For some respite from the summer heat, enter the eclectic Duomo, Salerno’s Cathedral. Take your time crossing the spacey cloister and main building, but make sure you descend into the Baroque crypt of San Matteo, the real jewel of the structure. For a completely different experience after all that splendor, visit the more modest monumental complex of San Pietro a Corte.
Giardino della Minerva, a terraced botanic garden founded in the 12th century, is where the students of the ancient medical school of Salerno would come and study herbal plants in the Middle Ages, and where students from the area still come to study plants and their medicinal uses. So much has changed, and so much has stayed the same! The garden also has an indoor library and a tea bar (tisaneria); you can taste delicious all-natural infusions on the picturesque terrace of the garden, admiring a beautiful vista of the city and the sea below.
It would be remiss not to include a quick visit to Vietri sul Mare, for it is literally 5 minutes away from Salerno by car or train. Vietri is a tiny hamlet, famous for its colorful hand-painted ceramics. If you have time for a day trip, you should consider visiting Amalfi or Positano; you can reach both towns via ferry, bus, or car.
Don’t miss the view of Salerno from Castello di Arechi, the fort dominating the city’s mountainside. You will need to arrange private transportation, drive a car, or hop onto a public bus to get there. The castle also houses an archaeological museum with a vast collection of medieval artifacts and a restaurant. If you time your visit well, you can have a panoramic dinner on the castle’s terrace and watch the sunset. The menu is simple but elegant, starring high quality produce from the Amalfi Coast and the nearby area of Cilento.
Where to eat in Salerno
Many of Salerno’s restaurants are a haven for seafood lovers. With the sea so close, fresh fish is the main ingredient for many establishments, but vegetables and other meats also star on most menus. The cave-like Trattoria A Modo Mio, self-defined as a “trattoria di mare e di terra,” is the go-to location if half your company wants to have classic seafood dishes and the other half prefers other Italian specialties. Try their scialatielli a modo mio, long-shaped pasta typical of this region with Mazara shrimps, burrata, yellow cherry tomatoes, and pistachio; or, order their version of Carbonara, which has nothing to do with the famous Roman dish… this pasta is garnished with porcini mushrooms, sausage, creamy caciocavallo cheese, and Parmigiano. The Michelin-listed restaurant Suscettibile offers elaborate dishes juxtaposing produce that normally wouldn’t mix; the menu changes every month. Place your trust in the chef and choose one of their tasting menus for the best result.
The ingredients of the Mediterranean Diet rule at Osteria Canali, where you can have authentic dishes from Cilento like parmigiana di melanzane—vegetarians should find more dishes to choose from here. The signature characteristic of La Botte Pazza is the free-flowing wine each customer can get from a small fountain in the wall; the sea dishes are just as remarkable.
Where to stay in Salerno
Salerno, Italy is slowly becoming accustomed to tourism, but due to logistical and space reasons, there aren’t many large hotels in the historical center. In the past few years, however, smaller B&Bs have been popping up in beautiful buildings in the city center: La Madegra Sea Suite B&B has various airy rooms with a direct view on the sea, and colorful mosaics on its walls.
One of the best is the central Hotel Montestella, conveniently close to the train station with many spacious rooms. If you’re looking for a big hotel with a swimming pool on top of a sea of amenities, you might need to move further away from the city center—but why would you, when you can visit everything in the city on foot?
