It is the “smallest village in Italy”, and one of the most enchanting. Atrani is a exstension of Amalfi, which is at about 5 minutes of walking, and it was indeed another part of the maritime republic, whit a similarly styled church sporting another set of bronze door from Costantinople, manufactured in 1086. It's a quiet place with a pretty, almost entirely enclosed little square, Piazza Umberto I, giving onto a usually gloriously peacefull patch of sandy beach.
It is situated in a small inlet, between sheer cliffs and the sea, at the mouth of the Valley of the Dragon. In times gone by, the village was the traditional residence of the noble families of Amalfi. Quiet and picturesque, its winding streets remain true to character and largely unchanged.
The beauty of Atrani lies in the choreography of the 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. In the daytime, the tiny streets sometimes seem to disappear behind the houses, only to reappear suddenly, widening into a small square, where the light of the sun can finally shine freely. Atrani is the coastal village that has best preserved its original medieval structure of narrow streets, arches, courtyards, small squares, and the typical scalinatelle, or stairways. It has a small, sheltered, secluded beach, from which the "lampare" boats leave in the evening for night fishing. At night, the myriad lights of the lampare on the sea is the prettiest sight one will ever find of the Mediterranean.
What to see in Atrani
For such a small place, there are many things to see. This is because during the time of the Maritime Republics, Atrani was the residence of the noble families of Amalfi. This is where the Doges were crowned and buried.
A tour of the village must therefore begin with the Church of San Salvatore de Birecto, where the coronation of the highest government authority took place, with the solemn placing of the doge's birecto, or cap, on his head.
Later remodeled in the neoclassical style, the church is actually very old, having been founded in 940. It contains a marble pluteus from the late 11th century with high reliefs in the Byzantine style and Lombard-influenced anthropomorphic figures. The handsome bronze doors were cast in Constantinople in 1087, commissioned by the noble Pantaleone Viaretta, who twenty years earlier had provided Amalfi with the doors of its Cathedral. The doors of the two churches are very similar, and those of Atrani are composed of 24 panels, with the four central panels richly inlaid with silver, copper and enamel, done using a Persian-Syrian technique.
Standing on the slopes of the mountain is the collegiate church of Santa Maria Maddalena, built in the 13th century by the people of Atrani in thanks to the Madonna for having saved them from the Saracen marauders. It has a single rectangular room, covered by a barrel vault and lit by two large Baroque windows. The façade is also Baroque. 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 it is the home where Masaniello, the popular revolutionary leader, was born, built at the top of a flight of 500 steps.
A little ways above the old public road that links Atrani and Amalfi is the Cave of the Saints. It was probably part of the old Benedictine monastery of Saints Quirico and Judith founded in 986 by the future 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.
Restaurants in Atrani
A’ Paranza Via Dragone 1/2Telephone: +39 089871840
Da Cecco Via dei Dogi, 9Telephone: +39 089872051
Arcate Via G. Di Benedict, 4Telephone: +39 089871367
Le Palme Largo Vollaro, 7Telephone: +39089871700
Driving distances and approximate driving times
Amalfi: 500 m / 550 yards / 5 minutes walking
Praiano: 10 km / 6 miles / 14 min.
Positano: 16 km / 10 miles / 22 min.
Ravello: 12 km / 7 miles / 13 min.
Sorrento: 31 km / 19 miles / 38 min.
Pompeii: 52 km / 32 miles / 72 min.
Naples: 73 km / 45 miles / 80 min.
Caserta: 79 km / 49 miles / 82 min.
Rome: 278 km / 173 miles / 180 min.
Salerno: 26 km / 16 miles / 32 min.
Paestum: 65 km / 40 miles / 70 min.
Castellabate: 91 km / 63 miles / 91 min.
Marina di Camerota: 152 km / 95 miles / 165 min.
It is situated in a small inlet, between sheer cliffs and the sea, at the mouth of the Valley of the Dragon. In times gone by, the village was the traditional residence of the noble families of Amalfi. Quiet and picturesque, its winding streets remain true to character and largely unchanged.
The beauty of Atrani lies in the choreography of the 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. In the daytime, the tiny streets sometimes seem to disappear behind the houses, only to reappear suddenly, widening into a small square, where the light of the sun can finally shine freely. Atrani is the coastal village that has best preserved its original medieval structure of narrow streets, arches, courtyards, small squares, and the typical scalinatelle, or stairways. It has a small, sheltered, secluded beach, from which the "lampare" boats leave in the evening for night fishing. At night, the myriad lights of the lampare on the sea is the prettiest sight one will ever find of the Mediterranean.
What to see in Atrani
For such a small place, there are many things to see. This is because during the time of the Maritime Republics, Atrani was the residence of the noble families of Amalfi. This is where the Doges were crowned and buried.
A tour of the village must therefore begin with the Church of San Salvatore de Birecto, where the coronation of the highest government authority took place, with the solemn placing of the doge's birecto, or cap, on his head.
Later remodeled in the neoclassical style, the church is actually very old, having been founded in 940. It contains a marble pluteus from the late 11th century with high reliefs in the Byzantine style and Lombard-influenced anthropomorphic figures. The handsome bronze doors were cast in Constantinople in 1087, commissioned by the noble Pantaleone Viaretta, who twenty years earlier had provided Amalfi with the doors of its Cathedral. The doors of the two churches are very similar, and those of Atrani are composed of 24 panels, with the four central panels richly inlaid with silver, copper and enamel, done using a Persian-Syrian technique.
Standing on the slopes of the mountain is the collegiate church of Santa Maria Maddalena, built in the 13th century by the people of Atrani in thanks to the Madonna for having saved them from the Saracen marauders. It has a single rectangular room, covered by a barrel vault and lit by two large Baroque windows. The façade is also Baroque. 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 it is the home where Masaniello, the popular revolutionary leader, was born, built at the top of a flight of 500 steps.
A little ways above the old public road that links Atrani and Amalfi is the Cave of the Saints. It was probably part of the old Benedictine monastery of Saints Quirico and Judith founded in 986 by the future 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.
Restaurants in Atrani
A’ Paranza Via Dragone 1/2Telephone: +39 089871840
Da Cecco Via dei Dogi, 9Telephone: +39 089872051
Arcate Via G. Di Benedict, 4Telephone: +39 089871367
Le Palme Largo Vollaro, 7Telephone: +39089871700
Driving distances and approximate driving times
Amalfi: 500 m / 550 yards / 5 minutes walking
Praiano: 10 km / 6 miles / 14 min.
Positano: 16 km / 10 miles / 22 min.
Ravello: 12 km / 7 miles / 13 min.
Sorrento: 31 km / 19 miles / 38 min.
Pompeii: 52 km / 32 miles / 72 min.
Naples: 73 km / 45 miles / 80 min.
Caserta: 79 km / 49 miles / 82 min.
Rome: 278 km / 173 miles / 180 min.
Salerno: 26 km / 16 miles / 32 min.
Paestum: 65 km / 40 miles / 70 min.
Castellabate: 91 km / 63 miles / 91 min.
Marina di Camerota: 152 km / 95 miles / 165 min.
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