Salerno

Salerno (pop. 147,500), city and tourist center in Campania, on the Gulf of Salerno in southern Italy. Founded by Romans in 197 B.C., it was occupied by the Norman conqueror Robert Guiscard in 1076 and was the site of a fierce beach battle between the Allies and Germans in World War II. Salerno's medical school, founded in the 9th century and at its peak in the 12th, was the first of its kind, with teachings influenced by the leading Mediterranean cultures.

See also: Italy.