Certosa di Padula and Teggiano (13/08/2016)

On this day we decided to head south from Salerno and visit the Padula Charterhouse. It is considered to be the first charter-house built in the Campania region, and the largest in the whole of Italy. Together with Paestum (which I had already visited), the Cilento National Park and the greek and roman city of Velia it is inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage Site list. Construction on the building started in 1309 and was protracted till the 18th century, with most of it dating to the later period due to alterations and reconstructions. So we left Salerno after lunchtime and reached Padula around 3:30pm, with an hour and twenty minutes drive. We parked the car and headed on foot towards the entrance, located on the southern side. We crossed the main courtyard, sided by the stables, granaries, and other buildings that hosted all kinds of shops, and reached the main facade. Dating to the 16th century in a baroque style, the facade is probably one of the most noteworthy features of the whole complex. Once we passed through the entrance we bought our tickets (4 euros full price and 2 euro for student discount) and were given a map of the complex, as it is really large. From there we followed the suggested path, passing through the first cloister called Chiostro della Foresteria, because it was adjacent to the guest lodgings, which had a nice fountain at its center and then entering the church. The interior, dating to the 17th century is a joy of the neapolitan baroque with beautiful decorations, colorful paintings and lavish marbles. We then went through several rooms which included the Hall of the Bells, the Hall of the Chapter and the Hall of the Treasure, all with beautiful baroque decorations. Next was the cloister of the old cemetery and right next to it, through a door, the large Refectory which used to serve as the dining room of the monks. After that we entered the Kitchens, a beautifully preserved example of cooking space (which rarely survives in charterhouses and monasteries) with a huge furnace and chimney at its center and maiolicas decorating the walls. Right beside, through a door, is another cloister, this time very small and in the shadows as it still maintains its 14th century style and architecture. Following the map we reached what were once the Prior's rooms. now housing the Archaeological museum with ancient greek vases, weapons and other objects. There were also two cloisters, the so called Chiostro dei Procuratori and the Prior's cloister which is more like a small italian garden with trees and fountains giving it a peaceful and beautiful setting. Moving on we reached the Great Cloister, an immense rectangular (104x150m) with two floors on all sides and containing the monks' cells. It is in fact the largest cloister in the world, and took us quite a while to walk from one side to the other. We were done visiting so we headed back through the complex and out to the car. It was around 6pm and we decided to go to the nearby town of Teggiano as on that same day they were having a Medieval reenactment which we decided to see. So parking the car outside the historic town and taking the mandatory bus up the hill, we reached the city center. Before the actual fair started we decided to enter the two main churches on the central square: the Church of St Francis and the Cathedral. The first had an interesting baroque interior with some medieval frescoes still remaining, while the Cathedral, also baroque, had several medieval tombs and a beautiful Ambon dating to the 13th century. Exiting the church, we joined the multitude of people, standing to watch the parade start, with many people dressed in medieval costumes, dancing, singing and performing all along the streets. When the parade ended we decided to walk further on through the narrow streets, and ending up in another square overlooking the beautiful valley down below surrounded by mountains. It was getting time for dinner, and each neighbourhood, or rione, was setting up a open air food court on small square around town so we decided to look for a nice one to have dinner. We settled for the Wolf tavern which served excellent boar meat. Then after dinner we went back to the main square and saw the firework show which ended the day and the festival in a great party atmosphere. After that it was time to head back as we still had an hour and a half to go home in Salerno and rest after a great day.

View of Padula

The entrance to the charter-house

Interior of the church

The Refectory

The kitchen

The Prior's cloister garden

The Great cloister, the largest in the world

View of the town from the cloister

The parade in Teggiano with the castle in the background

Medieval costumes

One of the many churches in town

Knights taking a rest after the parade

Amalfi Coast Boat Trip (05/08/2016)

