Bella Italia: Salerno & The Coasts
Have you heard of Salerno? I understand the pride people take in this beautiful and diverse country and I was surprised at how big the province as well as the city of Salerno is. Especially considering I thought it was a small farm town...
Salerno is only a 2.5 hour drive from Rome but has a completely different charm. We went up the Bonadies Mountain (the area overall is quite mountainous which I also did not know) to enjoy the view and the old Arechi Castle on top. You walk through a forest of pines to look at the endless ocean.
My favourite part, as almost always in cities, is the old town. Cute little streets lined by bars (the Italian name for a café where you stop to get a shot of the strongest espresso aka caffè at the bar) and graffiti. Did I mention how old Italy is? The province Salerno was formed in 851 BC.
From Salerno you are directly on the Cilento Coast. A beautiful coastline where we enjoyed a day at the spa followed by pasta on the seaside and then a stop at a local buffalo mozzarella farm. My favourite things were the smell of eucalyptus on the way and the gelato at the farm.
We stopped for a wander at the ruins of Paestum, an ancient greek city from around 450 BC. It´s an UNESCO World Heritage Site and because of its vastness was almost more impressive than the ruins I saw in Rome.
Salerno is also the starting point of the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately the sun disappointed and so the houses were not as colourful as I expected or as you might see on social media. Then again we only made it to Amalfi and not Positano along the ever winding roads... reason enough to go back.
June 2018. Photos taken in cooperation with Jimmytonik.
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