L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020 L'Italo-Americano H ave you ever h e a r d o f A t r a n i ? Well, if you haven't, you are in for a pleasant surpri- se. Located a mere 1/2 mile from Amalfi (I am sure you are familiar with this one!), A t r a n i i s o n e o f I t a l y ' s Borghi più Belli d'Italia and, in name of its charac- teristic medieval architectu- re, is also part of the UNE- SCO World Heritage List, along with other sites of the Costiera Amalfitana of which it is part. In its simplicity, Atrani is quite breathtaking, perched as it is on a rocky hill, yet just one tiny step away from t h e s e a . W i t h i t s l i t t l e , quaint beach (considered among the most beautiful of the whole Costiera), mostly frequented by its lucky resi- dents, and its main church d e d i c a t e d t o S a n S a l v a t o r e d e B i r e c t o , n e o c l a s s i c a l i n s t y l e , b u t originally built in 940, this v i l l a g e s e e m s s o d i s t a n t from the touristy, attractive Amalfi, which is however only a short walk away. Yet, it is as much as a quintes- sential Costiera corner as its bigger, more popular sister: it just embodies a different side of it. Atrani is, indeed, a very small place, but certainly n o t s m a l l e r t h a n o t h e r s when it comes to number of residents: 832, as of 2020. A pretty common number, especially when you travel away from larger cities to embrace the slightly old- f a s h i o n e d , b u t f a r m o r e magical world of our coun- tryside. Indeed, there are, resident wise, much smaller communes, like Moncerisio in Piemont and Morterone in Lombardia. But it is to Atrani that the medal for smallest commune in the peninsula goes, not in name of the amount of people cal- ling it home, but because of the tiny area it covers, only a b o u t 0 . 1 2 s q u a r e k m . Curiously, these data also make it the commune with the highest density in the Salerno province, that is to say, those 832 people are a lot for such a small place. If you look at pictures of it, you'll soon understand how it's possible that almo- st 900 people live on such a small square of land: the village develops in height and many houses appear to be built on terraces, pretty much the way it happens, f o r i n s t a n c e , i n L i g u r i a , w h e r e t h e s p a c e b e t w e e n the sea and the mountains is minimal. In spite of its s i z e , A t r a n i h a s a l o t b e loved for, starting, of cour- se, with its location: a villa- ge that sits on a mountain, Atrani, the smallest village in Italy CHIARA D'ALESSIO but filled with the scents of the sea, hidden to the eye of the curious by a rocky pro- montory, its shoulders pro- Continued to page 10 A view of Atrani that shows its medieval architecture and beautiful location (Photo: Pfeifferv/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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