Salerno is located on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in a picturesque bay near Naples. It is often underestimated by tourists, although due to its beautiful location it is sometimes called the Pearl of Campaign. It is also an important pilgrimage site because there are relics of Saint Matthew.
Salerno was initially a Roman colony. After the fall of the empire, it came under the rule of the Lombards and then became part of the Kingdom of Both Sicily. It was here in the eleventh century that one of the most famous medical schools in the Mediterranean began to operate. Arabic and Jewish works were translated and the latest available therapies were used. The great history of today is already remembered when in 1944, Allied troops landed here liberating Italy.
The most important monument of Salerno is the magnificent cathedral from the 11th century. Its crypt contains the remains of Saint Matthew the Evangelist and Pope Gregory VII. Inside you can see the pulpit and Byzantine door from the 12th century. A museum is located next to the cathedral, which collects valuable monuments of sacred art from different eras. The city also has an archaeological museum and dedicated to the Allied landing from 1944. In the area you can also visit the archaeological park Paestrum, where the ruins of a Greek colony with a Doric temple have survived. Above Salerno is the Arechi Byzantine castle, whose walls are a great viewpoint.
