We stayed in Salerno for four days in a beautiful Airbnb with a view of the castle from the rooftop terrace. My was that none of the other places we stayed in But its not ideal if you are travelling by car. We had to park the car a few kilometers away in the free parking next to the train station. And paid parking (and expensive) - On our last night we managed to drive in to a ZTL zone and got a fine. This one was entirely down to Google maps. I often think how did we ever manage without Google and this is true, but weve also had some epic fails with them. Avis has taken a 50 euro administration charge but so far there has been no sign of the fine.
We didnt make it up to Arechi Castle which has views over Salerno and the Tyrrhenian Sea. We could see it from our terrace though.
Our favorite spot in Salerno was the Minerva Gardens, a botanical garden in the historical center of Salerno. In the Middle Ages it was used by students from the Medical School. This small garden is spread over three terraces and is built on the old city walls with views of the sea, old town and mountains.
The Muri dautore is a street art project. It features the poetry of Salerno native Alfonso Gatto and is the work of Italian and international artists. Its located in a more neglected part of the historic center to help rejuvenate that part of the city and bring more tourists in. I didnt read about it beforehand so it was a real surprise for us and theres a lot of it.
day trip to Paestum, a Unesco World Heritage site about an hour south of Salerno. Originally named Poseidonia, it is home to three of the worlds best preserved Greek temples. The south of Italy was colonized by Ancient Greeks before being incorporated into the Roman Empire. Some of these ancient cities still stand today. The best known is Neapolis - new city - now named Naples. Today there are about 12,000 people in southern Italy that still speak a Greek dialect called Griko.
We continued down the Cilento Coast to Acciaroli, a village famous for its population of centenarians. There are around 2,000 centenarians, out of a population of 60,000, in the region of Cilento where Acciaroli is based. It was very quiet there - and we only saw one person that looked like she might be old enough. Needless to say, we didnt ask her age.
Another day trip is to Vietri sul Mare, a little village 10 minutes by bus from Salerno. It is famous for its ceramics. Most of the ceramics for sale on the Amalfi Coast are produced here - and yes, its cheaper to buy in Vietri. Apart from the pretty ceramic shops,
there is tiling on the market stalls, village walls and along the promenade. The parks railings, steps and seats are tiled. This is a very photogenic place.
