Description of the attraction
Skala is a small cozy town on the Amalfi Riviera. The city is located on a rocky hill at an altitude of about 400 meters above sea level. Its main square is home to cafes and restaurants, as well as a lovely church. An excellent swimming pool can be found nearby. And in the vicinity of the city there are several hiking trails leading to the mountains and to thickets of chestnut trees. By the way, Scala is well known in Italy for its chestnuts: every November, the two-week Sagra delle Castagnier, the Chestnut Festival, is held here.
The rock is considered the oldest settlement in the Amalfi Riviera. According to legend, it was founded in the 4th century by a group of Roman shipwreck survivors. Once it was a favorite vacation spot for noble residents of the capital of the Roman Empire, and the city's inhabitants were engaged in trade with the countries of the East. It was in the Rock that Fra Gerardo, the founder of the Jerusalem Hospitaller Order, which would later become known as the Order of Malta, was born in the 11th century.
The cliff is built in the heart of the Lattari mountains and faces Ravello on one side and Amalfi and Atrani on the other, while the crystal clear sea is seen in the background. While walking around the outskirts of the city, you can see many monuments of history and architecture - churches, towers, castles that keep traces of history. Each of the six areas of Skala has something interesting to say. So, in Santa Caterina, it is worth visiting the Porta Urbana gates, the Church of Santa Caterina and the chapels of San Paolo and Santa Maria della Porta. Campoleone is famous for its Angevin-Gothic church of San Pietro, while Campidoglio is famous for its San Giovanni Battista temple with a Moorish bell tower. In Minute there is the Romanesque Church of Annunziata, and in Pontone the ruins of the ancient Basilica of Sant Eustachio deserve attention. The Cathedral of San Lorenzo, rebuilt during the Baroque era, features a medieval crypt with the crypt of Marinella Rufolo and a 13th century crucifix.
Also worth seeing are the 18th-century Palazzo Manci D'Amelio, the Bishop's Palace, the cylindrical Torre Ziro tower and the Arabian Baths. The Valle delle Ferriere Nature Reserve is located in the Rocky Mountains, where predatory plants are found, and numerous caves are scattered in the Dragone River Valley.
