MUNICIPALITY: Amalfi
NAME: Terrace of Amalfi
LOCATION: Loc. Pastena Lone, Loc. S. Lorenzo al Piano
DESCRIPTION: The most terraced area within the municipality of Amalfi is the one situated in the locality of Pastena Lone. The name of the locality refers to the juridical instrument by which the terraces were built: the “Pastinato” contract. The area has terraces of varying widths that include both lemon groves and vegetable gardens and, in the highest part, vines. Cultivation takes place using the pergola system. In the past, the area was characterized by the presence of carob cultivation, which was widespread throughout the coastal zone. Then, at the beginning of the last century, the many vines – that had already partly replaced the carob tree – were replaced by citrus groves, especially lemon groves.
Another area with many terraces, planted with lemons, is that which lies between the Cathedral and the monumental cemetery, called S. Lorenzo al Piano. Here a large area bordering the Monte Aureo forest to the north turns out to be intensively cultivated.
SEE, VISIT, FIND: you can visit the area by taking Via Maestra dei Villaggi, which runs diagonally across the entire area. It is recommended to reach the fraction of Amalfi, called Pogerola, and after walking along part of the road that leads to Amalfi, take the stairway that crosses the village of Pastena. Via Maestra dei Villaggi ends near the town of Amalfi.
To visit the area behind the Cathedral, you can take the staircase that leads to the Monumental Cemetery from Piazza Municipio, which, after passing in the vicinity of the Cemetery (where there is a view that covers the entire urban structure of Amalfi, the Valle delle Ferriere/Valley of Ferriere and the terraces below), leads to Amalfi.
OPPORTUNITIES: The opportunity to see terraced areas both in use and in abandonment allows the visitor to understand how this activity influenced and still influences the hydrogeological structure as well as the economy of the Amalfi Coast. .
