Cava de' Tirreni, Historic commune in Province of Salerno, Italy
Cava de' Tirreni is a commune in the Province of Salerno in Campania, spread across several districts between forested mountain slopes. The settlement sits in a wide valley where narrow lanes and open squares alternate and houses climb up the hillsides.
Benedictine monks founded an abbey here in the eleventh century, which later became a spiritual center of the region. Over the centuries, Norman, Aragonese, and Bourbon rulers changed the administration, while the abbey maintained its importance.
The name of this town comes from Latin and reflects its location in a valley once known for wine cultivation. Visitors today notice the arcades with tall arches along the main street, where people meet and walk under the vaulted passages.
The town can be reached by train or bus from Salerno in about twenty minutes, while the journey from Naples takes longer. Those who want to explore the lanes and squares should wear comfortable shoes, as many streets are cobbled and steep.
In a side valley stand several old mills that once ground grain flour for the surrounding villages and today lie abandoned along a stream. Some walls still bear traces of the wooden waterwheels that the water from the mountains drove.
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