Many people see Salerno only as the starting point for the Amalfi Coast, but we recommend stopping for at least a day. Behind the façades of the historic centre there are small, well-kept museums, Baroque churches and an archaeological complex that spans almost two thousand years of history. Here are the places we visited and suggest to you.
The Cathedral and the Diocesan Museum
Start from the Cathedral of San Matteo, consecrated in 1084 by Pope Gregory VII. Inside, besides the crypt with the relics of the patron saint, we suggest looking for the two medieval ambos, the Guarna and the d'Ajello, decorated with mosaics and coloured marble inlays.
A few steps away is the Museo Diocesano San Matteo, which holds the Salerno Ivories: a series of ivory panels carved between the end of the 11th and the middle of the 12th century, with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. It is one of the few great medieval ivory cycles to have survived, and seeing them up close we were struck by the precision of the details. For all the other churches in the city read The churches and Cathedral of Salerno.
San Pietro a Corte, four eras in a single place
The place that surprised us most is the San Pietro a Corte complex. Here, below street level, you can see the remains of a Roman bath complex, later reused in the early Christian period. In the 8th century the Lombard prince Arechis II had his palatine chapel built here, dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.
In the Middle Ages the church also hosted public assemblies and the graduation ceremonies of the Medical School. Going down into the hypogeum and then back up to the chapel is like leafing through a layered history book. We tell you everything in San Pietro a Corte.
The Church of San Giorgio, Salerno's Baroque
Along Via Duomo you will find the Church of San Giorgio, considered by many the most beautiful Baroque church in the city. It began as a Benedictine monastery in the Lombard era and was rebuilt between the late sixteenth century and 1674; later Ferdinando Sanfelice worked on the complex.
Inside are works by Angelo Solimena and his son Francesco Solimena, who around 1680, while still very young, painted the stories of the female martyr saints. As you walk in, the wealth of stucco and frescoes really leaves you speechless.
The Provincial Archaeological Museum
In the old complex of San Benedetto, next to the medieval aqueduct, is the Provincial Archaeological Museum. Its most famous piece is the bronze Head of Apollo, fished out of the Gulf of Salerno in 1930. The rooms trace the history of the area from prehistory to Roman times, with rich grave goods from the tombs of Pontecagnano Faiano. We explore it in The Provincial Archaeological Museum of Salerno.
Pinacoteca, Medical School and Papi Museum
On Via dei Mercanti, inside Palazzo Pinto, is the Pinacoteca Provinciale, with paintings from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century: the artists include Andrea Sabatini da Salerno, Battistello Caracciolo and Francesco Solimena, as well as foreign painters who worked on the Coast.
Also on Via dei Mercanti is the Virtual Museum of the Scuola Medica Salernitana, which uses animated manuscripts and interactive panels to explain how Salerno brought together Greek, Arab and Latin medical knowledge. To round off the theme we recommend the Roberto Papi Museum, with a collection of medical and surgical instruments from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. You will find the details in The Virtual Museum of the Scuola Medica Salernitana and The Roberto Papi Museum.
How to get there and when to go
All the places in this article are in the historic centre and can be reached on foot from the railway station in a few minutes. Museums and churches are an excellent choice in any season, and on rainy days too. Some sites have reduced opening hours or require booking on certain days: check opening times and tickets on the official website before you set off.
In the surroundings
For an overview of the city and the province, start from Salerno and its surroundings. If you are looking for open-air monuments, such as the castle and the seafront, read What to see in Salerno; if you love art, we also suggest an art weekend in Salerno. A few kilometres away, in Cava de' Tirreni, The Badia di Cava, the Abbey of the Holy Trinity awaits you.
