Debi's Postcard From Italy

I have been lucky enough to have just spent a week in Italy, visiting the Amalfi Coast and all the sights it has to offer.  Here is a snapshot of two places that really stood out to me architecturally.

 

Amalfi Cathedral - Duomo di Sant'Andrea

The Cloister of Paradise is one of the highlights of the Amalfi Cathedral.  Built between 1266-68 to house the tombs of Amalfi's wealthy merchants, it features slender double columns and Moorish-style arcades made of pure white marble.  In the centre is a Mediterranean garden.




Cloister of Paradise

The Crypt of St Andrew is decorated with beautiful Baroque murals from 1660.



Baroque Murals

Herculaneum

Located in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by the volcanic eruption of 79 AD, which can now be seen in almost its original splendour.  Unlike Pompeii, it was mainly affected by pyroclastic flows, thus preserving the wooden objects such as roof tops, building beams, beds, doors and even food.  Moreover, Herculaneum was a wealthier town than Pompeii, possessing an extraordinary density of fine houses and far more lavish use of coloured marble cladding.

 

Roman Columns

 Among the ruins is a Collegial Shrine with elaborate wall paintings identified as that maintained by the local Augustales (an order of Roman priests).  This building is remarkably well preserved and you can even see the carbonised wooden beams and the detail of how the building was constructed.

 

Wall Paintings



Carbonised Wood & Construction