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Amalfi
61km (38 miles) SE of Naples, 18km (11 miles) E of Positano,
34km (21 miles) W of Salerno,
272km (169 miles) SE of Rome.
The city of Amalfi was once a great seafaring republic. It
was as powerful as the great
maritime powers of Genoa and
Venice. In the 9th
century the people of the city
created a maritime code called the
Tavole Amalfitane, and this code
was followed in the Mediterranean
for hundreds of years. The
importance of Amalfi as a great
power diminished after a series of
raids by the Saracens. Also a
great flood ravished the city in
the fourteenth century. It is now
rising in power and influence
again as a major resort on the
Amalfi drive.
Whether
you come from Positano, or
Salerno, the road into Amalfi will
take your breath away. It
overlooks the Bay of Salerno from
its position on the slopes of the
steep Latteri hills. Modern Amalfi
depends on tourist traffic for the
affluence of its populace. Most of
its regular hotels and pensions
are located right in the middle of
the town, while the star rated
accommodations and the finest
hotels are built on the outskirts
of the town.
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