Duomo with beautiful golden facade at the end of the stairs. In the evening it
becomes brilliant.
St. Andrea and a fountain in the square.
Beautiful square courtyard surrounded by the corridor of Heaven.
Underground crypt and gorgeous altar. Patron of the town St. Andrea sleeps here.
The baroque style of the interior of the Duomo.
On June 2009, for the first time I visited the Amalfi coast. From Naples,
I stayed in Sorrento as a base point and visited also the island of Capri. After
that by SITA bus I went to the town of Amalfi. The 24-hour ticket (€ 6) of "UNICO
costiera" company is pretty cheap. After Amalfi, I got full advantage of
this tourist ticket to visit Positano and Ravello.
I arrived early at the bus stop in Sorrento, because I wanted to get a window seat (right side). Amalfi Coast is a maze of steep and narrow roads, some places have only one way. While sounding a horn the bus passes on those roads at a high speed such as the race of F1! Just outside the window is cliffs! At first I was sweating with fear, but getting used and at last I took many photos of the beautiful scenery.
While passing through the Emerald Cave and other attractions in Positano, I arrived at Amalfi safely. Here is a main bus terminal to visit each city. Immediately in front of the terminal you can find the entrance to the town. It's easy to get to the main square (Piazza Duomo) through the narrow street surrounded by buildings. On the left side there are many open terrace bars and on the right there is a beautiful staircase to the duomo. This beautiful square has a weird fountain inside.
It had been constructed in AD 987, it's said at that time there were two churches
inside. It had been renovated into one church in the beginning of the 13th century.
Saint Andrea, the patron of the town is enshrined in this duomo and underground
there are also remains of saints in the custodial. Of course, the fountain in
the Piazza Duomo is St. Andrea.
The Golden facade is neo-gothic style, while considering the harmony with
the adjacent bell tower, it was rebuilt by Enrico Alvino in the 19th century.
The facade becomes so very golden in the evening, it's also known as the "golden
Duomo".
The central bronze doors were cast in Constantinople, and attached to this church in 1065. Symbol of wealth and power of the Amalfi Maritime Republic at the time.
Through beautiful and long stairs, you can see the entrance to "Corridor
of Heaven (Chiostro del Paradiso, 1268)" on the left. To visit the Duomo
you enter from this corridor of heaven. Admission is 5 euro. At that time, this
corridor was used as a Cemetery for upper-class citizens. Corridor around the
courtyard is very beautiful and mystical as like "paradise". It's a
dazzling contrast of the green garden and white porticos.
After the corridor you can visit Duomo Museum, crypt underground room devoted
to St. Andrea, and main part of Duomo. The highlight of the underground is the
altar filled with lavish marble decoration. Luxury ornamentation has a holy atmosphere.
Inside of the Duomo is Baroque style and it was rebuilt in the 18th century. You can see a plenty of decoration with fine gold. The church is used for the Mass still now.
Duomo and the cloister of the Heaven must be one of the biggest attractions in the town of Amalfi. If you have time please visit them. In the summer from 9 am until 19 pm, in the winter it's open from 10 am to 17 pm.