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Amalfi Coast Travel History

TRAVEL · March 2, 2014

Return to the Sea

The people of Amalfi have always had a strong connection to the sea. Not just because of the town's geographic setting, but because of something that seems to run deep in the blood. This is the something that led those Amalfitani in the Middle Ages to head out across the sea to other parts of the ...

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Cat on a Hot Roof

PHOTOGRAPHY · February 21, 2014

Foto Friday: Cat on a Hot Roof

If you've ever lived in another country long enough to feel like it's your home, then you might know that funny feeling when you forget you're actually living in another country. The Amalfi Coast has felt like home since the first time I visited here in 2007. But sometimes there are moments when I ...

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Marina Grande Beach Amalfi

TRAVEL · February 15, 2014

Winter Sunshine

There's nothing quite like when the sun comes out in February after a rainy spell. There's the warmth of the sunshine to dry everything out, but also that sense of spring on its way. It's hopeful, warm and irresistible. And not just for the Amalfitani! We took an afternoon stroll in Amalfi this ...

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Ciao Amalfi San Biagio Church Amalfi

PHOTOGRAPHY · January 31, 2014

Foto Friday: San Biagio in Amalfi

This week's photo shows one of my favorite spots in Amalfi where you can see how the buildings were built right into and around the mountains. I love how they're all stacked up on top of one another! At the top of the heap is the Church of San Biagio (or Saint Blaise). The zigzag staircase leads to ...

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HISTORY & CULTURE · August 11, 2012

Memoriae | Igor Mitoraj Ravello Festival Exhibition

Every year the Ravello Festival is centered around a theme running through the art exhibitions, concerts and cultural events that take place during the summer.  Memory is the theme of the 2012 Ravello Festival and the current exhibition Memoriae, Mitoraj a Ravello. The monumental sculptural works of ...

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PHOTOGRAPHY · January 9, 2012

January in Amalfi

Welcome 2012! It's been a momentous beginning to the new year for me, and soon I'll have photos and stories to share of my wedding in Amalfi on January 4th. The beauty of the day, and all the changes that came with it (not to mention the paper work ...), is still sinking in. But the right words are ...

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TRAVEL · December 27, 2011

This is Winter in Amalfi

Like any good story, a place has multiple sides, fascinating characters that draw you in, unexpected twists, and moments that make you fall in love. You can't know a story from only reading a few pages, just like you can't know a place until you've been there turning the pages day by day – being ...

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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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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 15, 2011

A Passeggiata in Amalfi

The passeggiata—a leisurely walk or stroll—is one of those wonderful Italian traditions that you can enjoy across Italy. This is a time for families and friends to spend together catching up on the day's news, for kids to play together and to just enjoy a healthy bit of fresh air. On the Amalfi ...

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PHOTOGRAPHY · September 16, 2011

Photo Friday: Creeping Cumulus

The last few weeks it seems like all I do is hurry from one place to another. One of the first ways I can tell that I'm too busy is by looking at my camera. Hardly a photo taken in the past three weeks, except the new flowers I spent an early morning planting in the garden recently. And then this ...

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PHOTOGRAPHY · August 19, 2011

Photo Friday: Big Clouds

Even from high in Ravello, it's easy to spot that the beaches in Maiori and Minori are busy this time of the summer. I stopped the other day for a moment to watch the big clouds looming over the mountains, and I hoped they would get stuck there so as not to ruin the sunny afternoon for all the ...

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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!

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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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