The origin of the name is still uncertain: many scholars think that it comes from the Latin adjective “ater”, that is dark because this small town is like a cave among high rocks on the sea. Other scholars think that the name comes from the place from where the first Greek colonisers came, Atria.
The valley del Dragone at whose extremity Atrani is, was an Etrurian community in VII century b.C.. Then there was the arrival of Greek colonisers. With the fall of the Roman Empire some Roman citizens arrived there and founded the first real community. Atrani was linked to the life of Repubblica Marinara of Amalfi, it was part of the “Confederazione Costiera” with the function of "twin town", the place where doges where elected: in the church of San Salvatore in Birecto there was the solemn ceremony of the dressing of the doges.
Doges had to wear the birecto, the ducal cap on which there were the symbols and the signs of power. The doges were buried in that church, too. During XI century, Roberto il Guiscardo invaded Southern Italy, but some towns of Amalfitana Coast supported the Pope who had organized an anti-Norman alliance. Atrani was sacked by Pisani in 1135 and 1137 and was almost destroyed. In 1222 San Francis of Assisi during a journey through the Coast, stopped in Atrani.
During XIII century, Manfredi sent against the town an army of more than 1000 mercenaries that invaded the town making the inhabitant go away. A tradition tells that only the intercession of Saint Mary Magdalene could defeat the invaders. In the local dialects there are still traces of that domination.
In November 1467, Atrani and Amalfi were united, but on May, the 16th 1578 they divided again because of the frequent abuses by excisemen of Amalfi on foodstuffs. In 1643 there was a terrible plague, many people died; San Michele Church became a burial place and today this place is still called Lazaretto (lazaret). According to a famous tradition, in 1647 Masaniello, the Neapolitan rebel, whose mother was from Atrani, took refuge in Atrani, in a cave that was not far from his grandparents' house.
The origin of the name is still uncertain: many scholars think that it comes from the Latin adjective “ater”, that is dark because this small town is like a cave among high rocks on the sea. Other scholars think that the name comes from the place from where the first Greek colonisers came, Atria.
The valley del Dragone at whose extremity Atrani is, was an Etrurian community in VII century b.C.. Then there was the arrival of Greek colonisers. With the fall of the Roman Empire some Roman citizens arrived there and founded the first real community. Atrani was linked to the life of Repubblica Marinara of Amalfi, it was part of the “Confederazione Costiera” with the function of "twin town", the place where doges where elected: in the church of San Salvatore in Birecto there was the solemn ceremony of the dressing of the doges.
Doges had to wear the birecto, the ducal cap on which there were the symbols and the signs of power. The doges were buried in that church, too. During XI century, Roberto il Guiscardo invaded Southern Italy, but some towns of Amalfitana Coast supported the Pope who had organized an anti-Norman alliance. Atrani was sacked by Pisani in 1135 and 1137 and was almost destroyed. In 1222 San Francis of Assisi during a journey through the Coast, stopped in Atrani.
During XIII century, Manfredi sent against the town an army of more than 1000 mercenaries that invaded the town making the inhabitant go away. A tradition tells that only the intercession of Saint Mary Magdalene could defeat the invaders. In the local dialects there are still traces of that domination.
In November 1467, Atrani and Amalfi were united, but on May, the 16th 1578 they divided again because of the frequent abuses by excisemen of Amalfi on foodstuffs. In 1643 there was a terrible plague, many people died; San Michele Church became a burial place and today this place is still called Lazaretto (lazaret). According to a famous tradition, in 1647 Masaniello, the Neapolitan rebel, whose mother was from Atrani, took refuge in Atrani, in a cave that was not far from his grandparents' house. 
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