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AtraniWaliking eastward from Amalfi for about 5 minutes, you will bump into one of the smallest and most enchanting villages in Italy: Atrani. It is certainly the best-preserved fishing village along the Amalfi Coast. The historical town centre is characterized by a small group of pretty houses gloriously holding the main piazza, the Church of St Salvatore, the simple stone fountain, rising up towards the valley and climbing the rocky slopes, crossed by cute gardens and lemon fields. Isolated from urban traffic and noise, the centre of Atrani is closed among its ancient houses with splendid balconies full of flowers. Piazza Umberto I faces a peaceful patch of sandy beach and sea, reachable through a lovely path, made to prevent potential damages caused by the sea storms to the ships. The young natural style, along with respect and attention for the details, make the piazza one of the most suggestive open-air parlours in Italy... sometimes even preferred at the famous piazza in Capri! :-) Atrani was indeed another part of the maritime republic, whit a similarly styled church, showing off a bronze door moulded in Constantinople: the Church of St Salvatore de' Bireto. This church has very ancient origins: originally founded in 940, but revised in Neoclassical style. The bronze door was made in 1087, by Pantaleone Viaretta, the same artist of the door that characterizes the Dome in Amalfi. The Church of St Salvatore was used to celebrate ceremonies of election and installation of the Doges. Antrani is situated between sheer cliffs and a turquoise crystalline sea, nearby the Valley of the Dragon. The village used to be summer residence of noble families of Amalfi: quiet and picturesque, its winding streets have remained largely unchanged. The beauty of Atrani lies in the choreographic beach around it and the intricate maze of houses, built practically on top of each other, that make it look like a nativity scene, especially at night with the lights glimmering. If you are fond in holy art, have a look at the collegiate church of St Maria Maddalena, built in the XIII century by the people of Atrani in honour to the Madonna for having saved them from the Saracen marauders. It has a single rectangular room, covered with a barrel vault and lit by two large baroque windows. The small sacristy holds a white marble Roman cinerary urn. The glazed tile dome and square bell-tower have become the symbol of the Atrani skyline. Next to the church is Masaniello's Cave, and below is the house where Masaniello (Neapolitan fisherman, who became leader of the revolt against Spanish Habsburg's rule in Naples in 1647) was born, built on top of a flight of 500 steps. A little way above the old public road that connects Atrani and Amalfi is the Cave of the Saints: probable part of the old Benedictine monastery of St Quirico and Judith, founded in 986, by the archbishop Leo I. The entrance to the small cave, which opens onto a terraced lemon grove, is enclosed by one of the arches supporting a water channel. The Cave's perimeter is an irregular quadrilateral, and the walls are decorated with Byzantine-style frescoes from the 12th depicting the four evangelists. In the green background there is a warrior saint, undoubtedly St George. Other towns in the area: Agerola, Albori, Amalfi, Cetara, Conca dei Marini, Erchie, Furore, Maiori, Marina di Vietri, Minori, Montepertuso, Nocelle, Pogerola, Positano, Praiano, Ravello, Scala, Torello, Tramonti, Vietri sul MareYou might also be interested in reading about the following Atrani topics:
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