Discovering Salerno

Salerno occupies a privileged geographical position as a hinge between the Amalfi Coast and the Cilento Coast.

It is the capital of one of the largest provinces in Italy and has the enviable record of seeing around 60 per cent of its territory protected by UNESCO with around 200 kilometres of coastline.

Although services and trade are the strong points of the city’s economy, tourism is also starting to assert itself, while the attempt in the 1960s to create a strong industrial reality can be considered substantially failed.

The name of Salerno was made famous throughout the world by the famous Salerno medical school, a center of excellence for medicine during the Middle Ages where women not only studied but also taught.

Trotula de Ruggiero, Abella salernitana, Rebecca Guarna, Mercuriade, Costanza (or Costanzella) Calenda, Francesca Romana, are the most famous mulieres salernitanae, women who were doctors in the medical art.

The historic center preserves many testimonies of the medieval period, in which it enjoyed maximum splendor, and the structure is substantially intact also because the modern city has developed mainly in the flat areas, sparing the piedmont area of ​​the Bonadies hill where the ancient city is perched.

The city’s defensive system was centered on the Arechi Castle, a virtually impregnable fortress that, unlike many other castles, has not undergone any transformation into a noble palace, maintaining its grim and haughty appearance. From the castle, tourists can enjoy the wonderful panorama of the city and the Gulf of Salerno and visit the small museum located inside.

In defense of the eastern side is the La Carnale fort, whose name is due to the small promontory on which it stands, which in 872 saw a surprise clash organized by the people of Salerno against a column of Saracens intent on besieging the city and which left a considerable quantity of dead to rot (the carnaio precisely).

The tumultuous expansion of the 60s meant that the fort, formerly located in a peripheral position, is now in the center and acts as a border between the western and eastern parts of Salerno.

Not to be missed are the Cathedral, built by the Norman prince Robert Guiscard and dedicated to the patron saint Saint Matthew; the provincial museum, the diocesan museum and the museum of the Salerno Medical School; the sixteenth-century Church of the Annunziata with a beautiful baroque bell tower by Sanfelice; Piazza Flavio Gioia, known as the roundabout for its characteristic shape, onto which the eighteenth-century Porta Nuova opens, from which one enters the old city; the sumptuous and alluring baroque churches scattered throughout the city.

The extensive Lungomare Trieste offers a place to stroll pleasantly or wait for the moment to board the tourist ships that crowd the two main ports.

A dense presence of bars and restaurants characterises the so-called ‘movida salernitana’ where those who love the wee hours of the night will find opportunities to enjoy typical fish specialities.

Public greenery is provided by four main parks and a network of municipal villas. The Mercatello park, with its 10 hectares, is one of the largest urban parks in Italy, in relation to the number of residents, (it connects three neighbourhoods: Mariconda, Mercatello and the Quartiere Europa); the Pinocchio park is dedicated to children while the adjacent Irno park is intended to play an educational as well as a relaxing role; the seminary park offers spectacular views thanks to its terraces.

A stop under the tall trees of the municipal villa is not to be missed, especially in summer. The Minerva Gardens play a predominantly cultural role. Over the centuries, the area on which they stand has been used by the doctors of the Salerno medical school to cultivate plants from which to obtain the active ingredients necessary for the production of medicines, and even today, among the ancient basins and flowerbeds, it is still possible to get to know plant species of different origins.

The Giardino della Minerva also offers a herbal tea shop where decoctions, infusions, macerates, aperitifs and typical biscuits can be tasted.

The wonderful islands of Capri and Ischia can be reached from the port of Salerno. The Amalfi Coast is very close and can be easily reached by car, Sita buses or the ferries that leave Salerno for the Divine Coast in summer.

About 5 km from Salerno is the town of Vietri sul Mare, where the Amalfi Coast begins. The municipality of Cetara is 11 km away. The municipalities of Maiori and Minori are 20 km and 21 km away respectively.

The small town of Atrani and the contiguous Amalfi are about 25 km away. Ravello with its spectacular views is 29 km away. Conca dei Marini and Praiano are 30 km and 35 km away respectively, Furore is 35 km away, and the splendid Positano is 42 km away.

To the south of the city of Salerno, the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park is a popular destination with its famous resorts. The excavations of Paestum with its spectacular temples are only 41 km away, Acciaroli 78 km, the excavations of the famous city of Velia and the town of Ascea are 85 km away, Casal Velino is 82 km and Pisciotta is 97 km away.

The promontory of Palinuro with its beautiful caves is 116 km away, and the beaches of Marina di Camerota are 120 km away. The beautiful tourist resorts of the Gulf of Policastro, Sapri and Maratea, and the beautiful Val d’Agri are worth a visit, although far from Salerno. Very close to Salerno are the excavations of Pompeii, only 30 km away by motorway, while the Sorrento Peninsula is 56 km away.