Grand events on the coast of Amalfi, crossroads between East and West, a memory of power and glory, of blood and chains, of cultures that admired, encountered and finally united; on the facades of the Churches, in the features of her people.... Now for you, the places and dates, the battles and ceremonies...

         Founded by the Etrurians in about the VII century b.C., Reginna, this was the original name, five centuries later passed to the Romans, then, in the V century, a group of Capitoline refugees were the origin of the real "Civis"...

         Maiori was not alone; 
along the Coast other cities arose, that protected by Bisanzio, in 568 joined together: the first Amalfitan Duchy was born...it remained until 839, when the Longobards of Benevento (Sicardo I) sacked the cities and deported the inhabitants to Salerno...

Several months later however providential quarrels of the Court split the barbarian government, gaining freedom for the prisoners and the restitution of all the ill-gotten gains...

But union was the only way: from Cetara to Positano, they tried a new alliance: this time the Sea Republic (Dec 839) was formed...
Within the union every town had a task: Maiori was the mercantile heart, seat of the Greater Arsenals of the Admiralty, of the Customs and of the Salt-Ware-House...

         With time the Republic became a Duchy that even if very rich and powerful, about the year 1000, had to capitulate to Guiscardo. Never resigned, in '96 the Amalfitans tried to redeem their town: a disaster! Destroyed the rebels lost every residue of privilege, all the castles and also, the ducal title...only Maiori and Ravello dissociating with the revolt escaped the terrible punishment....

         The Pope formed a League against the Norman invader, among other the Pisans, enemies of the Amalfitans, participated. In the June of 1135, they laid waste to the entire Coast, but returned to complete the opera two years later, and beyond the sackage destroyed all the fortifications (at Maiori the Baluardo of S.Sebastiano and the Rocca of S. Angelo were razed to the ground)...

         In 1204, there was the prodigious arrival on the beach of the wooden statue of S. Maria a Mare...

        The time of the ducal magnificence was gone the centuries passed darkly and slowly on the coastal territories...at Maiori there were paper factories, cloth makers, leather works (the leather of Maiori in XV century arrived even in Germany) but it was mostly the mercantile fleet that maintained the town commerce...that was punctually interrupted: the Angiovins and the Spanish arrived with the new century (XVI)...

         After many vicissitudes the Spanish prevailed even if their government was not brilliant, they built roads and defensive systems along the Coast and, in July 662 (Filippo IV) nominated Maiori " Royal City"...

         In 1735, and again in 1773, two violent floods broke over the town, the people of Maiori thanked S. Maria a Mare for their safety and since then every year the third Sunday of November they celebrate their Patron Saint...

         In 1860 the Reign of Italy was born.
The initial enthusiasm soon gave way to the bitter truth that the expectations of the South would stay unfulfilled, and taxes would increase to add to the already precarious conditions of the population, many would emigrate to America, and a small number became brigands...the mountain Falerzio of Maiori became a den of outlaws and brigands: today, you can still see the "Grotto of Matteo Salese"...

         On the night of the 8th of September 1943, Maiori, Salerno and Battipaglia were the bridge for the operation "Avalanche"...a powerful number of Allied soldiers took part in the landing: the march for National liberation passed through the Valley of Chiunzi...

         On the 25th of October 1954, a great flood hit the Amalfitan Coast. At Maiori the Reginna overflowed after three separate waves, taking with it the main part of the higher town and all the city centre...

         The reconstruction changed radically the aspect of the city, hotels and tall buildings, and the adventure of tourism began based on the seaside resort...