Amalfi began as a maritime power, trading grain from its neighbours, salt from Sardinia and slaves from the interior, and even timber, in exchange for thegolddinars minted inEgypt andSyria, in order to buy theByzantine silks that it resold in the West. Grain-bearing Amalfi traders enjoyed privileged positions in the Islamic ports,Fernand Braudel notes. TheAmalfi tables (Tavole amalfitane [it]) provided a maritime code that was widely used by the Christian port cities. Merchants of Amalfi were using gold coins to purchase land in the 9th century, while most of Italy worked in abarter economy. During the late 9th century, long-distance trade revived between Amalfi andGaeta withByzantine, the latter which benefited from a flourishing trade network with the Arabs.[12] Karl Marx in "The German Ideology" acknowledged the role of Amalfi in the very beginning of European mercantile Capitalism.
An independent republic from the 7th century until 1073, Amalfi extracted itself from Byzantine vassalage in 839[13] and first elected a duke in 958; it rivalledPisa andGenoa in its domestic prosperity and maritime importance before the rise of theRepublic of Venice. In spite of some devastating setbacks it had a population of some 70,000 to 80,000 reaching a peak about the turn of the millennium, during the reign ofDuke Manso (966–1004).[14][15][16][17] Under his line of dukes, Amalfi remained independent, except for a brief period ofSalernitan dependency underGuaimar IV.[citation needed]
In 1073, the republic fell to theNorman countship ofApulia, but was granted many rights. A prey to the Normans who encamped in the south of Italy, it became one of their principal posts. However, in 1131, it was reduced byRoger II of Sicily, who had been refused the keys to its citadel. TheHoly Roman EmperorLothair, fighting in favour of PopeInnocent II against Roger, who sided with theAntipope Anacletus, took him prisoner in 1133, assisted by forty-six Pisan ships. The Pisans, commercial rivals of the Amalfitani, sacked the city; Lothair claimed as part of the booty a copy of thePandects of Justinian which was found there.[17]
In 1135 and 1137, it was taken by thePisans and rapidly declined in importance, though theAmalfian Laws were recognized in theMediterranean until 1570. Atsunami in 1343 destroyed the port and lower town,[18] and Amalfi never recovered to anything more than local importance.
In medieval culture Amalfi was famous for its flourishing schools of law and mathematics.Flavio Gioia, traditionally considered the first to introduce themariner's compass to Europe, is said to have been a native of Amalfi.[17]
Amalfi has a long history of catering to visitors, with two former monasteries being converted to hotels at a relatively early date, the Luna Convento in the second decade of the 19th century and the Cappuccini Convento in the 1880s. Celebrated visitors to Amalfi included the composerRichard Wagner and the playwrightHenrik Ibsen, both of whom completed works while staying in Amalfi.[citation needed]
Amalfi occupied a high position in medieval architecture; its cathedral of Sant'Andrea (Saint Andrew, 11th century), thecampanile, the convent of the Cappuccini, founded by the Amalfitan CardinalPietro Capuano, richly represent the artistic movement prevailing in Southern Italy at the time of the Normans, with its tendency to blend the Byzantine style with the forms and sharp lines of the northern architecture.[17]
At the top of a flight of steps,Saint Andrew's Cathedral (Duomo) overlooks the Piazza Duomo, the heart of Amalfi. The cathedral dates back to the 11th century; its interior is adorned in thelate Baroque style with a nave and two aisles divided by 20 columns. The façade of the cathedral is Byzantine in style and is adorned with various paintings of saints, including a large fresco of Saint Andrew.[21]
Duomo di Amalfi and the piazza.
