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Salerno Cultura -
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  4. Mario Caro

Mario Caro

Initially an intimate painter, voted for the small still life, then to the collage and suggestions of American pop-art until the most fulgorous of the 1970s. Artist of great talent and humanity, with his painted crib significantly contributed to the revival of the historic center of Salerno.

Data/periodo nascita

1922

Data/periodo morte

2017

Ruolo / Attività

Painter

Biografia completa

Born in Tramonti, on the Amalfi Coast, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, with the masters Vincenzo Ciardo and Emilio Notte.


In his cultural and artistic formation, travels were fundamental in Paris, Madrid and Monaco, as well as visits with intellectuals such as Alfonso Gatto, Raphael Alberti, Edoardo Sanguineti, Marcello Venturoli, Duilio Morosini, Alberico Sala, Paolo Ricci, Vasco Pratolini.


It was in 1953 its first solo exhibition in Via dei Mercanti in Salerno, a city that will welcome the artist until his last day.

Its life, in fact, is divided between the evocative and beloved historic center of Salerno and the city of Minori, another place of inspiration for its most beautiful paintings dedicated to the sea and the Mediterranean beauty of the Coast.


The artist made several works for public spaces, including decorative panels for the Municipal Polyambulatory of Salerno

(1967), for the Civil Hospital of Pagani (1967), the fresco for the Conference Hall of the Order of the Medici (1968), the large panel for the national headquarters of the State Monopolies in Rome.


His “great work” is Presepe Dipinto, inaugurated in 1982 and preserved in the hall S. Lazzaro del Duomo di Salerno, which represents a heritage of great artistic value. The idea was born from his former pupil Peppe Natella and was immediately a great success because he knew how to tell the people of the neighborhood who gravitated around the historic center of Salerno. The artist in his more than 100 pieces, shaped and hand-painted with natural size, refined the humble and the important character by integrating them into his original crib without distinction, as in a healthy community and solidarity. The work is a point of reference in the city center and an unmissable appointment for the Salento and the many tourists who flock the rooms of the Duomo in the Christmas period.

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  • Itineraries
  • Cultural Venues and TheatresCultural venues and theatres in Salerno enliven the city’s artistic life with a dense network of historic halls and contemporary spaces dedicated to theatre, cinema, music and performing arts. From the Municipal Theatre Giuseppe Verdi and the Cinema Teatro Augusteo to the Teatro Ghirelli, Sala Pasolini and neighbourhood theatres such as Teatro delle Arti, Piccolo Teatro del Giullare and Teatro Nuovo, these spaces host seasons, festivals, workshops and projects that make culture accessible to residents and visitors all year round.
  • Churches and MonasteriesThe churches and monasteries of Salerno preserve the spiritual and historical heart of the city, especially in the old town centre, where monumental buildings and more intimate spaces tell centuries of faith and art. From the Cathedral of San Matteo to the monastic complexes of San Benedetto, Santa Sofia and San Giorgio, a journey through these sites crosses different eras — from medieval and baroque architecture to spaces now repurposed for culture — keeping alive the connection with the religious roots of the territory.
  • Palaces and SquaresPalaces and squares in Salerno form a vibrant urban fabric, where noble residences, historical archives and monumental spaces recount the city’s civil and social evolution from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. From Piazza Portanova and Largo Campo to Piazza Abate Conforti, from Palazzo Fruscione to the City Hall and the many historic buildings along Via dei Mercanti and in the Duomo district, every corner offers evocative architectural settings that combine history, everyday life and the symbolic places of the Salerno community.
  • Museums and ArchaeologyMuseums and archaeology in Salerno recount the thousand-year history of the territory through artefacts spanning from prehistory to the Roman era, housed in a network of institutions spread across the city. From the Provincial Archaeological Museum, hosted in the former monastery of San Benedetto and dominated by the famous bronze head of Apollo, to civic and diocesan museums and the routes dedicated to the Etruscan-Samnite sites of Fratte, each exhibition offers an immersive journey through everyday objects, funerary goods, sculptures and the evidence of ancient civilisations in the Salerno area.
  • Gardens and ParksGardens and parks in Salerno offer a widespread network of green areas stretching across the entire city — from historic gardens to large urban parks — creating spaces for relaxation and socialising just steps from the sea. From the Parco del Mercatello to the Parco del Seminario, from the Parco dell’Irno to the gardens of the eastern district and the Giardino della Minerva, these places combine nature, outdoor sports and cultural events, enhancing the urban landscape and making the city more liveable in every season.
  • Modern ArchitectureModern architecture in Salerno reshapes the relationship between the city and the sea with iconic buildings and open public spaces, transforming the waterfront into a new contemporary urban hub. From the Crescent and Piazza della Libertà to Zaha Hadid’s maritime station, the Santa Teresa seafront and the Cittadella Giudiziaria, a dynamic architectural landscape emerges — one of fluid lines, essential volumes and sea-facing squares designed for the social and cultural life of the city.

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