Giovanni the Historian Who Takes Pictures
A self-taught local historian who for years conducted research on local history and traditions
When I began my research, many years ago, I was moved by great enthusiasm. Now, the work accomplished, I look back with nostalgia to my journey. My goal was not to produce scientific work or to reinforce statements made by scholars clearly more qualified than me. I simply wanted to document, to the best of my limited abilities, the cultural and artistic heritage of my town. Giovanni Scala, The Sacred Paths
Giovanni Scala is a self-taught local historian who for years conducted research in the area, consulting private, ecclesiastical and public archives, collecting vintage photographs and photographing the living traces of his town’s past. He wrote two books on Praiano, “Sacred Paths” and “The Memory of the Images – a Trip in the Past of Praiano”. The pages of his books give new life to characters, places and scenes from a long gone past – the coral divers and the fishermen, the noisy loading activities at the small port of the Praia and the silent spiritual life of the Dominican friars.
Watch our slideshow of Giovanni's pictures with his music as background
Amalfi Coasting is a “pet project” of a community organization started in the town of Praiano in 2013. We developed this web site as a tool to invite people from all over the world to get to know our town, discover its "secrets" and embrace it not just as a great tourist destination but also as a community, with its people, its traditions and all of its offerings.
Paolo Sandulli, the Artist in the Tower
An ancient watchtower is used as a studio for paintings and ceramic sculptures
Pasquale, the Local Musician & Luthier
Having learned the craft from his father, he has been building instruments for decades
Antonio, Domenico and Their Fishing Past
Their stories about the old fishing days bridge the gap between the present and the past