Including the Biblioteca open but once a year.

"This is Don Gennaro, the exorcist for southern Italy." I found myself shaking hands with a short, jovial man who looked to me like Friar Tuck. But after a day full of wonders, should this have come as a suprise?

The Benedictine Abbey at Cava dei Tirreni, which at first glance looks to be a rather a dreary place with an unprepossessing 18th century facade made of grey lava stone, is home to what was once one of the most magnificent, powerful and opulent seats of temporal power in Italy.

The building was begun almost 1000 years ago by Alferius Pappacarbone, a nobleman from Salerno who took Benedictine orders to live as a hermit. But he was called back to Salerno by Prince Buainmarius to head the monasteries in his principality. By then a famed and holy man,Alferious soon attracted other mystics and hermits and in 1011 the foundations of the Abbey were laid.

But what began as a hermit's simple abode grew into a huge administrative complex which, in the Middle Ages, held jurisdiction over more than 400 abbeys, priories and churches between Rome as many as 3000 friars.

It is now possible to visit the Abbey to admire the ornate baroque cathedral with its magnificent marble inlays and chapels, Romanic cloisters squeezed under the overhanging rock, Catacombs, Longobard Cemetery and Museum.

One of the most extraordinary places, visible during National Culture Week (April 18-26) are the Archives, home to over 80,000 books and 15,000 ancient manuscripts and parchments. Throughout the week (and upon appointment) the library's the curator will permit visitors to see and photograph a few of the library's greatest treasures. Among these is a priceless Visigoth Bible dating from the 9th Century A.D.

These visits have been made possible thanks to the perseverance of a woman, Angela Russo, who, with energy and dedication has worked closely with the Abbey to ensure that the incredible artand artefacts contained in thisimmense cave can be admired by a larger public.

For more details or to book a guided tour contact Angela Russo at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone: 347.1946957.