Furore (Salerno)

Furore is an Italian town of 837 inhabitants in the province of Salerno in Campania. Since 1997, as the whole Amalfi Coast, it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage, and it is also part of the prestigious “Club of the most beautiful villages of Italy”. The Club has a particular list to which they enrolled no more than three hundred and fifty villages. Despite the small town has been known for long time as a fjord, it is actually a narrow stretch of water at the mouth of a valley cliff, created by the ongoing work of the Schiato River that from Agerola runs along the mountain to dive at sea.

Moreover, bypassing the fjord, we find the local highway, which with its suspension bridge 30 meters high overlook the tiny beach. The inlet was once a fishing village, but, being subsequently abandoned, is now a fully recovered beach in which hinterland are also settled: An ancient village, a mill - paper mill, as well as “The spandituro” and a lime kiln. The picturesque group of cottages overlooking the shoreline, nestled on the mountainside, is the ancient village of anglers. These constructions also known as “Monazzeni” (from the ancient greek "living alone"), forms a unique architectural ensemble.

Roberto Rossellini, a famous movie director, and his lover Anna Magnani, once inhabited this little inlet, in fact to them is dedicated the small museum “Costa Diva”. The Mill is no doubt the most interesting artefact, by type and spatial complexity. The building in fact, dates back to the early nineteenth century, and spread over four levels, which were once used for grinding the grain and producing the typical paper "Coast". The feature that sets it apart and makes it unique compared to other mills in the Amalfi Coast, is the system of the “Torre Piezometrica”, which was once a system particularly advanced for the time, and imported from the Saracens. In the mezzanine floor, we can find the “Abituro”, the room where the miller used to stay.

Today the building has become an interesting MUSEUM. Inside, one can still see the ancient baths of local stone for the maceration of the rags, the vat and the channels for the flow of water. While behind him, close to the rocky ridge you can see the duct system for the supply of water, which served as a support to the water towers of grain mill and paper mill. On the eastern side of the fjord is located the ancient “Spandituro”, a rectangular building, used in the past as a shelter for the paper freshly brewed and left to dry. Today it houses a modern and well-equipped conference room. Next, separate from the “Spandituro” we can find the place where the paper was finished, the lime kiln, characterized by the local circular and vaulted roof lowered, with the original function of furnace for the production of lime. Currently there, we can find a small snack bar and gift shop.