scenic viewpoint
Ravello
A hilltop town perched above the Amalfi Coast renowned for its stunning gardens and classical music festival.
16 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeItalyCampania
Salerno
Campania, Italy · Europe
About Salerno
Salerno works well as a base: 10 minutes from Capezzano-Cologna, 17km from Amalfi Coast Protected Area.
Salerno is in Campania, Italy, with about 130,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Capezzano-Cologna, about 5 km away.
Salerno (UK: , US: ; Italian: [saˈlɛrno] ; Neapolitan: Salierno [saˈljernə]) is a city and comune (municipality) in the region of Campania in southern Italy, and the capital of the province of the same name. As of 2026, with a population of 125,323, it is the 2nd most populous city in the region after Naples.The cityRead more
lies on the Gulf of Salerno, on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Salerno city’s origins are probably Magna Greece, though the dated archaeological evidence cited is a 6th-century BC Etruscan-Campanian necropolis; the clearer Magna Graecia link is nearby Poseidonia/Paestum. Salerno was home to the Schola Medica Salernitana, one of the earliest medical institutions in Europe, active by the 11th century and widely regarded as a forerunner of the modern university. From February to August 1944, it served as the seat of the Italian government, hosting the Badoglio and Bonomi cabinets at the Salone dei Marmi. It was during this period that the Italian Communist Party agreed to join a national unity government, a decision known as the "Salerno turn" that opened the way to the Allied reconquest of the peninsula. For these months the city was effectively Italy's capital city, and it was here that Victor Emmanuel III settled after leaving Rome in the wake of the Armistice of Cassibile.
During the Early Middle Ages, under Lombard rule, Salerno flourished as the capital of the Principality of Salerno, which gradually came to encompass much of Southern Italy. It regained capital status under the Normans, serving as the seat of the Duchy of Apulia and Calabria. Later, under the Angevins, the title of Prince of Salerno was conferred on the heirs apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Naples. From the 13th to the 19th century the city was also the capital of the province of Principato Citeriore.
Since 1968, the city has hosted the University of Salerno, which in 1988 was relocated as a campus to the neighbouring municipalities of Fisciano and Baronissi.
In September 1943, Salerno was one of the landing sites of Operation Avalanche, the Allied invasion of mainland Italy.
The modern city is divided into three distinct zones: the medieval centro storico, a 19th-century quarter, and the more extensive post-war residential districts, dominated by apartment blocks. One of its patron saints is Matthew the Apostle, whose relics are preserved in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Salerno?
Within an hour or so of Salerno: Ravello (16 km), Atrani (16 km), Amalfi Coast Protected Area (17 km), Amalfi Coast Road (SS163) (17 km).
Are there any good drives near Salerno?
The nearest famous roads are Amalfi Coast Road (SS163), Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei) and Nastro Azzurro (SS145).
Where is Salerno?
Salerno is in Campania, Italy, about 5 km from Capezzano-Cologna.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 125,797
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Campania
- Timezone
- Europe/Rome
- Coordinates
- 40.6754, 14.7933
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Italy
ACI roadside assistance: 803 116. ZTL (limited traffic zones) in city centres are camera-enforced.
Full driving guide for ItalyTags
Worth the detour from Salerno
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Atrani
Italy's smallest municipality by area, a wedge of pastel houses folded into a ravine one headland east of Amalfi: same coast, a fraction of the crowds. Its beach piazza passes under the SS163 viaduct arches straight onto the sand.
16 km · about 20 min drive
national park
Amalfi Coast Protected Area
A UNESCO-listed stretch of dramatic Mediterranean coastline with terraced lemon groves and pastel villages.
17 km · about 20 min drive
coastal drive
Amalfi Coast Road (SS163)
Stunning Italian coastal road carved into cliffs above the Mediterranean
17 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Amalfi
The historic heart of the Amalfi Coast featuring a magnificent Arab-Norman cathedral and medieval maritime heritage.
17 km · about 20 min drive
famous road
Amalfi Coast Road (SS163 Nastro Azzurro)
The cliff-hugging Blue Ribbon road between Sorrento and Salerno - breathtaking, narrow and often gridlocked in summer.
17 km · about 20 min drive
photogenic
Fiordo di Furore
A slot-canyon inlet on the Amalfi drive where a huddle of fishermen's houses hides beneath the SS163 road bridge: once a Mediterranean high-diving championship venue. Blink at the wrong hairpin and you drive straight past it.
21 km · about 25 min drive
famous road
Path of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei)
A breathtaking cliffside hiking trail along the Amalfi Coast connecting Agerola to Positano high above the Mediterranean.
23 km · about 25 min drive
Driving roads near Salerno
- 16 kmRavelloA hilltop town perched above the Amalfi Coast renowned for its stunning gardens and classical music festival.
- 17 kmAmalfi Coast Road (SS163)Stunning Italian coastal road carved into cliffs above the Mediterranean
- 17 kmAmalfi Coast Road (SS163 Nastro Azzurro)The cliff-hugging Blue Ribbon road between Sorrento and Salerno - breathtaking, narrow and often gridlocked in summer.
- 23 kmPath of the Gods (Sentiero degli Dei)A breathtaking cliffside hiking trail along the Amalfi Coast connecting Agerola to Positano high above the Mediterranean.
- 27 kmPositano ViewpointThe classic pull-off on the Amalfi Coast road where the pastel cascade of Positano reveals itself against the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea.
- 30 kmNastro Azzurro (SS145)The 'Blue Ribbon' road winding along the Sorrento Peninsula ridge toward Positano, serving cliff-edge panoramas over both the Gulf of Naples and the Amalfi Coast before joining the SS163.
Driving in Italy
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.82/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€8.50/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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