very much related since she was the one to introduce me to Frost's writing with a small book of his poems ...

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TRAVEL · October 2, 2011

The First of October in Positano

While clearing the breakfast dishes from the kitchen table yesterday morning, I heard on the news that this September was the warmest recorded in Italy in last 150 years. Looking out the window at a slice of vivid blue sea sparkling in the sunshine, I thought that was just about the nicest way to ...

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LIFESTYLE · November 22, 2010

Sunday Mornings in Amalfi

I love Sunday mornings in Amalfi, especially this time of year when the sun warms the promenades along the sea and it seems like the whole town is out for a passeggiata. There's something special about Sunday mornings that you can feel walking through Amalfi. People are dressed just a little nicer ...

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PHOTOGRAPHY · November 19, 2010

Photo Friday: Autumn in Anacapri

Despite all the recent rain and windstorms, it's been a beautiful autumn this year on the Amalfi Coast. On a nice day at the end of October, I went to Capri on one of the last days the boats were running from Amalfi to Capri. (Just a couple of days before the rough seas!)  The autumn colors were ...

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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!

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The 66th Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare The 66th Regata delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare is here! This weekend is full of exciting events as the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics returns to Amalfi after 6 years. This event sees teams from Amalfi, Pisa, Genoa, and Venice compete in a boat race in historic galleons as well as a historic parade. Stay tuned for photos and videos from the parade today and the boat race tomorrow. Forza Amalfi! 💙

#amalfi #amalficoast #ciaoamalfi #visitamalfi #italyhistory #italytravel
Last month I did a mini staycation in Positano and Last month I did a mini staycation in Positano and I loved it! Even though it’s just down the coast from Amalfi, I enjoyed the quiet of the early morning and breakfast with those famous Positano views. And a relaxed dinner without a long (and twisty!) drive home. This view from above Arienzo beach is one of my favorites of Positano.

#positano #amalficoast #positanoitaly #amalficoastitaly #costieraamalfitana #italytravel #positanoview #arienzo #amalficoastview #ciaoamalfi
That this place is just down the coastline is stil That this place is just down the coastline is still a marvel to me. Yesterday morning the colors in Positano were brilliant. 💙

#Positano #AmalfiCoast #ciaoamalfi #amalficoastitaly #positanoitaly #amalficoastbeaches #positanobeach #positanoview #positanoamalficoast #expatlife #italyexpat #italyexpatlife #italytravel #italyiloveyou
You know that feeling when you’re walking around You know that feeling when you’re walking around with something weighing on your mind? I didn’t even realize that’s what I’ve been doing until I had a follow up exam yesterday and got the all clear. At the same office in Amalfi where this whole journey with breast cancer began last June. I took a different sort of walk afterwards and that cloud over Amalfi made me laugh a bit. All clear! Float away little cloud of worry that has been following me around. Vattene! 🌬
After Flavio Gioia, the next natural stop for the After Flavio Gioia, the next natural stop for the #AmalfiCoastCompass series is the Arsenale, where the galleys and ships were built and repaired during the Republic of Amalfi. Just a few steps from Piazza Flavio Gioia, the Arsenale is the only medieval shipyard in Italy to have survived intact. Dating back to the 11th century, its two long aisles with stone cross vaults and pointed arches creates an evocative space.

Today the beautifully restored Arsenale is the setting for art exhibitions and cultural events. Yesterday was the opening for Kerameikos (April 8 - May 10, 2022), an exhibition of contemporary Vietri ceramic arts curated by professor and art critic Massimo Bignardi and organized by @agarte_fucinadellearti. The show brings together 160 works by four master ceramicists from the Amalfi Coast: Salvatore Autuori, Vincenzo Caruso, Giuseppe Di Muro, and Ferdinando Vassallo.

Take a look through the photos to see a glimpse of the exhibit. Second photo: I loved the bright colors and geometric shapes of Salvatore Autuori's work. Third photo: beautiful historical elements in pieces by Giuseppe Di Muro. Fourth photo: look closely at the textures from nature in Ferdinando Vassallo's ceramic series. Fifth photo: the mix of colors in this vase by Enzo Caruso was stunning in person.

The exhibit is free to visit and is open from 10am-1pm/ 4pm-4pm Wednesday to Sunday. For more information check out www.arsenalediamalfi.it.
It’s already back to rainy in Amalfi, but yester It’s already back to rainy in Amalfi, but yesterday was something splendid when the sun came out. Colors quite like this don’t come along with the storms. I’ll take it all!
One of the first things I noticed about the Amalfi One of the first things I noticed about the Amalfi Coast was that I had a lot of questions. It was unlike any place I had ever been. Just over 15 years later, I still have plenty of questions and am constantly seeing new things. This place really has taught me to slow down and look closer.

With that spirit, I’m starting a new series called #AmalfiCoastCompass where I’ll show you places you might have missed, things you might have wondered about, and ideas for your next trip to the Amalfi Coast.

There’s no better place to start the Compass Series than with this statue in Amalfi. Have you noticed it before in the middle of Piazza Flavio Gioia? It’s a statue of Flavio Gioia, a figure from the 13th century credited with inventing the compass for sailing. He stands holding a bussola, or compass, gazing intently downward at the instrument in his left hand while his right points forward. 

While the existence of this particular mariner is questionable, what is sure is that Amalfi was Italy’s first maritime republic and its sailors not only crisscrossed the Mediterranean and traveled as far east as Constantinople but also created maritime codes that were used for centuries. So while the exact creator or individuals behind the perfection of the compass for navigational use will likely never be known, the statue represents Amalfi’s contribution to travel as we know it today. 

This statue was created by Alfonso Balzico, an Italian sculptor born in 1825 in Cava de' Tirreni - not far from Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast. He studied in Naples and created many important statues around Italy. His statue of Flavio Gioia was created in 1892 and won a gold medal at the 1900 World Exposition in Paris. (Flavio Gioia was still getting around the world!) It was on display in Rome after Balzico's death in 1901 until the city of Amalfi acquired the statue and it was placed in Piazza Flavio Gioia in 1926. It’s been moved a couple of times (at least) but now it’s located in the center of the traffic circle surrounded by a fountain and little landscaped garden. And one last little curiosity: the statue of Flavio Gioia is oriented facing north.
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