Charles of Anjou, who was greatly pleased by the men and money that this
ancient town sent to aid his brother, St Louis of France, in his Crusade.
Some sculptured tombs, one of them a monument in honour of Marinella
Rufolo of Ravello, who was married to a Coppola of Scala, remain in the
churches to interest the curious traveller, but most visitors will find
the principal charm of this dilapidated little city in its lofty striking
situation beneath the frowning mass of Monte Cerrato.
But the sunset has come and gone, and the last tints of its rose-pink glow
are rapidly disappearing from the serrated line of mountain tops against
their background of daffodil sky. Stars are beginning to peep in the
firmament, and yellow lights, the stars of earth, are springing up fast in
the town below, and even appearing at rare intervals of space amongst the
cottages of the woody hillside, or upon the fishing boats that lie on the
bosom of the Bay, now turning to a deep purple under the advancing shadows
of night. A cheerful concert of unseen insects greets our ears as we
descend rapidly towards Atrani, whilst the goatbells amid the distant
pastures tinkle pleasantly from time to time. We soon exchange the dewy
freshness of evening in the country for the heavy air, thick with dust,
that hangs over the coast road, and in a few moments more find ourselves
at the foot of the rock-cut staircase that leads to our convent inn.
* * * * * *
But our days upon the beautiful Costiera d’Amalfi are at an end, and the
moment has at last come for us to bid farewell to these enchanted scenes
and to the ancient city slumbering peacefully in its rocky valley by the
shore. Our rows upon the glassy waters of the Bay, our scrambles up the
wild scrub-covered hillsides above the town, our evening walks along the
broad high-road to catch the fleeting glories of the sun-set,—all are
ended; the day, the hour of departure has actually arrived.