Salerno

Salerno sits on the Gulf of Salerno, south of the Amalfi Coast. The palm-lined Lungomare Trieste promenade runs along the waterfront, and the city centre is a 10-minute walk from the cruise terminal. The Old Town has narrow alleys, small squares, and the Salerno Duomo, a medieval cathedral with a Baroque crypt and Roman sarcophagi. The Castello di Arechi, a hilltop fortress above the city, has wide views of the coast. Minerva's Garden, one of Europe's oldest botanical gardens, preserves the medicinal plants once studied at the Schola Medica Salernitana, considered the Western world's first medical school. Ferries from the cruise dock run to Amalfi and Positano, and buses make the same trip by road with views of the cliffs. Fresh seafood leads the local menus: risotto alla pescatora and fritto misto are good orders. Corso Vittorio Emanuele II has shops selling local crafts. Italian is the main language, but English is understood in tourist areas.