Cava de' Tirreni

▪ Italy

      town and episcopal see, Campania region, southern Italy, in a rich cultivated valley surrounded by hills, just northwest of Salerno city. Cylindrical towers on the hills are used for shooting pigeons, a tradition derived from Lombardy. Just southwest is the village of Corpo di Cava, with the famous Benedictine abbey of Trinità della Cava, founded in a cave in 1011 by St. Alferius, who had come from Cluny, Fr. Although most of the buildings were modernized in 1796, the Gothic cloisters remain. The archives contain 8th-century parchments, and the library's valuable manuscripts include a 7th-century Visigothic Bible and the 11th-century Lombard Laws; there are also a museum and a picture gallery.

      Cava de' Tirreni is a popular resort and centre for international sporting events. Manufactures include textiles, food products, and tobacco. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 53,262.

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