Salerno

We take holidays in Sorrento two or three times a year. It is definitely a holiday town and the majority of its people earn their living from tourism. However and maybe because we no longer visit at peak times, it still feels Italian to us and we always look forward to our visits. It has a resident population of about 16,000 so in addition to visitors you will see lots of young people and families going about their business. It seems to us that there are 3 main types of visitors - those visiting for a week or two for some R&R with maybe a little sightseeing thrown in (including Italians and other Europeans) - those using it as a base for seeing the area and as part on a tour around Italy - day trippers off cruise ships. It is ideally placed to visit all the area sights eg 30 minutes by local train to Pompeii and IMO its cliff top location overlooking the Bay of Naples is wonderful. The local people are friendly and I can count on the fingers of one hand the occasions over the last 30 years when we have not found that to be the case. Not really an arty destination although there are one or two interesting small museums and churches. Some good shopping, traditional inlaid woodwork, cameos and leather goods (shoes, handbags etc) are worth looking out. But be aware that, like other parts of Italy and the world, things that look locally made are in fact imports. So it's a case of buyer beware. Here is the local tourism site. http://www.sorrentotourism.com/en/index.php

Unable to edit my original post so "are in fact imports" should read "could be imports"

Linda, Thank you so much for reply. The guidebook that got us thinking about Salerno (I think it was Frommer's? Can't quite remember right now) made it sound a bit like an undiscovered gem and very different from other towns in that area, but your experience seems to contradict that. I suppose there's nowhere one can stay along that part of Italy that doesn't rely heavily on tourist and vacationers. Still, glad to hear it still "feels like Italy" to you. That's the main thing we look for. We realize most places in Italy will draw visitors, but we like to find towns that have retained their character and are less overrun by the throngs of tourists.

Hello again. We have visted Salerno for day trips a couple of times, again out of season, and found it a pleasant place. Did not feel like a holiday destination although I understand the seafront hotels do get busy in the peak season. It suffered from quite a lot of damage in WW2 and there is a lot of new build but there is still some of the old city left and the Cathedral is definitely worth a visit. It is on the main rail network to Naples and in the summer has good boat connections along the Amalfi and Cilento coasts. Also ideal for a visit to Paestum. What you don't get are the spectacular views that are available from the more popular places. Why not use Streetview on Google maps to have a look around? I'm sure you will have a great time wherever you decide to stay, it is a beautiful part of Italy.

I like Linda's suggestion of using Street View to get an idea of Salerno. I do like Sorrento and can recommend it as a place to stay for a day or two. It is a tourist town but definitely not the pampered tourist. Hotels to suit all tastes and budgets. Easy to do things like take a boat to Capri, visit Paestum (a must do as you like history and museums) and of course, a 30 min train ride to Pompeii (and I have to put in a word for Herculaneaum - I think it a much more interesting site than than Pompeii - and a lot less crowded than Pompeii). No beaches, but a very good
set up for swimming below the cliffs. Two good seafood restaurants at Marina Grande - with views over the Bau of Naples.

We've stayed in both Salerno and Sorrento. The main plus about Salerno is the ease of transportation from there to other places you might want to go. We also enjoyed the fact that it wasn't as touristed. On the other hand, Sorrento is very beautiful. Of course, we also love Naples.

I lived in Salerno for 2 years, and I LOVE it. So I'm a bit partial...but I am planning a trip next year hopefully that will base me there and let me make day trips to Capri, Amalfi, Pompei/Ercolano, and Paestum. It is very easy to get to those places from Salerno and it is a great place to explore when you get back. It has nightlife, a great corso (walking/shopping street), and an AMAZING boardwalk-like sea walk that goes for a long while, its SO relaxing to walk or lounge on......great restaurants too! Rick doesn't like the place, but the fun parts are in the centro storico, at least a mile away from the train station, which is almost the only place everybody sees....

Does Rick Steves say why he doesn't like Salerno? Or is it that he just doesn't mention it? Thanks to everyone for their help. It sounds like we'll be able to do several day trips very easily from Salerno, while still enjoying the less "touristy-ness". We don't mind staying in a place that's less scenic (i.e. Sorrento) so long as we still have stuff to do and the town has some charm. We'd rather have "quaitness" than scenic beauty, if it comes down to having to choose. I guess since we live on the water here in Seattle, beaches and mountains are part of our everyday life, so it's less important to us to find that while on vacation (which, by the way, is probably why we found the Cinque Terra very underwhelming, but that's a topic for another time.......)

I think the last time I checked, it was just a comment about how not pretty the train station/tourist port corridor is, but it's easy to miss out on Salerno's charm....I would go to the right of the train station (northwest?) toward the centro storico....la Tombola is the best restaurant close to the train station (aka on the list of best restaurants, but closest to the station) but there are great ones all over....the corso starts the shopping street and at the end of that is the historic center with the duomo and the like....I could go on forever, but you are sure to enjoy yourselves in the evenings after you get back from your day trips...have fun!