Scala, Campania


Scala is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is located on a rocky hill c. 400 m over the sea level and is part of the Amalfi Coast.

History

According to an ancient and unproven tradition, it was founded by Roman shipwrecks travelling to Constantinople. In the Middle Ages Scala was, together with Ravello, the most important fortification of the Duchy of Amalfi. Its two castles were sacked by Robert Guiscard in 1073 and destroyed by the Pisane sixty years later. In 1210 the fate repeated with the troops of Otto IV and, in the late century, during the Sicilian Vespers.
The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, commonly known as the Redemptorists, were founded in Scala by Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori.

Main sights

Scala is divided into six different hamlets with precise identities: from north to south, Santa Caterina, Campoleone, Campidoglio, Scala, Minuta and Pontone. Attractions include:
The town is famous for its cultivation of chestnuts. Every year, at the end of November, for two consecutive weekends, a Sagra delle Castagne is held in the main square.