Cava de' Tirreni (Italian: [ˈkaːva de tirˈrɛːni]; Cilentan: A Càva) is a city and comune in the region of Campania, Italy, in the province of Salerno, 10 kilometres (6 miles) northwest of the town of Salerno. It lies in a richly cultivated valley surrounded by wooded hills, and is a popular tourist resort.[3] The abbey of La Trinità della Cava is located there.

Cava de' Tirreni
'A Cava (Neapolitan)
Città di Cava de' Tirreni
Flag of Cava de' Tirreni
Coat of arms of Cava de' Tirreni
Cava within the Province of Salerno
Cava within the Province of Salerno
Location of Cava de' Tirreni
Map
Cava de' Tirreni is located in Italy
Cava de' Tirreni
Cava de' Tirreni
Location of Cava de' Tirreni in Italy
Cava de' Tirreni is located in Campania
Cava de' Tirreni
Cava de' Tirreni
Cava de' Tirreni (Campania)
Coordinates: 40°42′N 14°42′E / 40.700°N 14.700°E / 40.700; 14.700
CountryItaly
RegionCampania
ProvinceSalerno (SA)
Frazionisee text
Government
 • MayorVincenzo Servalli
Area
 • Total36.46 km2 (14.08 sq mi)
Elevation
180 m (590 ft)
Population
 (30 april 2023)[2]
 • Total50,346
 • Density1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
DemonymCavesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
84013
Dialing code089
Patron saintSant'Adiutore & Santa Maria Incoronata dell’Olmo
Saint daySeptember 8
WebsiteOfficial website

Geography

edit
 
Cava de' Tirreni panorama from Mount Saint Liberatore.

Overview

edit

Cava de' Tirreni lies among the hills close to the Tyrrhenian Sea, 5 km (3 mi) north of the Amalfi Coast and serving in practice as its northern gateway. The inhabited area is 198 m above sea level, in a valley situated between two mountain groups: the Lattari Mountains (which separate Cava from the Amalfi Coast) to the west and the Picentini Mountains to the east. Many of Cava's citizens reside in the hills surrounding the town.

Cava is bordered to the north by Nocera Superiore, Roccapiemonte and Mercato San Severino; to the east by Baronissi, Pellezzano and Salerno; to the south by Vietri sul Mare and Maiori; and to the west by Tramonti. The town is a link between the geographical area of Agro Nocerino Sarnese (flat, with an agricultural and industrial economy) and the Sorrento Peninsula (mountainous, with an economy based on tourism).[citation needed]

Frazioni

edit

The Italian: frazioni of Cava are: Alessia, Annunziata, Arcara, Casaburi-Rotolo, Castagneto, Corpo di Cava, Croce, Dupino, Marini, Passiano, Pregiato, San Cesareo, San Pietro, Sant'Anna, Sant'Arcangelo, San Martino, Santa Lucia, Santa Maria del Rovo, Santi Quaranta.[4]

History

edit

The town, initially comprehending present-day Vietri sul Mare, was founded by the Etruscans with the name of Marcina, as part of a colonial system known as Etruria Campana. The modern name Cava de' Tirreni (lit. 'Cave of the Tyrrhenians') is a tribute to the Etruscan heritage of the area. The church and the greater part of the abbey buildings were entirely modernized in 1796. The old Gothic cloisters are preserved. The church contains a fine organ and several ancient sarcophagi. The archives, now national property, include fine incunabula, documents and manuscripts of great value (including the Codex Legum Longobardorum of 1004[3] and the La Cava Bible).

Main sights

edit
 
Railway station
  • Abbey of La Trinità della Cava, founded in 1011. Features include the ambon with mosaics (12th century), the grotto of St. Alferius, the Romanesque cloister (13th century) and the large library, housing more than 50,000 volumes.
  • Cathedral (Duomo), begun in 1517 and opened in 1571.
  • Sanctuary of St. Francis and St. Anthony, an early 16th-century structure restored after the 1980 earthquake had damaged it. The façade is in tuff and travertine, with three large arches, the central one surmounted by a balcony. The main portal has a series of friezes sculpted in 1528 by local masters and containing scenes from the Gospels. The belltower, with three orders, was finished in 1584. The interior is on the Latin Cross plan, with some 16th-century frescoes by Belisario Corenzio in the sacristy.

Personalities

edit

Twin towns – sister cities

edit

Cava de' Tirreni is twinned with:

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cava dei Tirreni". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 560.
  4. ^ "Statuto Comunale" (PDF). Città di Cava de' Tirreni (in Italian). 30 May 2019. p. 2. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
edit