Amalfi

Amalfi is the largest town on the coast that bears its name, wedged into a ravine on the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Naples. In the Middle Ages it was one of Italy's four historic maritime republics (alongside Venice, Genoa, and Pisa), a major Mediterranean trading power whose maritime code, the Tavole Amalfitane, influenced sea law for centuries; little remains of that era's built fabric beyond the town's medieval street plan and the cathedral. Today the town center is a knot of squares and narrow pedestrian streets lined with restaurants, souvenir shops, and, in season, dense crowds of visitors.

Amalfi has no railway station of its own; the nearest stations are in Salerno, from where SITA buses run along the coastal road, and ferries connect Amalfi's harbor with Salerno, Positano, Sorrento, and Capri in season. By road, the town sits on the SS163 Amalfitana, the coastal road that winds along the whole Amalfi Coast.

The historic center is compact and pedestrian, built up a ravine from the harbor; steps and steep lanes connect the different levels of the town.

The Duomo di Sant'Andrea (Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea), founded in the 9th–10th century and remodeled repeatedly over the centuries, dominates the main square at the top of a wide staircase; its facade, bronze doors cast in Constantinople, cloister (the Chiostro del Paradiso), and crypt housing relics said to be those of the apostle Andrew are the town's chief sight. The Museo della Carta (Paper Museum), housed in a restored historic paper mill in the Valle dei Mulini above the town, documents Amalfi's centuries-old handmade-paper industry.

Wandering the historic center and cathedral complex, walking or driving up the Valle dei Mulini toward the paper mills, and using Amalfi as a base for boat trips or hikes along the coast (including the Sentiero degli Dei, the "Path of the Gods," which starts further along the coast) are the main activities.

Amalfi Coast cuisine centers on seafood and the region's lemons, including dishes like scialatielli ai frutti di mare and lemon-based desserts; restaurants cluster around the main square and harbor.

Amalfi's traditional handmade paper (carta di Amalfi), sold in shops around town, and limoncello, made from the coast's lemons, are the characteristic local products.

Ravello, in the hills above Amalfi, and coastal towns Atrani, Positano, and Praiano are all short trips along the Amalfi Coast road or by boat. Salerno and Sorrento anchor either end of the coast.