We decided to take a boat trip from Salerno, along the Amalfi coast, as the weather looked very nice and we were hoping to go without having to take our car along the narrow and winding roads of that area. We left the house quite early and headed along the Lungomare Trieste where we decided to rent the boat. We took a slow but cheap Gozzo, which used to be the typical fishing boat of the area, and now serves as a typical cheap but manageable rental boat. We all then boarded the vehicle and left the coast of Salerno heading west towards our destination. We passed by the towns of Vietri Sul Mare with its impressive houses right above the cliffs, Raito and Cetara (all of which I had previously visited on foot). Then continuing on we went past the village of Erchie with its tower and stone mine and went around the cape an uninhabited and probably the best part of the whole Amalfi coast. Here the cliff are really impressive, reaching almost a few hundred meters, and there are no towns apart from some sporadic medieval Saracen towers that once guarded the way from pirate attacks. We spotted a sea cave and decided to stop our boat and explore it; after swimming for a while and reaching the cave we found out it went all the way inside the rock and the end wasn't really visible, so we decided to head further in through the partial darkness and find out how long it actually was. My brother wasn't really sure and told me to stop three quarters of the way; he was kind of right as the place was getting really dark and the current quite strong so we decided not to risk hurting ourselves. While heading out we spotted a small boat trying to get in the cave and we waved it off saying it wasn't legal to enter with a vehicle (apparently most people don't care and continue to do so resulting in a foul gas smell and not crystal clear water inside the cave). Once out we swam along the cliff side looking at the many fish and plants dotting this side of the sea and we were quite amazed yet scared too by the depth the cliff actually went down underwater. After getting back on the boat we pulled the anchor up and moved on, reaching and passing the towns of Maiori, Minori, Atrani, Amalfi and Ravello on top of a high plateau. We then reached another cape, where the small village of Conca dei Marini is located; we found a perfect small bay where we anchored out boat and decided to take another swim. We took our snorkeling masks and decided to explore the waters around it; the water was amazing and crystal clear and we spotted so many different types of fish and several starfish too, one of which we took up to take a picture of and then swam to put it back. After a refreshing swim we got back on boat and started to head back home as the whole 27km journey would take around two hours. In fact about two hours later we were in Salerno, where we left our boat at the boat rental and headed home to take a shower and relax after this awesome day.

View of Vietri sul Mare

View of Cetara

Beautiful part of the coast

A medieval tower

 

Another view of the coast

View of Amalfi

A starfish

Amalfi Coast Walk (02/07/2016)

After reaching my aunt's house in Salerno in southern Italy on the 30th of June, I decided to walk along part of the Amalfi coast and reach the small town of Cetara. So waking up relatively late in the morning, I started my walk around 11am. Leaving the house, I followed the road that went uphill from Salerno to the town of Vietri sul Mare, and after about 30 minutes walk I reached the aforementioned town. I decided not to stop and visit it since I would probably do so on the way back, instead I continued my walk and took a right turn a few hundred meters later up towards the town of Raito. I walked through its small but pretty center, and stopped at probably the only bar in the whole town, to have something to eat. I got a hamburger with fries for only 2,5 eur, and decided to eat it while admiring the beautiful scenery from the main church's entrance over the gulf of Salerno and Vietri. Moving on I then reached the small town of Albori, part of the club the most beautiful villages in Italy. Its narrow streets were really picturesque and mostly empty as it was the hottest part of the day and lunchtime, so I just enjoyed walking through them alone. I then took an off road path leading through olive groves and vineyards overlooking the splendid waters of the Amalfi coast, and then heading back down to the main road. Once on the asphalt I continued walking past curves overlooking amazing beaches and cays, eventually reaching my destination; the town of Cetara. Being it at water level, the town sported an impressive medieval watchtower and a small marina for boats, and I was also able to enter the pretty main church with a baroque interior, a lavish dome made of majolica and a 12th century bell tower. I then decided to spend a few hours relaxing at the local beach, west of the marina, where I sunbathed and swam for a while. It was then time to head back, as I started my walk in the direction of Salerno. Without stopping I reached once again Vietri sul Mare about 1 hour later and decided to walk around it for a while. The main church was unfortunately still closed so I decided not to wait and maybe come back to visit it another day. So after seeing most of it I went back to the main road and concluded the day by reaching Salerno after a long and tiring but thoroughly enjoyable 25km walk.

Vietri sul Mare

Raito

The church in Albori

Gazing across the sea

View of the coast

Cetara beach amd town center

Salerno (25,26/09/2015)

