Sea Cloud dropped anchor in front of one of the most important towns in the maritime history of Amalfi. The Duchy of Amalfi was one of the four maritime republics of the Mediterranean. Rivaling Genoa, Pisa, and Venice around the 10th and 11th centuries, Amalfi has given a lot to sea-faring history. The compass was a creative invention of the Amalfitano Captain Flavio Gioia, but the region also imported the Chinese technique for making paper, opening the entire European continent to the important handmade material. It was then that making books became an industry.
Born and raised in Italy, photojournalist Massimo Bassano has published his work in National Geographic Traveler and on the National Geographic website, as well as in numerous European publications. He regularly leads photography and multimedia works...
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Amalfi is an intriguing mix of sophistication and simplicity. A harbor full of super yachts, expensive boutiques, and five-star hotels clinging to the cliffs above the town greeted us this morning, but as we scanned the hillsides above the town as we anchored, we could still witness the rural reality of this stunningly beautiful region. Hillside villages precariously perched on steeply terraced mountain sides, where farmers still cultivate small plots of lemon trees, vines, and vegetables, and tiny fishing communities still make a living from the sea. Given the diminutive size of the town nestled at the entrance of a steep sided ravine, it was hard to conceive that this was once one of the great Italian medieval maritime republics that rivaled Pisa, Genoa, and Venice in wealth. From the 9th to the 12th century, Amalfi traded salt, grain, and slaves with Egypt in exchange for silver to buy silks in Constantinople, which it then traded to its European neighbors. We started our tour in the Piazza Duomo at the foot of a flight of 60+ steps leading up to the Cathedral of St. Andrew, which is literally the heart of Amalfi. The cathedral dates to the 11th century, but its interior was extensively rebuilt in the late Baroque style. In 1206, the relics of St. Andrew were brought to Amalfi from Constantinople by Pietro Capuano following the sack of that city at the beginning of the Fourth Crusade. We also visited the magnificent, frescoed crypt containing the relics and the Cloister of Paradise that is surrounded by 120 overlapping arches in Arabic-Norman style. As Sunday mass started, we left the church and walked through the narrow alleys of the town to visit the newly restored maritime museum that is in the last two vaulted halls of the original 12th century Arsenali della Repubblica. We learned that the original hall contained 22 vaults, but twelve have been lost due to coastal erosion. After the tour, many of us chose to stay in town for a few hours to browse the shops or sit in one of the many cafes surrounding the Piazza Duomo for a coffee, gelato, or a glass of their famous limoncello. Back aboard, the chefs brought out the legendary “pasta wheel”–a full round of parmesan in which they scrape the sides of the cheese and toss in the hot pasta for a sinfully delicious meal. The swim platform appeared after lunch for a few hours before we repositioned to drift off Capri for the Captain’s cocktail party, the guest slide show of our trip, and one final Mediterranean sunset!
Travelers and poets have often rhapsodized about the Mediterranean’s spectacularly capricious geology in this area, but for those living in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79, the end came swiftly and cruelly. As we followed our guides through the silent, deserted streets (save the 21st century tour groups jostling for position in the Forum), the three dimensionality of the buildings and frescoed scenes painted on the walls of the houses allowed us to connect with the city’s doomed citizens in a way that is not possible at ordinary archaeological sites. All too soon, we had to return to the ship for an Italian buffet, and then it was on to Ravello. The enchanting views of the Amalfi Coast and the late fall gardens from the terrace of a villa were certainly worth the trip through the mountain switchbacks!
The weather was perfect for sailing this morning, so the deck crew raised several sails during breakfast and shortly after. Our historian, Dr. Robyn Woodward, gave a talk on Pompeii, followed by the captain doing a few sailing maneuvers. These special maneuvers involved teamwork from both the deck and the hospitality crew. After lunch, we took Zodiacs ashore to the coastal town of Agropoli before driving 30 minutes to the city of Paestum, which was founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC. Our local guides gave a narrated tour of the three major Greek temples that were built in the Doric style and are thought to be dedicated to Hera and Athena.
