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Ciao Amalfi

LIFESTYLE · December 24, 2020

Happy Holidays from Amalfi

It's early in Amalfi this Christmas Eve morning and the 7:35am church bells at the Duomo are ringing over town. As we wake up here in Italy today it is to the suddenly not so festive color red. That is, red for zona rossa (red zone). According to the Decreto Natale (Christmas Decree), all of Italy ...

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TRAVEL · December 17, 2016

Atrani Transformed into a Christmas Presepe

Christmas is a magical time on the Amalfi Coast. With its colorful lights and picturesque setting, Atrani is one of the most charming spots this time of year. It feels like you're walking right through a traditional prespe, or nativity scene. This holiday season Atrani has created a unique and ...

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TRAVEL · December 12, 2016

Fountain Nativity Scenes in Amalfi

The nativity scene has a long tradition in Italy. It was St. Francis of Assisi who has been credited with creating the very first presepe, or nativity, way back in the early 13th century. While nativities can take on a variety of shapes and sizes—from a scene created with miniature figures (like ...

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TRAVEL · December 31, 2015

Ice Skating in Amalfi

There is a fun addition to the festive atmosphere in Amalfi this year with the arrival of an ice skating rink. Yes an ice skating rink in Amalfi! The kids in town have been enjoying trying it out on these warm December days. There are even cute little bears they can push around to get used to the ...

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Amalfi Coast Travel Christmas Flavio Gioia

LIFESTYLE · December 26, 2014

Buone Feste from the Amalfi Coast!

We've been enjoying a quieter than usual Christmas this year, but full of gratitude that my husband is slowly recovering and feeling a little better each day. The weather has been unusually mild and gorgeous for December, yet as I write this a cold north wind is howling down the mountains. Winter ...

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Ciao Amalfi Coast Travel Pasticceria Pansa Christmas Panettone

FOOD & DRINK · December 12, 2014

Christmas Sweets at Pansa in Amalfi

The holiday season has arrived in Amalfi! The Christmas decorations are simple this year, but they add a bit of a festive touch to the town. The shop windows of the pasticcerie, or pastry shops, are always the most colorful and tempting. I stopped in Pasticceria Pansa right in Piazza Duomo the other ...

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Ciao Amalfi Blog Buon Natale

LIFESTYLE · December 25, 2013

Buon Natale – Happy Holidays!

Buon Natale ... Merry Christmas!! There aren't that many lights or decorations this year in Amalfi, but here's the view of town on a very beautiful Christmas Eve morning. Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy holiday! xoxo Laura ...

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TRAVEL · December 14, 2009

Bring on the Christmas Lights!

  The holiday season is in full swing here on the Amalfi Coast! The food shops are full of Christmas treats like Panettone, Pan d’Oro and torrone. Every town from small to big is decked out in Christmas lights. Amalfi has scheduled a host of concerts and events for Natale e Capodanno ad ...

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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!

Ciao Amalfi

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This month’s newsletter continues the travels in This month’s newsletter continues the travels in Italy with American poet H.W. Longfellow in 1828 as he made his way down to Naples. Plus a look at Grand Tour volcano tourism and a bonus of 19th-century tips for now not to be a tourist. Link in bio!
Mmmhmm autumn is definitely my favorite season. 🧡 This morning I woke up a bit earlier than my alarm and looked outside somewhat perplexed. The entire sky, the town—everything—had a burnt orange hue. A hurried lacing up of the shoes and still bleary eyed, but I just had to see it better for myself. It was a glorious sunrise. Now the rain has just gently started falling and I’m in full autumn ecstasy.

Later I’ll return to the piano to pick up where I left off yesterday learning this beautiful autumn waltz by @andreavanzo_composer. 🍂
Just by chance I happened to catch the very beginn Just by chance I happened to catch the very beginning and end of season at @cantine_marisa_cuomo this year. It was fun to see the grapes on the same vines just before harvest begins. Swipe to the right to see the same grapes back in May. Happy autumn!
Huge thanks to @italia_magazine for the lovely fea Huge thanks to @italia_magazine for the lovely feature of the second edition of Moon Southern Italy in the August/ September 2025 issue. Love the great description of @moonguides as well. Grazie mille! 🇮🇹
My heart might forever wander, but it’ll probabl My heart might forever wander, but it’ll probably always take a crosswalk. E si fermerà chissà…
This morning was a little cloudy when I went out f This morning was a little cloudy when I went out for my morning walk like I do most mornings in Amalfi. Down the coast, across the Gulf of Salerno, rays of light were shining right on the city of Salerno. I had set out with Salerno on my mind because it was there that 82 years ago today—on September 9, 1943—the Landing of Salerno began during WWII. My Grandpa was in the Army during the war - a lot of it in Italy. Yet he would never speak of where he was or what he did, and certainly had no desire to ever see Italy again after the war. While he probably wasn’t in that first landing in Salerno, he would have been somewhere in Italy, perhaps further south in Calabria or in Sicily. I always think of him during these days and wonder about those hard experiences he must have had in Italy. And very grateful for what he and so many fought for and endured. 

If you ever visit Salerno, south of the city there’s an Allied War Cemetery that is a moving and important place to visit. 🤍
Have I ever shared one of my favorite poems about Have I ever shared one of my favorite poems about Amalfi? It’s by the American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933). It’s simple and it’s heartbreaking - like first loves so often are. But I think about it often, especially on night walks in Amalfi. 

Night Song At Amalfi

I asked the heaven of stars
What I should give my love —
It answered me with silence,
Silence above.

I asked the darkened sea
Down where the fishers go —
It answered me with silence,
Silence below.

Oh, I could give him weeping,
Or I could give him song —
But how can I give silence,
My whole life long?
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