Cilento Park

Sapri

The Cilento bursts into history certainly not on tiptoe. Its coasts represented the cradle of two important and fervid centers of Greek culture: Poseidonia and Elea. The first founded by the Greeks, had a predominantly agricultural vocation, the second was born of settlements of exile focei fleeing from the Persians, was characterized by an economy based mainly on trade. Elea saw the birth of the illustrious philosophical thought of Parmenides and Zenone, a real golden age for this region. For Cilento we mean today the southernmost part of the province of Salerno: a strip of plains south of the Sele river and the mountainous bastion between Agropoli, Sapri and Vallo di Diano. Mountains that reach almost 2000 meters and 100 km of mainly rocky coast dotted with bays and coves. The toponym has not always coincided with these boundaries, however, as shown by one of the most accredited etymologies, Cilento from "Inter Silarum et Alentum" (today Sele and Alento rivers). Here it is the coast with the increasing affirmation of seaside tourism. But the Cilento is not only sea, but also cultural, historical and naturalistic tourism.

Paestum

Everybody knows today Paestum, they know of its three magnificent Doric temples, among the most important of the Greek world in the archaic and classical age. The temple of Neptune or Poseidon, a perfect example of Doric architecture, which some recent studies have attributed to Apollo. The temple of Hera, also known as the Basilica, is the oldest of the three buildings that stand in the excavation area and certainly belongs to the first generation of the great temples. The temple of Athena, rises to the north, at the highest point of the archaeological area. It is the only one of the three places of worship of which we know with certainty the divinity to which it was dedicated, to Athena, in fact, the guardian goddess of craftsmanship and war. An obligatory stop for those who visit the archaeological area of ​​Paestum is the Museum, which tells visitors about the history of Paestum and its magnificent temples. The social organization of its ancient inhabitants and their daily life.

Access to the archaeological park is also guaranteed to people with disabilities. They are in fact prsent ramps and elevators.

"The fortune of Paestum and the modern memory of the Doric 1750-1830 was the title of the beautiful exhibition with which the reclaimed spaces of the Certosa di Padula in the Vallo di Diano were inaugurated.This extraordinary complex for the richness of its decoration was built in 1306 at the behest of the Sanseverino family, lords of the Vallo di Diano The original portal of the church and the cross vault remain today, the visitor is struck by the splendor of the great cloister embellished with a good eighty-four arches and from a staircase with a characteristic elliptical shape.

Teggiano

The impressive complex is located 3 kilometers from the town of Padula. To give an idea of ​​this majestic work, just think that the great cloister is able to accommodate sixty thousand people and that, in 1535, Charles V and his soldiers were fed with the largest omelette in the world, passed to history with the name of omelette of a thousand eggs, prepared by the monks according to tradition. A few kilometers north of Padula we find the museum city of Teggiano, a real treasure trove of art treasures of unequaled value declared in 1998 by UNESCO. A real medieval jewel able to tell tourists the splendor of its history, art, culture and nature.

The most significant work from the point of view of the historical and artistic heritage is certainly the Castle built during the Renaissance era was the scene of a bloody massacre and still preserves intact the charm of the events that were linked to the fate of the powerful state of Diano. Around the year, between 11 and 13 August, the resort attracts crowds of visitors who come to see the historical re-enactment of the wedding celebrated in 1474 between Antonello Sanseverino, Prince of Salerno and Lord of Diano and Constance, daughter of Federico da Montefeltro, great Duke of Urbino.

Roscigno

And what about Roscigno old, baptized the Pompeii of 900. A village abandoned by its inhabitants at the beginning of the last century because of the threat of a landslide. Aware of the silent charm of the narrow streets, the eighteenth-century square, the curtain of stone houses that surround it, the fountains and drinking troughs, the pro loco of Roscigno decided about twenty years ago to transform the town into a museum city, while the superintendence at the BAAAS of Salerno he started the restoration and restoration of the buildings. Following a significant work of rstauro, the canonical house and the town hall today host the museum of rural civilization. In it were collected the memories related to the rural society of the ancient inhabitants of Roscigno. Entering Roscigno Vecchia is equivalent to a real journey through time. It is a place where time has stopped two centuries ago. The houses, the streets, the fountains, the church still have the same as when they were abandoned, completely unscathed by the effects of modernization.

Pertosa e Castelcivita

Other places to visit in Cilento are Vallo della Lucania where you can visit one of the most beautiful diocesan museums in Italy and Capaccio known for its old but well-preserved noble palaces. History, art, sea, but the Cilento is also wild nature, wooded peaks, countryside adorned by the sea, rivers and lakes rich in flora and fauna. All this has led the authorities to put under environmental constraint over 180,000 hectares which today constitute the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano. Mète obliged of this area are the caves of Pertosa and the caves of Castelcivita. The first, also called Grotte dell'Angelo, are located on the eastern side of the Alburni massif. The initial stretch is characterized by the flow of the river Negro, which traverses on rafts allows you to reach a small landing from which you immerse yourself in the imaginative bizarreness of nature: stalactites and stalagmites modeled under the slow and constant action of water take forms bizarre and surreal to which human imagination punctually attributes a name. On the opposite side are the caves of Castelcivita, different from the first but not for this menio beautiful and fascinating. Giant concretions, overhanging passages follow one another for almost 4 kilometers, opening up from time to time in majestic salons. It is no coincidence that these places have been chosen to settle in the Inferno di Dante, a live show, with no wings or papier-mâché backdrops, but with only the natural scenery of this site. The audience led by a Dante crosses the ten infernal circles meeting the characters described by the great poet in his verses.

Oasi di Persano

Another excellence of nature is constituted by the Oasis of Persano established in the early 80s around an artificial basin, the real core of a wildlife area that extends over 100 hectares between the towns of Campagna and Serre, along the river Sele. This area is characterized by a succession of woods of willows, poplars and alders, meadows of daffodils, wild orchids and buttercups, forests of ferns and water lilies and marsh areas. But the real symbol of this oasis is the otter, which shares its habitat with skunks, badgers, weasels and wild boar. The oasis of Persano is a reference point for migratory birds, finding itself on the route North Africa Europe periodically crossed by red herons and cinerinos and wild ducks.

Continuing south we meet Agropoli, with its tropical bay of Trentova, Santa Maria di Castellabate, which became famous for having formed the set of the film "Welcome to the South", Casalvelino new entry in 2012 among the Cilento locations awarded with the blue flag, Acciaroli , with its crystal clear waters and a long beach of fine white sand. Its narrow streets recall the ancient fishing village of the past. A short distance from Acciaroli, still within the municipality of Pollica, we find Pioppi, a tiny center among the most popular from the seaside tourism of Cilento. And again Palinuro, with the famous natural arch and its caves, the coveted goal of every sub.Marina di Camerota, characterized by an arch of coast of various shapes, with evocative ravines and inlets to the east, while it is low and sandy to the west and It is just along this coast that in recent years the beach of Cala Bianca has become a national celebrity, with the title "The most beautiful you are" following a web survey promoted by Lega Ambiente. And down to the Gulf of Policastro, with Scario, Santa Marina, Vibonati and Sapri.