Night Stop in Salerno

On 5 August, we travelled for a one-night stop to Salerno. It’s not in the Bay of Naples, but by ferry, it’s just around the corner of the promontory that separates the Gulf of Naples from the next Gulf, past Positano and Amalfi, and nestled on the Gulf of Salerno, a bay in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It has charm, history, a generation of youth, professionals, architecture, bars and restaurants, a beach promenade, swimming, incredible mountains, and as so happens, my Italian teacher and friend, Andrea.

We knew that Andrea was immensely busy this week at a sporting gathering of some 17 countries as the official translator. He would not be finished press conferences and the closing ceremony until after midnight, so we decided we would meet each other for the first time on the following day just before we left Salerno by ferry to return to Sorrento. Between the three of us, it was the best we could do.

So, Chris and I made a journey and story of it. We had to catch a ferry (un traghetto) to Amalfi, the glamour pusses of Europe all smushed together in a tiny space and I assume, vying for the ‘who’s the best looking or richest or coolest’ award. We wended our way through tourists to get to the buses so we could get a connecting bus from there to Solerno. The bus was air-conditioned and very comfortable I must say, but it wound its way along the coastal cliffs with terrifying falls to rocks, the sea and certain death on the side we were travelling. I held on to the handle of the back of the seat in front of me for grim death. Heights, and more specifically, plummeting over high cliffs, are not my strong suit. But we got there, with a lot of honking of the bus horn from the driver as we went around a hundred hairpin turns. I was glad when we arrived.

We found our digs for the night, a modest Air B n B that was comfortably appointed and had air-conditioning. We walked the length of the main street, very long, and after, believe it or not, a burger, my first since coming to Italy, ended up walking all the way to the Duomo with the imposing title of Cattedrale di Santa Maria degli Angeli, San Matteo e San Gregorio VII. It is classed as a minor basilica and was built from 1076 and 1085. Lots of Norman invasion of England stuff going on at the same time. It was built in the Romanesque style but was modified a few times in later years in the Byzantine style.

It is very very old to look at from the outside, but the inside is quite beautiful, with an antique cream colour for columns and ceiling, and Byzantine Islamic influence for the tiles of the pulpit. It is a basilica without bling. Quiet, reflective and lovely. It is grand but at the same time, simple, and captures the magic of that mixture exquisitely.

The Duomo has a crypt. It is the opposite, ornate with ceilings and walls painted, and tiles for columns and walls. There is not a space left untouched by the artist’s hand. It is really hugely busy in its style but its soft pinks and creams and little cherubs atop the columns are quite wonderful.

Dinner was more aperitivo than dinner and we enjoyed a small bill of fare with some spritzes. A passeggiata along the beach front after eating was the perfect way to end the day before retiring to the hotel. The beach is gentle, the city being inside a Gulf, the mountains were spectacular and the clouds over them became pink as the sun set. Just magic.

Both Chris and I felt strangely drawn to this city. As vibrant as Sorrento is, it does not capture the relaxed atmosphere with beaches, mountains, the university, in fact everything you could need to live a happy relaxed life. Sorrento is chipper, Salerno is chilled. Sorrento is revved, Salerno is relaxed. We feel that one day, we will return here for a more expansive visit.Читать далее