The University of Salerno has the distinguishment of being the very first
university in Europe. It grew out of a
Benedictine monastery which was founded in 794 CE. The school began offering a degree in
medicine around 1050.
Constantine the African fled to the university in 1070, and he added to its
philosophy and
medicine curriculum the classic studies he learned from the
Arabs. Frederick II ordered that no one should be allowed to practice medicine without a
license from the university. Its
fame diminished after the
University of Naples became predominant, but it still exists today. Its
website can be seen at www.unisa.it, but be prepared to read it in
Italian.