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A
testament to a glorious past, the meeting of races and culture, along
the entire coast: old castle walls, villas, churches and
sanctuaries...we appeal not to the expert but to the curious who delight
in cultural discoveries, who want to know more about the places they
visit... |
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The five districts of Scala immersed in greenery, with groups of ancient houses , Churches high up on the rocks , and mountain spurs cut by the wind, antique towers and the remains of castles... Scala should be enjoyed in all her angles especially at night , only then "the ancient heart returns to scan the time of the millennium , a time that escapes distracted man by day ... walking by night in the winding streets one seems to scent the thousand wild flowers , you breathe at one with the history of the place: a story warm with humanity , full- blooded but placid , like the mists of memory , enchanted and eternal ..." ( Onorati)
We start our visit in the eastern quarter ... St Pietro...
Rich " with gardens and fountains... and a thousand other delicacies " ... of the antique splendour only the remains of the entrance, here Beato fra' Gerardo de Saxo was born, founder of the Ordine degli Ospedalieri di S. Giovanni ( today the Knights of Malta ) , The Warrior Knights who attended the great hospital founded by an Amalfitan ( the noble Mauro
Further ahead we find the small Church of S. PIETRO IN CAMPOLEONE, that holds: some thirteenth century sculptures- the statue of S MICHELE ARCANGELO , a TOMB STONE of the Trara family, a bas-relief portraying S CATERINA, and important FRESCOES of XII- XIII centuries... Outside the building , a brief flight of steps that lead to: CASA TRARA that conserves the remains of an antique ARAB BATH , and at CASA ROMANO, a room with interesting frescoes. Tradition has it that the house is infested with phantoms, very bizarre ghosts however if it is true that instead of the usual shadows, at the window of the manor appears the portrait of the lady in the fresco who on certain nights takes a stroll around the house... Back on the road we come to the second Quarter, S. Caterina , grouped around the Church of S CATERINA d'ALESSANDRIA; that holds a valuable WOODEN STATUE of the Saint, and two paintings portraying S. LUCIA and S. AGNELLO .. nearby the ancient North town gate, and the mountain path that in two hours leads to S.Maria dei Monti , but it is time to return ... At the Proto-Monastery back where we started , passing the Viale dei tigli , we find ourselves in the centre of Scala... The square is dominated by the CATHEDRAL OF S LORENZO (XII century) , made even more solemn by the simplicity of the Stucco...
Entering the MARBLE PORTAL , the strength and opulence of Scala is soon clear : an excellent ornate
CEILING by De Simone, and three large paintings by Cacciapuoti, portraying the
"MARTIRI On the altar of the treasure , an iron grid protects the SACRED TREASURE: SACRED RELIQUARIES , and the legendary MITRE OF SCALA, an ex-voto of Carlo I D'Angiņ in 1270, probably the oldest and most valuable in Southern Italy ... Some small marble steps lead to the crypt . A real treasure case that holds: the "GRUPPO DELLA DEPOSIZIONE", ( Christ between the Virgin and S. John , and the MAUSOLEUM OF MARINELLA RUFOLO dated 1332 , with scenes in bas-relief framed with minute ornamentation... Leaving the Cathedral we take via Torricella and in a few minutes arrive at CASA MANSI-D'AMELIO a typical example of an ancestral home in the XIII century... Just a little ahead some steps on the outside lead to the GROTTO of the REVELATION, where S.Alfonso Maria dei Liguori retired to converse with the Madonna... After a few hundred yards we find : the ancient MONASTERY of S.CATALDO (IX century ) , today "RETIREMENT HOME FOR DANISH ARTISTS" ; the beautiful BELL-TOWER of the CHURCH OF S.GIOVANNI BATTISTA (XII century ) also called "of the water ", decorated with an INTAGLIO of dark stones; and to finish the CHURCH DELL' ANNUNZIATA ... We go back to the last bend ( the first after the square ) taking the downward slope to via Comunale for Minuta. A group of houses around the splendid CHURCH OF SS. ANNUNZIATA, one of the most significant examples of Romanesque art in the south. An early Christian Temple of IX century, it holds many finds of the Roman and Medieval periods , and a splendid CRYPT with frescoes of the miracles of S.Nicola of Bari... Leaving the building , we go down the footpath to the old NOBLE QUARTER, and the ruins of the BASILICA OF S. EUSTACHIO, the largest Church in the Dukedom , maximum expression of the Amalfitan style , rich with frescoes , and marble fittings( many now found in Villa Rufolo at Ravello , in particular two estimable LIONS from the ambo that now decorate the portal of the D'Afflitto mansion also in Ravello ). The admirable INTARSIO in yellow and black on the outside of the apse , from the very beginning it was an important place of pilgrimage...
A little furth On the inside of the perimeter the TOWER OF THE ZIRO, theatre of the sad vicissitude of Giovanna d'Aragon, who was enclosed there with her children in about 1510 ( inspiring Bandello in the XXIV of his "NOVELLE " and "TRAGEDY OF THE DUTCHESSE OF AMALFI " by John Webster; "HISTOIRES TRAGIQUES" of Francoise Belleforest , and "COMEDIA FAMOSA Y TRISTE DEL MAYORDOMO DE LA DUQUESA DE AMALFI" by Felipe Lope De Vega)... Peace reigns in this place , the chirping of the crickets and the intoxicating perfume of the pines united to the magnificent birds eye view of Atrani and the coast as far as Capo d'Orso on one side and Amalfi and the Coast to Capo di Conca on the other , it take ones breath away, and invites one to sit and spend a few hours in this corner of paradise...
The words of Fucini come violently to mind " the day of Universal Judgement for the people of Amalfi who go to paradise , will be a day just like any other "....
LIST
OF MONUMENTS AND SITES OF SCENIC AND CULTURAL INTEREST
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De Comite Maurone) in the sacred city in 1040...
