The poetic neighbourhood of Alfonso Gatto

In Salerno, in the heart of the historic centre, where a degraded and abandoned district once stood, is now an area full of magic and colour: the Rione delle Fornelle, one of the oldest parts of the city.

Until a few years ago, the area was branded as dangerous, dirty and run-down, but it has been transformed into a poetic neighbourhood, thanks to a redevelopment project that makes poetry and art its strong points. Among the alleyways, façades of the buildings, and at the top of steps, murals and poetic verses pop up, many created by Alfonso Gatto, the poet who was born and raised in the Rione delle Fornelle.

What attracts visitors above all, is the contrast between the traditional nature of the district and the modernity brought by the works of street art, which have given the district a new cultural and urban identity.

Strolling through the hidden corners of the neighbourhood, you reach its heart, Piazza Matteo d’Aiello, where the locals of the area have always sat on their doorstep to chat and enjoy some tasty appetisers in the open air.