Salerno

Sister cities

• Legnago
• Rouen
• Montpellier
• Baltimore
• Tōno-shi
• Pazardzhik

History

The area of what is now Salerno has been continuously settled since pre-historical times, as the discoveries of Neolithic mummy remains documents. Inhabited by Oscan-speaking populations, the region was colonized by the Etruscans, who founded the city of Irnthi in the 6th century BC, across the Irno river, in what is today the urban district of Fratte, as a part of their Dodecapolis political model that they had essentially replicated in Campania. This settlement represented an important base for Etruscan trade with the nearby Greek colonies of Posidonia and Elea. It was occupied by the Samnites around the 5th century BC as a consequence of the Battle of Cumae (474 BC) as part of the Syracusan sphere of influence. With the Roman advance in Campania, Irna began to lose its importance, being supplanted by the new Roman colony (197 BC) of Salernum, developing around an initial castrum. The new city, which gradually lost its military function in favour of its role as a trade centre, was connected to Rome by the Via Popilia, which ran towards Lucania and Reggio Calabria. Archaeological remains, although fragmentary, suggest the idea of a flourishing and lively city. Under the Emperor Diocletian, in the late 3rd century AD, Salernum became the administrative centre of the Lucania and Bruttii province. In the following century, during the Gothic Wars, the Goths were defeated by the Byzantines, and the Salerno briefly returned to the control of Constantinople (from 553 to 568), before the Lombards invaded almost the whole peninsula. Like many coastal cities of southern Italy (Gaeta, Sorrento, Amalfi), Salerno initially remained untouched by the newcomers, falling only in 646. It subsequently became part of the Duchy of Benevento. Under the Lombard dukes, Salerno enjoyed a…

Geography

The city is situated at the northwestern end of the plain of the Sele River, at the exact beginning of the Amalfi coast. The small river Irno crosses through the central section of Salerno. The highest point is Monte Stella at . Salerno has a Mediterranean climate, with a hot and relatively dry summer (highs of in July and August) and a rainy autumn and winter (highs of in January). Usually there is nearly of rain every year. The strong wind that comes from the mountains toward the Gulf of Salerno makes the city very windy (mainly in winter). This gives Salerno the advantage of being one of the sunniest towns in Italy.

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  408
• Italian Wall Lizard

  Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) · Squamata
  364
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  322
• Italian Sparrow

  Passer italiae (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  290
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  262
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  256
• European Serin

  Serinus serinus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  241
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  195

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2026-05-21
  2 km E of Procida, Italy
• M 6 — 2026-03-09
  16 km SSE of Sant'Angelo, Italy
• M 4.7 — 2026-02-21
  5 km WSW of Licinella-Torre di Paestum, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2025-11-18
  16 km ESE of Ventotene, Italy
• M 4.4 — 2025-10-25
  3 km WNW of Summonte, Italy
• M 4 — 2025-10-24
  0 km SSE of Torrioni, Italy