Fodor's Expert Review Santa Maria Maddalena

With its scenic setting on the edge of Atrani with the Amalfi Coast road curving around its base, the Santa Maria Maddalena church certainly has the most eye-catching setting of any building along the coastline. Sixteenth-century paintings attributed to Amalfi Coast artists adorn this church that was built in 1274 and given a Baroque facade in 1852. Majolica tiles cover the dome, and the bell tower has an octagonal belfry similar to the campanile of the Carmine church in Naples. Among the treasures here are the altar, with its richly colored marbles, and the aforementioned paintings, St. Magdalene between St. Sebastian and St. Andrew by Giovannangelo D'Amato of Maiori, and The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Andrea da Salerno. However, the view from the charming piazza in front of the church is alone worth the climb.