Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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.
Salerno
Top Sights
1
Duomo
C1
