Geography of Salerno
Salerno, Italy, a city in Campania region and the capital of Salerno province. It lies on the Gulf of Salerno, an inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Naples. Salerno is situated in an agricultural area. Its products are mainly canned vegetables and fruits. Among the city's landmarks are a castle built in the eighth century and the Cathedral of St. Matthew. The cathedral was consecrated in 1085 and is especially noted for its elaborate pulpit and the tomb of Pope Gregory VII.
Salerno was founded by either the Greeks or the Etruscans. It was captured by the Romans late in the second century B.C. In the sixth century A. D. it was made part of the Lombard duchy of Benevento. Salerno became an independent principality in the 800's. The Norman leader Robert Guiscard, duke of Apulia, captured the city in 1076. From 1130 until 1861, when Italy was unified, Salerno was part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
During medieval times Salerno was famous for its medical school, said to have been the first in Europe. In World War II a major battle of the Italian Campaign was fought at Salerno in September, 1943.
Population: 143,751.