2. Fun fact: There are 62 steps from the piazza to the top of the Duomo.
3. The symbol of Amalfi is a white eight-pointed cross. Also know as the Maltese Cross, this is also the symbol of the Order of the Knights of Malta, which was founded in the Middle Ages by Gerardo Sasso from Scala, a town high in the mountains above Amalfi.
4. Amalfi is one of the first places where paper as we know it today was made in Europe.
5. Interesting fact: The statue in the center of Piazza Flavio Gioia is dedicated to Flavio Gioia who is thought to have invented or perfected the compass for maritime navigation.
6. The façade of the Duomo was built from 1871-91 and was designed by Neapolitan architect Errico Alvino. The previous façade collapsed on Christmas eve in 1861.
7. Random fact: There are two elaborate nativities created in fountains in Amalfi each year for Christmas. One is located in Piazza dello Spirito Santo and the other in Largo Scario.
8. The relics of Sant' Andrea arrived in Amalfi on May 8, 1208.
9. Every year in June, Amalfi competes in the Regata Storica delle Antiche Repubbliche Marinare (Historic Regatta of the Sea Republics) against Pisa, Genoa and Venice.
10. Weird fact: A miraculous event occurs in Amalfi each year when the Manna of Sant' Andrea appears on a vial.
11. The 2004 movie "A Good Woman" with Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson was filmed in Amalfi.
12. In the 11th century Amalfi sailors created the Tabula Amalphitana, a maritime code that was used in the Mediterranean until the 16th century.
©
NileGuide
