art & history
CENTRAL SCALA
Even day when a Scalese says "I am going to Scala" he means "I'am going to central Scala". It is the oldest village with a concentration of small businesses and major monuments. It is accessed via a sunny avenue lined with lime trees leading to Piazza Municipio(the Municipal Square). The space between the imposing façade of theDuomo and the high embankment that follows the slope of the mountainon the opposite side is narrow.
palazzo mansi
A historic building adjacent to the Duomo, Mansi Palace was the ancient seat of the Bishop. Worth noting are the beautiful oval chapel and the front courtyard enriched by camellia trees which date back centuries.
The inner courtyard in palazzo Mansi is shrouded in silence. Even though worn away over the centuries, the building still maintains its sobre, refined character.
Near the imposing bell-tower, between the older cathedral square and the recently built panoramic square overlooking Ravello, there is a superb 18th century fountain. The water is pure and comes directly from a spring called Vrecciale on Santa Maria dei Monti.
To the east, behind the fountain, is the sunny square of San Lorenzo.The recent widening joins the body of the Cathedral and offers a vastpanorama that stretches from Ravello to the sea
mansi d'amelio palace
Leaving Piazza Municipio along via Torricella, the panoramic road that leads to the Contrada di Minuta, one encounters Palazzo Mansi d'Amelio. It is a rare testimony to a medieval palace; although the external façade is from the eighteenth century, the entrance hall inside preserves, almost intact, the original Gothic characteristics.
