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Tuesday, October 4, 2022
We were a little tired after two days on the boat so we decided to take a slow day. In the morning we did some grocery shopping. We got just enough to tide us over for the next couple of days. The rest of the day we rested and caught up on laundry, blogging, pictures, etc.
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
This was our last day in Salerno. We had intended to take the bus to Castello di Arechi, a Medieval castle high up on the hill, until we realized that the bus only went there every two hours. We tried to find a taxi but there were none to be found. We would have called an UBER but they don’t operate in this town. We walked along the waterfront until we finally found a taxi stand near the ferry terminal.
The ride to the castle was interesting. We climbed higher and higher and went through a series of narrow, switchback turns. We had been thinking we would walk back but there weren’t any sidewalks and the road seemed rather dangerous for pedestrians. We’d deal with that later.
The castle sits about 1,000 feet above sea level. From there the views are incredible. We could see all of Salerno and the nearby town of Vietri su Mare. Construction on the castle began in the 6th Century. During 8th Century, under the rule of the Lombard Prince Arechi II, the castle was further expanded. During excavations numerous artifacts were found spanning the 12-15th Centuries.
Tickets cost €4.00 per person. Cash only. There is a small museum housed within the castle walls displaying artifacts found there. There is a nice display of coins that were minted during the 12th and 14th Centuries and a few pieces of pottery. Much of the castle is in ruins but we were afforded the opportunity to explore what remained. There really isn’t a great deal to see and do. The best part of the experience is simply enjoying the view.
According to Google the only way to walk back down the hill was via the road the taxi had taken. That didn’t appeal to us. We asked the ticket seller if there was a better option and she pointed out a path through the woods. It turned out to be a very rustic trail made up of stairs and long, steeply sloping ramps. It is likely that this was the original way to get to the castle in Medieval times.
Eventually we came to a road that was still high above our apartment. We crossed and found another staircase leading further down. This one was fairly modern and had even treads. Finally, after walking some roads and finding more stairs, we reached the waterfront. From there we went in search of a restaurant that we’d eaten at before. We got there around 12:30 pm. They didn’t open until 1:00 pm, so we walked over to the waterfront and sat on some shaded benches for a while and enjoyed the view.
Once again Deborah ordered the pasta carbonara. I ordered the pasta Grecian. The sauce was made with pecorino Romano, black pepper and guanciale.
Back at the apartment we did some preliminary packing. Our host arranged a taxi for 9:30 am to take us to the train station.