Fortress of Santa Croce and Santa Sofia

On the far tip of the rocky spur separating Amalfi from Atrani, at the eastern end of the waterfront, you can make out the complex of the Rocca di Santa Croce e Santa Sofia. It was built in the Middle Ages, when the harbour area was defended to the west by the fortified Vallenula quarter and to the east by this very fortress, against attacks from the sea.On the eastern side of the hill was the quarter called Capo di Croce, dotted with small churches now vanished and with the Franciscan convent that tradition links to the passage of Saint Francis around 1225. We recommend viewing it from the coast road: it shows well how much the Maritime Republic cared about defending its harbour.