The gold caisson ceiling has four large paintings byAndrea dell'Asta. They depict the flagellation ofSaint Andrew, the miracle of Manna, the crucifixion of Saint Andrew and the Saint on the cross. From the left hand nave there is a flight of stairs which leads to the crypt. These stairs were built in 1203 for Cardinal Pietro Capuano, who, on 18 May 1208, brought Saint Andrew's remains to the cathedral fromConstantinople.[22]
In 1206,Saint Andrew's relics were brought to Amalfi from Constantinople by the Pietro Capuano following theSack of Constantinople (an event of the4th Crusade) after the completion of the town's cathedral.[17] The cathedral contains a tomb in its crypt that it maintains still holds a portion of therelics of theapostle. A goldenreliquary which originally housed his skull and another one used forprocessions through Amalfi on holy days can also be seen.[24]
Arsenal of the Maritime Republic (Gli Arsenali della Repubblica)
The structure of the arsenal consists of two large stone-built halls with vaulting supported by repeated pointed arches. The vaulting rests on ten piers, originally there were twenty two, the missing twelve and the structure they supported having been lost to centuries ofcoastal erosion. The main function of the arsenal was the building, repair and storage of warships. Amalfitan war-galleys were among the largest to be found in the Mediterranean during the Early Middle Ages. The building now contains architectural and sculptural remains, a row-barge used in the Historical Regatta, a number of models of ships and it also acts as a venue for visual art exhibitions. Starting from December 2010, the Ancient Arsenals of Amalfi host the Compass Museum on the premises of the two aisles of the building, which were spared by the Amalfi seaquake of 1343.[25]
The Museum of Handmade Paper, located in Mill Valley in the northern part of the modern town, celebrates the long-established paper making tradition in Amalfi. The town was one of the first centres of paper making in Europe, the skill having been acquired by the Amalfitans from the Arabs. The museum is housed in an ancient paper mill which was once owned by the Milano family, a family famous in Amalfi for its involvement in the production and manufacture of paper. In 1969 the building was converted into a museum as a result of the will of Nicholas Milano, the mill's then owner. The museum contains the machinery and equipment (restored and fully functional) that was once used to manufacture paper by hand.[26]
TheAmalfi coast is famed for its production ofLimoncello liqueur and the area is a known cultivator oflemons.[27] The correct name is "sfusato amalfitano", and they are typically long and at least double the size of other lemons, with a thick and wrinkled skin and a sweet and juicy flesh without many pips. It is common to see lemons growing in the terraced gardens along the entire Amalfi coast between February and October. Amalfi is also a known maker of a hand-made thick paper which is called "bambagina". It is exported to many European countries and to America and has been used throughout Italy for wedding invitations, visiting cards and elegant writing paper. The paper has a high quality and has been used by artists such asGiuseppe Leone, who described it: "There is a whole world that the Amalfi paper evokes and an artist who is sensitive to the suggestion of these places is aware that it is unique and exciting".[citation needed]
Three traditional events draw numerous visitors to Amalfi. First are thefeast days ofSaint Andrew (25–27 June, and 30 November), celebrating the city'spatron saint. Then there is "Byzantine New Year's Eve" (31 August) celebrating the beginning of the New Year according to the old civil calendar of theByzantine Empire.[28] The third event is the HistoricalRegatta (first Sunday in June), a traditional rowing competition among the four best known Italian historicalmaritime republics: Amalfi,Genoa,Pisa, andVenice. This event is hosted by a different city every year, so it comes to Amalfi once every four years.[29]
Panoramic view of the town of Amalfi, with theAmalfi Cathedral in the centre
^Mathews, Karen R. (2018).Conflict, commerce, and an aesthetic of appropriation in the Italian maritime cities, 1000-1150. Leiden: Brill. p. 55.ISBN978-90-04-33565-3.OCLC1007067413.
^Cite error: The named referencepopulation2 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
^abcde One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Buonaiuti, Ernesto (1907). "Amalfi". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. I. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
^Sarno, Maria; Ponticorvo, Eleonora (1 May 2020)."A new nanohybrid for electrocatalytic biodiesel production from waste Amalfi coast lemon seed oil".Fuel.267 117178.doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2020.117178.ISSN0016-2361.In particular, the lemon is one of the symbols of the Amalfi Coast (Italy), and limoncello one of its most recognized products all around the world as well as a made in Italy icon. The production, which is a landscape characterizing element, takes place in a substantially limited area. It accounts for ∼40 × 106 L of limoncello every year (about 25% for the Italian market).
Jill Caskey,Art and Patronage in the Medieval Mediterranean: Merchant Culture in the Region of Amalfi (Cambridge University Press, 2004)ISBN978-0-521-81187-3
Robert Gathorne-Hardy,Amalfi: Aspects of the City and Her Ancient Territories (Faber & Faber, 1968)
Robert I. C. Fisher,Close to Paradise: The Gardens of Naples, Capri and the Amalfi Coast (Frances Lincoln, 2011)ISBN978-0-711-23038-5