I came to see my aunt,uncle and cousin for a few days since they recently transferred to Salerno from Padova. I wanted to see the city and a few attractions around so I decided to spend a few days there. On the 25th I got up really early, around 7am, since my cousin had to go to school and left the house at 8 wanting to walk all the way from their house to the city center along the shoreline. The view was great and I could see both the Amalfi Coast on one side and the Cilento on the other. About an hour later or 6km I reached the old town and headed straight for the Duomo. I entered through the Baroque pre-entrance with the so called Porta dei Leoni, or Gate of the Lions, which dates from the early beginnings of the Cathedral, 11th century. Entering I found myself in the entrance portico which is surrounded by beautiful 11th century (and a few ancient roman) columns and is dominated on the right by the amazing Arab-Norman bell tower from the same period. Under the arches running all around are several ancient roman sarcophagi of beautiful manufacture. The façade was modified in the Baroque style but presents a beautiful Bronze door made around 1099 in Costantinople. Once inside I saw the refurbished Baroque interior with a few Romanesque features remaining here and there, however I really appreciated the two Pulpits from the 12th century in beautiful mosaics and marbles. I then descended in the 17th century crypt with some very nice decorations and the remains of St Matthew.After the visit to the Cathedral, I headed to the Museum of the Diocesis, and with a student discount payed only 1€. The artifacts inside were really great; there was a whole room with many (there used to be 70) amazing ivory tablets from the 12th century depicting stories from the Bible which are the main feature of the museum. Most of them are kept in the museum, though some others are spread out across the world in many famous museums. Moving on I passed through some rooms containing medieval objects and then through rooms with paintings covering the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Exiting this splendid museum, I walked through the city center, passing by old palaces and houses, I reached the Giardino della Minerva a beautiful botanical garden built vertically up the hill. This used to be the botanical garden of the Medicine School of Salerno, founded in the 11th century and thus the oldest in the western world; today many plants which were categorized in that period are on display in this beautiful old hanging garden with small canals that water the plants descending down from the hill in the Arab way. Entrance with discount was 1,5€ and the views from there over the old town and port were great, surround by beautiful and diverse plants. After the visit, I descended down into town, and reached the Chiesa dell'Annunziata with a beautiful Dome that I had seen from the garden. I then continued on and reached the church of San Pietro a Corte which was unfortunately closed so I decided that I would visit it the next day. I still had some time so I decided to visit the Church of San Giorgio, which is considered to the most beautiful Baroque church in town, with some really nice paintings and decorations. It was then time to head back home for lunch so I waited for the next bus which would bring me there. The next day, after eating at home, I came back to the city center to finish my visit of the old town. First I went to visit the church of San Benedetto which dates to medieval times and still has some nice Romanesque columns inside. Right across the street is the Archaeological museum (entrance was 2€), hosted in what was once part of the monastery of San Benedetto. There are some interesting objects dating to the greek, etruscan and roman times recovered in the surrounding area, particular are the beautifully decorated vases. Once outside I walked a few blocks to reach the medieval aqueduct which cuts trough the city and then the small church of Sant'Agostino which had only some nice medieval columns. Then, right before 6, I headed towards the church of San Pietro a Corte; there a very prepared guide toured a family from Rome and I around the complex. The church used to be a Longobard Palace (the only remaining in the world) with still columns, arches and windows showing its precedent use. It was later transformed into a church in the Norman period and then again in the 16th century it was refurbished in the style of that period, when finally not long ago it was returned to its medieval state. Inside were some interesting pavements and mosaics dating to the Longobard period. Under the church is another religious complex which used to be roman baths first and then later an early christian cemetery and hypogeum with still some very nice longobard frescoes remaining. It was then time to head back home for dinner, having visited all the city center the last thig remaining was the castle overlooking the town. The next day I was finally able to see it when my aunt drove me all the way up the hill, though it was a cloudy and slightly rainy day. I started walking from the parking lot along the walls until I reached the castle entrance; a guy told me to buy the ticket at the bar, which cost 2€ with the student discount. I then walked up the stairs and started walking along the battlements and into the several rooms. Most of the castle's rooms have no rooms so it looks a bit in ruins but the walkways are new and it looks quite nice. The castle was first build as a Byzantine defensive system in the 6th century, it was later enlarged by the Longobard duke Arechi II (from which the castle takes its name) it was eventually conquered by Robert Guiscard in the 11th century thus becoming part of the Norman belongings. After a walk around and wonderful views over Salerno and part of the Amalfi Coast despite the weather, I got out and headed up another hill to where the Bastille was set. Unfortunately the tower was closed (I don't even know if its ever open) so I then decided to walk back down towards the city and then take the metro back home, 4 km later.

The Cathedral

Details of the colonnade

Mosaic inside the Cathedral

The Pulpit

The Ivory tablets

View from the garden

The church of San Pietro a Corte

Longobard frescoes

View from the shoreline towards the Amalfi Coast