Tour of Amalfi Half day

The Amalfi Coast is the region of Italy’s coastline located just south of Naples. The Amalfi Coast contains the famous coastal resort towns of Amalfi, Positano and Ravello.

Amalfi was originally a Roman colony, which gained more and more importance over the centuries, and after the fall of the empire it became a diocese (596 AD).
Later, the whole coastline, along with Amalfi, became property of the Duchy of Naples, until 839, when the city declared its independence and became an autonomous republic. The Maritime Republic of Amalfi was soon to become an important maritime commercial center, trading with the whole of the Italian peninsula, North Africa, the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire. The Republic bought spices, precious stones, carpets and fabrics from the Arabs, and sold them throughout Italy.
Soon, Amalfi’s wealth not only attracted the attention of pirates, who were promptly driven back by the city’s army, it also became the target of neighboring states. In 1131, after a long succession of attacks, Amalfi was annexed to the Kingdom of Sicily, although still retaining a certain degree of autonomy in the management of maritime commercial affairs. Gradually, commercial relations with the East began to dwindle, checked by the policies of the Normans and Pisans, who landed on the coast in 1135, to plunder and destroy whatever they found there.
The opulence of the Maritime Republic was by now but a memory, and maritime trade was limited to rare contacts with Southern Italy. A brief scientific and cultural revival occurred around the 1200s, the century in which Giovanni Gioia of Amalfi invented the compass.
Over the following centuries, Amalfi’s population dropped considerably, mainly due to the continuing attacks on the zone by pirates. But the greatest disaster hit the region in 1643, when the plague took the lives of a third of the coastal population. One of the results of this tragedy was the progressive impoverishment of the area, aggravated by the interruption in maritime trade. The economy began to converge on the cultivation of olives, vines, and citrus fruits and on the crafts industry.
Around the second half of the 19th century the Amalfi coast began its revival thanks to tourism, and artists such as Ibsen and Wagner drew inspiration from the region for some of their famous works, further fanning the curiosity of travelers to the coast.

The real Tour of the Amalfi Coast

One of our Official tourist guides and drivers will be waiting for you outside of the cruise ship terminal of Naples Sorrento or Salerno ( or at the Lobby of your Hotel) and be easily identified as he will be holding a sign with your name on it.

This tour includes :
Full day (8/9 hours )
Official tourist guide
driver and Mini van Mercedes
Tax ,fuel and parking

Tour duration is 8/9 hours

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La costa de Amalfi es una pequeña región de Italia situada justo al sur de Napoles, en donde se situan las reconocidas ciudades de Amalfi, Positano y Ravello.

Originalmente Amalfi era una colonia romana, la cual se desarrolló siempre más a lo largo de los años, y después de la caída del imperio se convirtió en una diócesis (596 AD).
Màs tarde, toda la costa, con Amalfi incluida, se convirtió en la propiedad del ducado de Napoles hasta el 839, cuando la ciudad declaró su independencia y se declaró una republica autónoma. La Republica marítima de Amalfi llegó a ser muy pronto un importante centro comercial marítimo en toda la península italiana, en el norte de Africa, en Oriente medio y en el Imperio Bizantino.
La Republica se dedicaba en comprar especias, piedras preciosas, alfombras y telas desde Arabia para después venderlas en toda Italia.
Muy pronto, la riqueza de Amalfi empezó a atraer la atención no solo de los piratas, los cuales fueron inmediatamente expulsados por el ejército de la ciudad, sino también de todos los países cerca. En el 1131, después de muchos enfrentamientos, Amalfi se juntò con el Reino de Sicilia, manteniendo una cierta autonomía en la gestión de los negocios marítimos. Pero poco a poco las relaciones comerciales con el este empezaron a reducirse, maniobradas por los normanos y los pisanos, los cuales llegaron a la costa en el 1135 para saquear y arrastrar todo lo que se encontraban por delante. Desde este momento, la opulencia de la Republica Maritima fue solo un antiguo recuerdo, y se mantuvieron solo los negocios con el sur de Italia. Un ligero renacimiento cultural tuvo lugar a alrededor del 1200, el siglo en el que Giovanni Gioia de Amalfi inventò la brújula.
Siglos después, la población de Amalfi bajò de manera considerable, debido sobre todo a los ataques de los piratas en la zona. Pero el desastre màs poderoso golpeò el territorio en el 1643, cuando una enfermedad llamada plaga se comió la vida de un tercio de la población local.
Uno de los resultados màs catastrófico fue el constante empobrecimiento de toda la zona , con la interrupción del comercio marítimo. La economía empezó a moverse hacia la cultivación de olivas, vinos y artesanías.
En la segunda mitad del siglo 19, la costa de Amalfi empezó a revivir gracias al turismo, y a la obra de artistas como Ibsen y Wagner que se inspiraron a esta tierra para algunos de sus famosos trabajos, atrayendo además la curiosidad de los viajeros hacia la costa.

The real Tour of the Amalfi Coast

One of our Official tourist guide and driver will be waiting for you outside of the cruise ship terminal of Naples Sorrento or Salerno ( or at the Lobby of your Hotel) and be easily identified as he will be holding a sign with your name on it.

Your private driver will then escort you to your vehicle and this memorable shore excursion will begin!

We’ll drive true Sorrento hill,and soon after we’ll find ourselves on the Amalfi Coast. We will stop a few times along the way to take some pictures of this beautiful coastline. Then we will find ourselves driving down-hill directly through Positano where we will descend down the winding one-way road, passing by many picturesque houses and shops, and ultimately arrive in the heart of the town, at “Piazza dei Mulini”. This is the last point accessible by car, so we will park our car and walk downtown where all the streets lead to the waterfront.

Here we can have about one hour or more to discover this beautiful village de nominated “The Jewel of The Amalfi Coast”.

Positano has beautiful things to see: the cathedral, ceramic shops, lemons, hand-made shoes and, of course, “Positano fashion”.

Back on the main Amalfi coast road and leaving Positano the coastal road begins and runs through the fishing villages of Praiano, Furore, Conca dei Marini, and continues until it finally reaches the busy square of Amalfi (Piazza del Duomo) which is situated on the seafront.

In front of the port of Amalfi, there is the one and only bus station along the coast and the shopping area lies just behind this. If you would like to steep yourself in Amalfi’s history there are some interesting sights to explore. Two of the most spectacular are the cathedral situated along the coast and the paper mill museum. Behind this square lies the main shopping street of Amalfi, that terminates at the furthest and highest point of the town. Along the pedestrian street are various bars and cafés, not to mention the many shops selling limoncello, casual clothing, swimwear, gifts, basic groceries, and of course, ceramics.

We will then take a meandering, relaxing drive uphill along a very narrow road passing several wineries and olive factories which will lead us to Ravello. This rural village is completely unspoilt by tourism, perched on top of the mountain cliff situated above Amalfi and Minori. Ravello is famous for its breath-taking views, natural beauty and ancient monuments which are seen at their very best in the stunning gardens of Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo. In high season, these gardens are rich in the heady perfume of blooming flowers, flora and the sharp, sweet scent of lemons. Ravello is also denominated THE CITY OF THE MUSIC, as it was here that Richard Wagner composed his opera Parsifal. There are many classical concerts held in the gardens of Villa Rufolo.

After this, our last site of the day, we will drive back to the Cruise ship Terminal or hotel where you can reminisce about your incredible day along one of the most famous coastlines in the world!

This tour includes :
Full day (8/9 hours )
Official tourist guide
driver and Mini van Mercedes
Tax ,fuel and parking

Tour duration is 8/9 hours

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