Salerno tourist information
The territory of Salerno is of ancient origins, dating back to the VI century b.C. in that period, an ellenic civilization was in fact developing near Sapri. The Greeks, however, were not the first to populate these areas, once territory of the Oscii. About the V century b.C. the area of Salerno was under Syracusan rule. Owing to the wars against the Sanniti, the roman troops conquered the whole Campania, establishing a colony in Salerno and a colony in Paestum. The following period brought peace and a great development of trade, town planning and culture.
The territory of Salerno is of ancient origins, dating back to the VI century b.C. in that period, an ellenic civilization was in fact developing near Sapri. The Greeks, however, were not the first to populate these areas, once territory of the Oscii. About the V century b.C. the area of Salerno was under Syracusan rule. Owing to the wars against the Sanniti, the roman troops conquered the whole Campania, establishing a colony in Salerno and a colony in Paestum. The following period brought peace and a great development of trade, town planning and culture. In 640 a.d. Salerno became part of the longobard principality of Benevento. Arechi II, duke of Benevento, built a royal palace in Salerno and had the town fortified. Charles the Great chose Salerno as his shelter. After various successions the town was ruled by prince Siconolfo, who divided the small kingdom in the two states of Benevento and Salerno, becoming the first prince of Salerno capital city. The longobard principality of Salerno ended after 240 years, with the conquest made by the norman prince Roberto il Guiscardo. Salerno was later ruled by the Swabians, and began to decline, while Naples grew in importance. In the troubled years of the conspiracy of the barons against king Federico II, Giovanni da Procida (later one of the leaders of the "Vespri Siciliani") tried to better the development of Salerno, without being successful. The town succeeded to keep only the scientific supremacy compared with Naples. The Angevins succeeded to the Swabians and, with Carlo II, Salerno became principality. The territory included the present-day provinces of Salerno, Avellino and part of Benevento, and was divided in two parts, having the mountains north of Montoro as their border. The Citra principality had Salerno as its main town, the Ultra principality Avellino. The rule was thereafter in the hands of the Aragons, then Salerno was bought by the del Balzo family and finally by the Grimaldi family. To redeem itself Salerno had to pay 80.000 ducats in 1590. The popular revolt of Masaniello in Naples reverberated also on Salerno, where another fishmonger, Ippolito da Pastena, became the leader of a rebellion of the citizens and the countrymen of the area against the feudatoires. The coming of the bourbon monarchy made the whole Citra principality decline, because the kings only cared for Naples and Caserta. Also the Scuola Medica, a glorious institution, the most ancient in Europe, that made the town gain the title of "Ippocratica" declined; it had numbered St.Thomas from Aquino as its teacher. It was finally abolished by Gioacchino Murat, at the beginning of 1800. About 1820 Salerno was the theatre of the carbonarist victories and defeats. In 1848 the region obtained the constitution by Ferdinando IV. In 1857 the near Sapri saw the landing of the famous and unlucky expedition of Carlo Pisacane. Since 1870 to the present days, the events of Salerno are similar to those of all the other towns owned by the former bourbon kingdom, made free by Garibaldi. On September, 8th, 1943, Salerno was the theatre of a decisive episode of world war II: the landing of the allied troops in Italy. In 1944 the town was chosen as the first capital of free Italy.
