Atrani: maritime traditions and timeless architecture in one of the smallest villages in Italy.
Atrani is an ancient medieval village enclosed in a picturesque bay, one of the smallest municipalities in Italy and the smallest on the Amalfi tana coast. Framed between the mouth of the Dragone mountain and the Aurea and Civita mountains, the village has a small sheltered beach from where, in the evening, the lamps leave for fishing, which at night illuminate the sea with small bright spots. Long staircases lead to the heart of the village, with majestic porches along the sea and white houses that seem to climb the rock walls. The variety of the landscape is rich in visual elements, from the mountains to the sea to the continuous alternation of terraces cultivated with lemons, olive trees and vines.
The origins of the village date back to Roman times, but its significant development took place during the Middle Ages. The union with the history of the maritime republic of Amalfi is inevitable, when Atrani assumes the title of civitas. It was an Etruscan or Greek airport around the sixth century: around the year 1000 it was occupied by Normans and then by the Swebs, the French and finally by the Spanish.
Atrani also distinguished himself for the craftsmanship of ceramics and the production of fine fabrics.
The shell village has elegant arches along the sea with stairs that lead to the heart of the village. In Piazza Umberto I, better known as the square of Atrani, the church of San Salvatore de' Birecto does not go unnoticed: built in the tenth century, it was the seat of the coronation of the doges, through the imposition of the dogal cap. Tradition attributes to the church of San Salvatore de' Birecto a role as a palatine chapel: here the investiture of the duke took place with the imposition of the cap, from which the title of the church derives.
Religious celebrations are an integral part of local life. Among the most important is the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which takes place on September 8. During this holiday, the community participates in processions, solemn masses and fireworks that light up the night sky.
Maurits Cornelis Escher, a famous Dutch artist known for his engravings and lithographs rich in impossible geometries and surprising perspectives, found inspiration in Atrani.
A suggestive panorama and a glimpse of the historic center with an arch overlooking the sea