Arsenal Of The Maritime Republic, Amalfi, Italy

The structure of the arsenal consists of two large stone-built halls with vaulting supported by repeated pointed arches. The vaulting rests on ten piers, originally there were twenty two, the missing twelve and the structure they supported having been lost to centuries of coastal erosion. The main function of the arsenal was the building, repair and storage of warships. Amalfitan war-galleys were among the largest to be found in the Mediterranean during the Early Middle Ages.

The building now contains architectural and sculptural remains, a row-barge used in the Historical Regatta, a number of models of ships and it also acts as a venue for visual art exhibitions. Starting from December 2010, the Ancient Arsenals of Amalfi host the Compass Museum on the premises of the two aisles of the building, which were spared by the Amalfi seaquake of 1343.

Museums in Italy

User Reviews

Debbie West (2 months ago)
Crowded. But beautiful. Came in by boat. Traffic could be worse but it's only 11am.

Schauffaussen Igor (4 months ago)
Nice city

J Marinelli (3 years ago)
A hidden gem!! Found within the City of Amalfi’s ancient armory and museum, a free musical - with English sub titles. The musical was beautifully done!! The cast will endear themselves to you!!! You will love the leading men and women and you will hate the villain - the villain plays such a great role as the villain - that you like disliking him!!! The music and lines are easy to follow as there are monitors set up with English translations. The story follows how Amalfi came to be and the struggles the people had to overcome. The voices of the actors are really great!! The sound resonates throughout the hall of this ancient armory!!! Filled with mysterious smoke and giving you the feeling of actually watching from afar!!! Theater in the round .... where every seat has 100% visibility of the action. It’s free!!! At the end you can easily contribute a donation, buy a CD and get a picture with the cast. Love them!!

Mark Manguno (3 years ago)
There's some very interesting stuff here, but there isn't much of it. The museum and exhibits seem half-finished.

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