salerno, italy - Duomo San Matteo and ceramics March 2011

duomo salerno

beautiful arcaded courtyard of duomo

1173 cosmatesque ambo of which there were two 

very elaborately frescoed crypt which houses the body of St. Matthew bought here in 954

nice mosaic of saint Matthew

On a pouring  Saturday morning we forced ourselves out of the hotel. First stop was via taxi (very short ride) to Vietri to check out the pottery and pick up a few bowls with an animal theme. Got 10 of them, all different. Then we forged on  to see the medieval cathedral (founded in 845 rebuilt in 1076-85) of St Matthew. Lovely church and St Matthew is buried in the crypt under the high altar. The outside photos are washed out since the rain was pouring down. We then tried to visit the Diocesan Museum and the archeological museum and they were both closed when they were supposedly open. We got soaked looking for a restaurant but we found a small, good place where we warmed up with a bottle of red wine, good food (soup, fresh pasta, veggies, cantucci and passito) while having the heaters blasting at our feet and our wet clothes.

crypt

frog bowl

turtle bowl

my favorite - the hedgehog bowl