Welcome to Atrani
From Jesse's Journeys in Italy
Population: 5,589
Wikipedia:
Amalfi
Map:
Atrani
Webcam:
Amalfi
Atrani is the smallest, autonomously run
village in the south of Italy as well as
as one of the most interesting and
beautiful. The houses in
this small coastal village, one on top
of another, are completely surrounded by
overhanging cliffs, with the outlet of
the small Valle del Dragone opening onto
the sea like an upside down funnel.
In order to admire the town, there is a
small turn-off along the coastal road
before the tunnel which leads to nearby
Amalfi. Upon parking the car, walk
under the large arch which is the
gateway to the village, where there is
an utterly breathtaking view over the
town.
The small Piazza Umberto 1
does not take a back seat in any way to
the more famous Piazzetta in Capri. Taking a 360 look around, it seems like
a theatrical stage with archways and
small alleys, steps, small windows and
doorways all looking onto the small
square. The bell-tower and clock
of the church of San Salvatore de Birecto complete the scene of a place
which seems to have been purposely
created.
The lords of the Amalfitan Republic were
crowned and buried in this church, which
was built before 1000 AD. During
this same period Atrani was chosen by
the more noble Amalfitan families as
their residence. In addition to the
elite, Atrani has been the home of to
some of the world's most well-known
writers and philosophers who were
enchanted by this irresistible medieval
fishing village.
While the church and bell-tower of the
convent of Santa Maria Maddalena, dating
back to 1274, make the skyline of Atrani
unmistakeable both from sea and land.
The convent has been restored in a
Baroque style with a beautiful Majolica
dome.
The mother of Masaniello, the leader of
the Neapolitan revolution against the
Spanish in 1674 was originally from
Atrani. There is a cave on the
slopes of the surrounding Mt. Aureo,
called the "Grotta de Santi (Cave of
Saints), where Masaniello, the Spanish
leader took refuge after the Neopolatin
revolution. Near the grotto, there
are the ruins of the old Benedictine
monastery of San Quirico and Santa
Giuditta dating to 986 AB with several
Byzantine frescos.
Atrani has many different appealing
aspects due to the Medieval
architecture, with narrow alleys and
steep stairways which create a small,
winding labyrinth. Atrani also
offers something that few towns on the
Amalfi coast do; a cosmopolitan
atmosphere, with the small square being
the centre hot, hot summer evenings, the
night-lights transform it into a
life-size nativity scene. Among
this incredible scene and the sea, there
is a beautiful beach which completes the
pleasure of staying in this magical
place.
About 140 meters of rocky ridge
separates the beach of Castliglione from
this one in Atrani. It is just over 130
meters long, with the mouth of the river
Dragone running in the middle of it.
The river runs dry during the hottest
months of the summer.
This beach, in the smallest
autonomously run village in Italy, is
very popular during the summer months,
given that the nearby fishing village is
one of the most suggestive settings
along the entire Amalfi Coast. The
beautiful houses in the background of
this magnificently pristine beach,
create an atmosphere close to Paradise. |
