Minori
Salerno, the province of Campania
Hello everyone! Today I will talk to you about the province of Salerno, one of the most varied and heterogeneous provinces in Italy. With its 1,059,305 inhabitants, it is the second Campanian province and the tenth in Italy for population.
The province of Salerno covers an area of approximately 4,954 square kilometers and includes 158 municipalities, making it the first Campanian province for both surface area and number of municipalities. Facing southwest on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it borders the metropolitan city of Naples to the northwest, the province of Avellino to the north, and the province of Potenza in Basilicata to the east.
Physical geography
The province of Salerno is vast and contains several distinct historical and geographical entities. The northernmost part of the province is the area of agro nocerino-sarnese, urbanistically connected with the red zone of Vesuvius and therefore bordering the metropolitan city of Naples, with which it shares most essential services. This area is the smallest in the province (188 square kilometers), but the most significant from a demographic point of view (with around 300,000 inhabitants) and the population density (around 1,800 inhabitants per square kilometer).
The Amalfi Coast, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is located on the western slope, south of the Sorrento peninsula. Continuing southeast, you will find the capital Salerno, which develops at the point where the Irno valley flows into the sea. Further east is the plain of Sele or Paestum, until the 20th century a sickly and swampy land, but today an area of high agricultural productivity and strong tourist appeal.
North of the plain is the hilly and then mountainous area of the Sele valley, bordering Irpinia. Beyond the Sele are the vast areas of Cilento and Vallo di Diano, mostly mountainous and lush with difficult accessibility, but of great scenic charm, so much so as to be declared the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park and a World Heritage Site.
Hydrography
The territory of the province of Salerno is predominantly hilly and rich in watercourses. The main one among these is the Sele River, which rises in the province of Avellino and flows into Eboli, in the locality of Foce Sele, 5 km away from Paestum, with a flow rate of about 70 m³/s. Other relevant watercourses are the Calore Lucano (a tributary of the Sele), the Tanagro, the Bussento, the Sarno River, the Tusciano, and the Alento (Campania) (from which the Cilentan region takes its name).
Orography
Among the highlands that stand out are Monte Cervati and the Alburni massif with Monte Panormo, belonging to the Lucanian Apennines; Polveracchio and Accellica, belonging to the Campanian Apennines.
Well, friends, I hope you have enjoyed the description of the province of Salerno, a vast and varied region that offers many tourist and cultural opportunities. I invite you to visit and explore its numerous treasures! See you next time!
