Maiori and its beauties

About this activity

"... in Majori were the shipyards, the arsenals, the station of the fleets; there the maritime representations, square of arms, ..., the most imposing forts." -F.Cerasuoli

These words suggest that Maiori, a town between Cetara and Vietri on one side and Ravello and Minori on the other, once belonged to the ancient Amalfi Republic. Maiori is a town in the province of Salerno, located along the beautiful Amalfi Coast. It is a seaside resort that deserves to be visited at any time of the year, especially around the time of Carnival, whose traditional celebrations, the most famous on the entire coast, hark back directly to the Middle Ages. Maiori's beach, about 1 km of volcanic sand, is the longest on the entire coastline: it starts from the small harbor and arrives at the foot of the Norman Tower, once dedicated to defending the town from Saracen attacks and now converted into a scenic restaurant.

It would have been Maiori's arsenals, moreover, where the locals associated the name Tramontana with the cold wind blowing from the north, coming from the valley of the neighboring town of Tramonti.

What to see in Maiori

Right from Maiori starts the hike that leads to the famous Lemon Trail, one of the oldest and busiest roads on the Coast, heir to the peasant tradition of yesteryear. The fragrant walk among the lemon groves also meets the hamlet of Torre, a charming village from the terrace of which you can admire the splendid view of Maiori, and then at the end of the route reach nearby Minori.

In the center of the village stands the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria a Mare. The structure was built in medieval times and expanded over time. Almost from the very beginning, the chromatic and architectural detachment that distinguishes the steeple from the neighboring church: this is because the bell tower is what remains of an ancient defensive fortress built by the Lombards, then destroyed by the Pisans. The tower that remained intact was later transformed into the present church bell tower. Another fortress also served as a refuge from attacks by the Saracens or Lombards at the time of the Maritime Republic, and is located in the nearby mountains: the Castle of St. Nicholas de Thoro Plano. You can reach it by car or on foot, along a path with more than 700 steps. Once you reach the top, however, a spectacular view awaits you. Maiori, like all magnificent coastal resorts, hides corners of paradise in which to relax and enjoy the sea. Among these is the Green Bay, an inlet so named because of the characteristic crystal-clear color of the water. The Bay, also known as Salicerchie Beach, is not very large but has a small bathhouse reached after a set of steps. Thirty meters from the beach, on the right, is the Sulfur Cave, while on the left hides another ravine carved into the rocks. In the area of Erchie you can also reach the Cauco Beach, a wonderful place but accessible only by sea; pedal boats are often used from nearby shores, in fact it is divided from Erchie beach only by the Cerniola Tower, also used as a scenario in the spot of the "Rio Mare Tuna" starring Kevin Costner. Not far away is the Sgarrupo, which in dialect means "cliff": in fact, to reach it, the bravest face a rather dangerous descent that follows to an initial path with steps. Although there are no bathing facilities, often in these areas you can count on the "bar-boat hawker" where, as you approach the shore, a local sells granitas, iced coffee, drinks, fruit salads, and even caponata.

Finally, for trekking lovers, Maiori is a perfect reference point for various nature excursions. The path leading to Mount Falerzio, along the Alta via dei Monti Lattari, allows you to discover a monument that can only be reached on foot: it is the Shrine of Mary Most Holy Advocate, a 16th-century building located on a beautiful panoramic terrace, a destination for many pilgrimages. The path starts from the Cicerali farmhouse and is about 4 km long, in fact it assumes at least 4 to 5 hours of walking between round trip.

According to history, the origins of the shrine date back to 1485, when a young shepherd from Maiori, Gabriel Cinnamo, grazing his goats, he discovered a cave in the woods of Mount Falerzio. One night the Virgin Mary came to him in a dream, asking him to build an altar there, so the shepherd retreated like a hermit to the mountain collecting offerings to build a small chapel with an altar in the cave. It was in 1503, thanks to the consent of Pope Leo X, that a church was erected on the rock above.

The history of Maiori

Maiori was built in the 9th century by the Salerno prince Sicardo, originally with the name "Rheginna Major" to distinguish itself from the neighboring town of Minori, called "Rheginna Minor."

Some theories assume that Maiori was the refuge of the inhabitants of the Etruscan city Marcinna (perhaps present-day Vietri sul Mare) following a flood or plunder: it was this encounter with a nautical culture that set the stage for founding centuries later the first Maritime Republic of Italy. During the heyday of the Amalfitan Duchy, Maiori was home to numerous arsenals and the Admiralty, as well as the Customs House and the Salt Fondaco. Each town had to reinforce its fortifications, and it was during this period that several buildings were built in Maiori to defend the town, including a powerful bastion open to the beach, called the fortress of S. Sebastiano. What were once the villages of Santa Tecla and Santa Sofia grew enormously in population, in fact two different communities, Salicerchie and Erchie, were formed from them. Maiori has enjoyed several honors over the centuries, including the title of "Città Regia" by King Philip IV of Spain in 1662, and also the title of "Insigne Collegiata," dedicated to the then Basilica of S. Maria a Mare, by Pope Julius II in 1505.

During Neorealism Maiori was chosen by Roberto Rossellini as a set for some of his films: Paisà, Viaggio in Italia, Miracolo, La macchina ammazzacattivi. Many citizens took part in the filming, especially the scugnizzo in Paisà, who was actually a Maiori resident.