Salerno, Italy

We arrived in Salerno by train from Taranto. From the station we walked along Corso Vitt Emanuele, until we found our hotel on Via Canali. Once checked-in, and bags dumped, we went in search of information about a ferry to Palermo, Sicily. First stop was the tourist information office near the new port. The two women working there were extremely friendly and tried to help. Lots of Google searches later, by them, and we all discovered that it was a ‘no go’. Our only option was to head to Naples to catch a ferry. Bad news for us, but I think the two women enjoyed themselves. Laura and I got the distinct impression that not many people visit the tourist office, given the high level of enthusiasm they showed in helping us, searching the internet, making phone calls to ferry companies, printing out ferry departure schedules and using their highlighting markers, and just the general feeling that it was all a new experience for the both of them.

Video of Salerno, Italy

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Staying in Salerno, Italy ~
Ave Gratia Plena ~ www.ostellodisalerno.it
We booked into the Ave Gratia Plena for two nights. The room was a good size, if rather spartan. The double bed was very comfortable, and the thick feather duvet, and extra blankets in the wardrobe were much appreciated. The bathroom was O.K. although the toiletries were meagre, consisting of a tiny cheap bar of soap and a sachet of shampoo. The towels were strange too, they weren’t actually towels, not made from toweling material, they were more like large tea-towels, very thin cotton. The water was hot though, and the water pressure was decent.
There was no T.V., fridge, or WiFi in the room. At the time of our stay, November, it was very cold during the night and there was no heating turned on.
For breakfast we were given a plate containing a plain croissant and a small bread roll, also available was a buffet of cakes, cereal, cheap white bread for toasting, coffee, and fruit juices. The drinks were from a vending style machine. Although it wasn’t particularly worth getting out of bed for, it wasn’t bad by Italian breakfast standards.
In all I thought the hotel did not offer good value for money at 115€ for two nights for a double en-suite room.
5/10

Eating in Salerno, Italy

Zerottonove (Via Roma 51) ~
We stopped for a snack at Zerottonove. We shared an impressive sandwich which cost only 2.50€. Less impressive was the very small bottle of Coke-Cola that cost 3.50€. Having said that, the cost of the coke did not put us off, because we returned on another evening for cake and coffee.

L Templari, Pizzeria and Brasserie (Vai Canali 27) ~
A less than impressive restaurant. The wine was really warm, the pizza cost (6€) and was O.K. but nothing special. What was shocking was a medium sized mixed salad that they had the cheek to charge 10€ for.
5/10

Pub Galleon (Via Roma 254/256) ~
The meal started so well. The waitress was very friendly and helpful. We decided on the set lunch for 15€ per person. First was tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms. Next I had a mixed seafood plate, Laura had chicken. They forgot to bring us the salad/fries that was supposed to accompany the main dishes. Halfway through our meal they started closing up the restaurant. And to make sure we got the hint, they removed the oil and vinegar from our table, despite it being obvious that we were using it. The set menu was also meant to include a coffee, which they also decided not to give us.
1/10

Drinking in Salerno, Italy
Caffe dei Mercanti ~
Laura spotted this little bar when we first arrived in Salerno on the walk from the train station to our hotel, so after traipsing round town looking for a travel agents, without any luck, we decided to stop by for a beer. We got chatting to an American guy who was in Salerno to catch a ship to Israel. We joined his table, chatted to him and two German students who were studying in Salerno. Laura and I sunk 3 bottles of Birra Moretti Grand Cru which cost a whopping 12€ for a 70cl bottle. Despite the expensive beer, this bar was a great little place, very lively and popular with locals.
8/10

Summary
Salerno is a nice town and worth visiting for a day. There are a few interesting places to visit but nothing that can’t been done in a couple of hours, saving enough time for a decent lunch. That said, I would not go out of my way to visit the town.

Moving on
We had planned on catching a ferry from Salerno to Palermo in Sicily, but they only run twice a week from Salerno, and not at the times we wanted. Instead we decided to catch the train to Naples, and get a ferry from there. It was only a 30 minute journey to Naples, but the train prices were high, and varied, depending on what time you depart. It was between 8-16€ one way for our planned Sunday departure.