Description of the attraction
The Civic Museum of Amalfi is located in the Town Hall building just off Corso Repubblike. Despite the fact that it occupies only one room, its exhibits are of great historical and cultural interest. The museum contains artifacts from the Middle Ages - paintings, old coins, banners and clothes adorned with precious stones. It also features invaluable artifacts collected by the well-known merchant and adventurer Flavio Gioia.
Perhaps the main attraction of the museum is the unique manuscript "Tavole Amalfitane", which describes the ancient maritime laws and customs prevalent in the Mediterranean in the 13-16th centuries. This code regulates all aspects of maritime trade - setting prices for ship rentals, hiring a crew, actions in the event of a shipwreck, etc. For many years - almost five centuries - "Tavola Amalfitane" was in the Imperial Library in Vienna, and only in the 19th century it returned to Amalfi.
Another interesting exhibit of the museum is a ceramic canvas located on the outer wall of the building on the south side. It can be seen from the Avenue Corso delle Republique Marinare and from the Piazza del Municipal. This canvas depicting scenes from the history of Amalfi in 1970 was created by local artist Diodoro Cossa. In particular, on the canvas you can see the ancient Romans who settled the small seaside village of Skala in the 4th century, the early years of Amalfi, scenes from the turbulent commercial and political life of the republic in the Middle Ages. It also depicts the invention of the nautical compass, the arrival of the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called and other important historical events.
