Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shortly before Salerno, the road passes through
Vietri sul Mare
, the ceramics capital of
Campania. Pop into
Ceramica Artistica Solimene
( 089 21 02 43;
www.solimene.com
; Via
Madonna degli Angeli 7, Vietri sul Mare; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm & 4-7pm Sat)
, a vast fact-
ory outlet with an extraordinary glass-and-ceramic facade.
Salerno
POP 132,700
Upstaged by the glut of postcard-pretty towns along the Amalfi Coast, Campania's
second-largest city is actually a pleasant surprise. A decade of civic determination has
turned this major port and transport hub into one of southern Italy's most liveable cities,
and its small but buzzing
centro storico
is a vibrant mix of medieval churches, tasty trat-
torias and good-spirited, bar-hopping locals.
Originally an Etruscan and later a Roman colony, Salerno flourished with the arrival of
the Normans in the 11th century. Robert Guiscard made it the capital of his dukedom in
1076 and, under his patronage, the Scuola Medica Salernitana was renowned as one of
medieval Europe's greatest medical institutes. More recently, it was left in tatters by the
heavy fighting that followed the 1943 landings of the American 5th Army, just south of
the city.
