Amalfi Cathedral

Amalfi Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Amalfi Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Andrew, dominates the main square of Amalfi, at the top of a wide flight of steps, and it is the symbol of the town and the Amalfi Coast. Entry to the cathedral itself is free during mass times, but visitors usually enter through the Cloister of Paradise, with a ticket that covers the cloister, the Basilica of the Crucifix, the museum and the crypt with the relics of Saint Andrew.

Amalfi is reached by bus or ferry from Sorrento, Positano and Salerno, and boat tours along the coast stop in the town. Walking tours of the Amalfi Coast combine the cathedral with the paper museum, the lemon groves, and the villages of Ravello and Positano. The steps are steep, and the square below is lively with cafes. Modest dress is required. Buses along the coast are crowded in summer, so ferries from Positano and Salerno are often more comfortable.

Visiting Amalfi Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built in the ninth century and rebuilt several times, and its present appearance mixes Arab-Norman, Romanesque, Gothic and baroque elements, reflecting Amalfi's role as a powerful maritime republic trading with the Byzantine and Islamic worlds. The striped facade, with mosaics and arches, was rebuilt in the nineteenth century after a collapse, in the original style. The bronze doors, made in Constantinople in 1060, were the first of their kind in Italy. The bell tower, from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, is decorated with coloured tiles. The Cloister of Paradise, built in 1266 as a burial place for nobles, has white arches in Arab style and palm trees.

The Basilica of the Crucifix, the older church beside the cathedral, holds a museum with treasures. The crypt holds the relics of Saint Andrew the Apostle, brought from Constantinople in 1208. The Basilica of the Crucifix, beside the cathedral, holds a museum with a golden mitre decorated with pearls, from the thirteenth century. The crypt's ceiling is covered with baroque frescoes, and the relics of Saint Andrew are kept beneath the altar, where a mysterious liquid, the manna, is said to form. The cathedral's interior was remodelled in the baroque style in the eighteenth century, with a gilded ceiling and paintings. The cloister's arches have interlaced patterns, like those in Arab architecture. The steps up to the cathedral number more than sixty.

Amalfi Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral and cloister are open daily, with shorter hours in winter. Amalfi is very crowded in summer, especially in the middle of the day, when tour buses and ferries arrive, and early morning or evening visits are more pleasant. Spring and early autumn are ideal. The feast of Saint Andrew on 27 June and 30 November brings processions, including a famous run up the steps with the statue.

The Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics is held in Amalfi every four years. Allow about forty-five minutes for the cathedral and cloister, and walk up the Valley of the Mills to the paper museum. Ravello, with the gardens of Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone, is about twenty minutes by bus from Amalfi.