The Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is a stretch of coastline that extends from Positano in the west to Vietri sul Mare in the east on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula in Campania Italy.  We have also included Sorrento, which is  town north of the coast which is very popular for it-s spectacular views, it's natural beauty, and the amazing cliffs that grace it's coastline.

AMALFI

  
According to the tradition, Hercules, strength pagan god, loved a nymph called Amalfi, but his love was short: she died and Hercules buried her in the most beautiful place of the world, and to immortalize her, he gave it her name. According to the history, it was founded after Constantino's death; its origins came from Roman families. The first news are about 533, during the Greek-Gothic war, with the victory of Narsete against Teia, Amalfi is under the rule of Byzantine Empire and it starts to be a part of Naples dukedom. In the VI century it's a diocese. The bishop absolved religious services and he provided to town's defence. Some aristocratic, landowners, deprived the bishop of his politic power. In 836 Sicardo, duke of Benevento, raided Amalfi, deporting the inhabitants to Salerno. In 839, Sicardo was killed, the Amalfitans rose, conquering a power and an autonomy that remained until the end of the XI century. Amalfi became Republic in 850.

 

POSITANO

 
The origins of Positano, like those of many other towns, are lost in the mists of time, so that it is difficult to distinguish between history and legend. As it often happen in the past, myths supplied for the lack of data: one of these myths tells us that Positano was founded by Poseidon - the Latin Neptune, the god of the sea - for the sake of the nymph Pasitea, whom he loved. It is certain that Phoenicians and Greeks, travelling westwards, landed in Positano, which at that time, was inhabited by Oschi and Piceni. The Romans built near the 'great' beach a rich patrician villa, which has now been buried by gardens and by the church devoted to Our Lady of the Assumption.

SORRENTO

  
A splendid and famous holiday resort, Sorrento stands on a terrace rising steeply above the sea on one of the most spectacular points of the Campanian coast. Because of its enchanting position and mild climate, sheltered by the surrounding hills, Sorrento has been a favorite resort since Romans times, (Agrippa, Augustus and Antonius all had villas here) and it became an elite tourist resort from the eighteenth century, its hotels welcoming such luminaries as Ibsen, Wagner and Nietzche.