Our goal was Sicily, but on the way we stopped in Salerno, that was familiar to us from earlier journeys. For me it was actually third visit to Salerno and Amalfi coast. My favourite hostel Ave Gratia Plena, former cloister was unfortunately temporarily closed. Instead we chose a small bed & breakfast in old town. At common breakfast table was fascinating to meet people from different countries. During our short stop we visited old garden for medicinal plants Giardini Minerva. They serve delicious herbal teas and the plants are beautifully spread on terasses. Salerno is a good base to visit Amalfi coast small towns and islands like Capri and Ischia and ruins of Pompei, but now south tempted us. Some kilometers south of Salerno is Pattibaglia, which is mentioned in the novel of Waller, Madison Bridges, (Hiljaiset Sillat in Finnish). I was kind of curious as Robert Kincade in the book describes it as a beautiful place, which was also Franceska Johnson’s home town. I askel that from the B&B hostess, but she described it an ugly industrial town, home of mozzarella cheese. So we passed Pattibaglia, but I still wonder why the author wanted to mention it.
