Amalfi gives its name to the entire Divine Coast and it is one of the most world known resorts in all Campania region.
His name derives from Amelphe, the town founded by some rich Romans who stopped here on their voyage back home after a tempt to reach Constantinople.

The landscape wan rocky and so they preferred to use the sea to start their commercial affairs.

Still today the village stands on the slope of the mountain where roads and stairs give to Amalfi its characteristic aspect.

With Genoa, Venice and Pisa Amalfi was known as one of the Maritime Republics.

In X and XI centuries Amalfi was the most important of all.

Its economy was based on the trade with the East Companies with towns like Beirut, Cyprus, constantinople, Giaffa from where Amalfi imported spices, cloths, silk, perfumes and carpets.

Amalfi made laws applied in the Republic called 'The Table of Amalfi'.

It was made of 60 articles, some of which were written in Latin while other in Italian.

They contain the rules of commerce between shipowners and sailors, the division of the gains, the social security guarantees in case of illness, they imposed the presence of a scribe and a consul on board with the rule of a go-between in case of quarrels.

Once in Amalfi the attention is caught by the magnificent Cathedral in the main square.

It mixes the Norman and the Arabic styles.

It was built in IX century and it changed during the years up to XIX century when the façade collapsed, and was rebuilt on the model of the pre-existing one with polychromic marbles and a lodge with, triple lancet windows.

On the top of the façade there are the mosaics of the scenes of the Apocalypse, scenes of  Saint John's and of the 12 Apostles' lives. The interior of the Cathedral are the witness of the several, baroques and Norman remakes.

Inside the church there are the shrine of Saint Andrew, the saint protector of Amalfi.

From the hall it is possible to enter inside the Cloister of Paradise which was a cemetery  for rich people.

There is also the tower bell built in XII and XIII century with Romanic and Arabic styles.

Among the most famous inhabitants in Amalfi there is Flavio Gioia, the inventor of the compass, a great instrument

for sailors.

But it has been recently discovered that things were different, that is, Gioia was born in Positano and that he did

not invent the compass which was a Chinese invention, but he only perfected it.