GOLFO DI SALERNO

Ah, the Fusandola's Stairs, a magnificent ascent that leads you from the lower part of Salerno to the entrance of the Decumanus Maximus through Via Tasso. Prepare yourself for a truly breathtaking experience as we climb these historic stairs. The Fusandola's Stairs, also known as the Scale della Fusandola in Italian, are a testament to the city's ancient past and architectural prowess. These steps, carved into the hillside, offer a dramatic and picturesque entrance to Salerno. As we ascend the Fusandola's Stairs, you'll marvel at the intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into their construction. The stone steps, worn smooth by the passage of time, bear witness to countless footsteps throughout the centuries. The stairs wind their way up the hill, offering panoramic views of the city as we climb higher. Take a moment to pause and admire the breathtaking vistas of Salerno's rooftops, the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Salerno, and the lush sur...

Salerno is a city located in southwestern Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It has a long and interesting history, dating back to ancient times. In the 8th century BC, Salerno was founded by the Etruscans and became an important trading center. It was later conquered by the Romans, who developed the city into a major port and made it an important center of commerce and culture. During the Middle Ages, Salerno was an important center of learning, with a medical school that was one of the most renowned in Europe. The city was also a hub of artistic and cultural activity, and it played a key role in the Norman Conquest of southern Italy. In more recent times, Salerno has continued to be an important regional center and a popular tourist destination. It is known for its historic center, which features a number of landmarks and buildings from its rich history, as well as its beautiful location on the Mediterranean Sea.

 The Roman amphitheaters locally assume the term of "Parlascio", "Berlascio", "Verlascio", "Verlasce", "Perilascio". The only credible hypothesis is that of the Devoto who definitively clarifies that the term has a precise reference to its physical form deriving from a late Roman word borrowed from two terms of Greek origin. It would be the term of "perilasium" born from the fusion of the Greek terms perì (around) and elao (to turn). In other words, Belorasi would mean nothing more than "going around". The term "Mons Belorasi" defines a place in medieval Salerno where a roman amphitheater existed in late antiquity. The term could not identify a mountain, but the site where the amphitheater "Berolasi" rises, This, according to the testimony of the medieval historian Erchemperto, should be equivalent to the amphitheater identified by scholars in the triangle composed of the current via Arce, via Ver...

 A crucial element for the city's economy is the harbour's continually changing position and size. As for the rather controversial question of the Roman port of the city, it is likely that the colony used small stopovers, located at the mouth of the Fusandola or that of the Irno, then located about half a kilometer further inland, in a small inlet between the western side of the Bellara hill (better known as Masso della Signora) and the eastern line of the modern city.  At the Fusandola stream, scattered necropolises from the Archaic and Samnite periods are witnessed, relating to sedentary nuclei placed to control the passage of an important coastal artery. The river Irno in pre-Roman times was certainly endowed with a much wider flow than the current one and therefore it was certainly navigable; it is therefore assumed the existence of some port docks at the service of the Etruscan center, which can be located along the watercourse at the height of today's Chalcedon distri...

The "Collegio degli Augustali" (Shrines of the Augustales) constituted a sort of religious brotherhood in charge of the cult of Augustus, which spread in the eastern provinces after the death of the emperor (14 AD). The Augustales were in charge of the observance of the ritual and of the celebrations of the birth of Augustus and of his exploits, of the organization of the games and of all public events related to the celebration of the emperor. At the head of this religious order there was the "magister", a guide who had functions of coordination and control. The recruitment of adepts generally took place among "liberti" (freedmen) of more affluent conditions, dedicated to trade and craft activities, on the basis of the loyalty shown to the emperor. The main function of this college, in fact, was to create consensus and to promote the politics of Rome and the figure of its emperor. On the other hand, admission to the order of the Augustales and active part...

 An oppidum was a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town create by Celtic. The Celtic settlements continued to be used until the Romans conquered Southern and Western Europe.  In 194 BC a group of three hundred Roman citizens, with their respective families, settled on the slopes of an impervious hill in the northern part of the Sele plain (Ager Picentinus), giving rise to the city of Salernum.  According to the historian Tito Livio, the foundation of this new colony takes place in a pre-existing fortified center , with the aim of garrisoning the territory previously inhabited by the Picentini. A Roman city worthy of the name had to have an amphitheater, forum, temples, theater, baths, aqueducts and, more generally, a building aspect of a certain type, with straight streets that crossed at right angles, possibly well paved and equipped with a sewer system, lined with brick houses. Subsequently other settlers were sent to Salerno and in 199 BC Scipio transformed the S...