Salerno, strategic hub for the Amalfi Coast

The second largest town of Campania for inhabitants, Salerno, overlooks the Gulf of the Tyrrhenian Sea of the same name and it is located in a strategic position halfway between the Amalfi Coast and the Piana del Sele.
It is a lively port city that has been able to renew and improve over the years, giving life to a proper urban revolution that changed the face of the city and made it an important hub for connection with Naples, Rome and the major cities of the south Italy.

From its touristic port Masuccio which is located in Piazza della Concordia,  very close to train station, there are daily connections to all the most famous places on the Amalfi Coast with a port (Amalfi, Positano, Cetara, Vietri sul Mare, Minori and Maiori).

The city, founded by the Etruscans in the 6th century B.C., has undergone various dominations over the centuries that have characterized both history and architecture.  In the Middle Ages, it became so multicultural to the point of being an open and innovative city, a crossroads of peoples, religions and cultures, so that in the XI century, thanks to four masters of different nationalities, (an Arab, a Jew, a Latin and a Greek), the first Medical School in the whole of Europe was founded here.

Great renovation has been done in recent years in the historic centre, the core of the old city, has become one of the most beautiful in Italy.  Characteristic alleys alternate with narrow streets and small passages of medieval origin: along them, you can breathe the true soul of the city. Here there are numerous palaces and churches from the Lombard and Norman era while the entire centre is crossed by the Via dei Mercanti, the ancient Drapperia, one of the oldest streets in the city, that has always been the street for shopping in Salerno.

 

Come and discover Salerno in the most simple way, avoiding long queues in the car and problems with parking and timing. 

Tra.vel.Mar S.r.l.

What to see and what to do in Salerno?

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The Cathedral of Salerno


Known as the Cathedral of San Matteo, who is patron saint of the city, this is where his remains are preserved. It dates back to 1084 and was inaugurated following the consecration of Pope Gregory VII. Renovated several times as a result of subsidence and earthquakes, it was definitively rearranged in its original aspect after the strong earthquake of 1688. To visit: the Church bell tower, from Arabic architectural style, dating back to the XII century; the Crypt completely frescoed with scenes from the Matthew's Gospel and the Treasure Chapel where the silver statues of the saint are kept.


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The Lungomare Trieste


It connects the commercial port to the tourist port called Masuccio and is the ideal place for a pleasant walk while admiring the breath taking view of the Gulf of Salerno or to reach the Piazza della Concordia, from where ferries leave for the main towns of the Amalfi Coast.


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The Medieval Castle of Arechi


Ancient defensive fortress, dating back to the 6th century, built in the Byzantine era, the Castle of Arechi was later enlarged by the Normans. Characteristic is the crenelated bastion. It currently houses the Naturalistic Park, the Multimedia Museum, the seat of the Salerno’s Provincial Winery and the Medieval Museum, where ceramics, glass, metal objects and coins found in the excavations carried out on the site are kept.


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The Medieval Aqueduct


It was built in the 9th century to supply water to the Monastery of San Benedetto through an ogival arch that it was nicknamed the "devil's bridge", because it was said that it had been built in one night, with the help of demons.


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The Via dei Mercanti


It is the most famous street in the centre of Salerno and also the centre of commerce and shopping of the town. There are numerous churches: the Church of Santissimo Crocifisso, the Church of San Gregorio, the Church of San Giorgio and the Church of San Pietro a Corte; various museums: the Provincial Archaeological Museum, the Diocesan Museum and the very important didactic Museum of the Salerno Medical School; various renowned palaces: Palazzo Pinto, headquarters of the Provincial Art Gallery and Palazzo Carrara

Here you can see the beautiful Fontana dei pesci, the work of Vanvitelli, the designer of the Royal Palace of Caserta.


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Artist lights in Salerno: Luci d'Artista


From mid-November every year the whole city becomes the stage for a Christmas Light Event, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors: Luci d'Artista in Salerno. 

Streets, parks, squares and gardens are illuminated thanks to the installation of wonderful works of contemporary art, composed of thousands of LEDs, which each year decline and interpret a different theme: from the sea to the flowers, from the fairy tale characters to the elements of the universe, from mythological to religious characters.

Come and discover Salerno, get on board our ferries!