Amalfi Coast

Costiera Amalfitana *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country	Italy
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv, v
Reference	830
Region **	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

The Amalfi Coast (Italian: Costiera Amalfitana) is a stretch of coastline on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in the Province of Salerno in Southern Italy. The Amalfi Coast is a popular tourist destination for the region and Italy as a whole, attracting thousands of tourists annually.^[1] During the 10th–11th centuries, the Duchy of Amalfi existed on the territory of the Amalfi Coast, centered in the town of Amalfi, until it was sacked by the Republic of Pisa in 1137.^[2] In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape.^[3]

Overview

Like the rest of the region, the Amalfi Coast lies in a Mediterranean climate, featuring warm summers and mild winters. It is located on the relatively steep southern shore of the Sorrentine Peninsula, leaving little room for rural and agricultural territories.^[4] The only land route to the Amalfi Coast is the 40 kilometres (25 mi) long Strada Statale 163 which runs along the coastline from the town of Maiori in the east to Positano in the west. Thirteen municipalities are located on the Amalfi Coast, many of them centered around tourism.^[5]

The Amalfi Coast is known for its production of limoncello liqueur as the area is a known cultivator of lemons, known as sfusato amalfitano in Italian, which are grown in terraced gardens along the entire coast between February and October.^[6] Amalfi is also a known maker of a hand-made thick paper which is called bambagina ^[7] . Other renowned local products are a particular kind of anchovies (local Italian: alici) from Cetara, and the colorful handmade ceramics from Vietri.

Municipalities

Panoramic view of the town of Amalfi seen from the pier with the Amalfi Cathedral in the center.

Transport

Airport

The nearest airport is the Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport. However the most used airport to reach the Amalfi coast from abroad is Naples Airport (Napoli-Capodichino).

In popular culture

The Amalfi Coast is a popular destination among tourists. It was featured in "Positano," a short story written by American author John Steinbeck in 1953.^[8] It was also the setting in "Finding Positano, A Love Story" written by author William James in 2010.

The Amalfi Coast also serves as a setting for fictional tracks in the Forza Motorsport 3^[9] and Gran Turismo 4.

The city of Positano featured prominently in scenes of the film Under the Tuscan Sun.

It is also referenced in the Beyonce song "Upgrade U" ft Jay-Z.

Also, don't lose the Lemon Feast, a traditional festival in which you can enjoy and taste lemon in all its shapes.

See also

• Cilentan Coast, located on the Gulf of Salerno's southern shore

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amalfi Coast

Notes

References

v t e Amalfi Coast and Sorrentine Peninsula Amalfi Coast Municipalities Amalfi Atrani Cetara Conca dei Marini Furore Maiori Minori Positano Praiano Ravello Scala Tramonti Vietri sul Mare Places of interest Amalfi Cathedral Grotta dello Smeraldo San Giovanni Battista San Giovanni del Toro Villa Cimbrone Villa Rufolo Sorrentine Peninsula Agerola Massa Lubrense Meta Piano di Sorrento Sant'Agnello Sorrento Vico Equense

v t e Campania Provinces and places Avellino Benevento Caserta Naples Salerno Amalfi Coast Cilento Irpinia Islands Samnium Sorrentine Peninsula Terra di Lavoro Vallo di Diano Cities, towns and villages History Kingdom of Naples Monarchs Viceroys Two Sicilies Magna Græcia Samnite Wars Italia province Duchy of Naples Duchy of Benevento Principality of Capua Principality of Salerno Duchy of Amalfi Duchy of Sorrento Duchy of Apulia and Calabria Politics and government Elections in Campania List of Presidents of Campania

v t e World Heritage Sites in Italy North West Crespi d'Adda Genoa Mantua and Sabbioneta Portovenere Cinque Terre (Monterosso al Mare Vernazza Corniglia Manarola Riomaggiore), Palmaria Tino and Tinetto Residences of the Royal House of Savoy Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes1 Rock Drawings in Valcamonica Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan Monte San Giorgio North East Aquileia Botanical Garden, Padua Cathedral Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena The Dolomites Ferrara Ravenna Venice Verona Vicenza and Palladian Villas of the Veneto Centre Assisi Cerveteri and Tarquinia Florence Hadrian's Villa Piazza del Duomo, Pisa Pienza Rome2 San Gimignano Siena Urbino Val d'Orcia Villa d'Este South Alberobello Amalfi Coast Castel del Monte Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park Paestum and Velia Certosa di Padula Naples Palace of Caserta Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and San Leucio Complex Pompeii Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata Sassi of Matera Islands Aeolian Islands Archaeological Area of Agrigento Barumini nuraghes Syracuse and Necropolis of Pantalica Val di Noto (Caltagirone Militello in Val di Catania Catania Modica Noto Palazzolo Acreide Ragusa Scicli) Villa Romana del Casale Nationwide Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568-774 A.D.) Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps3 1 Shared with Switzerland 2 Shared with the Holy See 3 Shared with Austria, France, Germany, Slovenia, and Switzerland

Coordinates: 40°38′N 14°36′E / 40.633°N 14.6°E / 40.633; 14.6