Castellabate: Coast and Cultural Heritage

Castellabate combines coastal landscapes with a layered history. Beaches, archaeological sites, churches and regional cuisine offer different focal points for planning your trip. The coast itself also offers a variety of options: from the beach in the historic town center to the island of Punta Licosa, with its coves and traces of antiquity.

Coast, Beaches and Marine Protected Area

Marina Piccola is in the historic center of the seaside resort of Santa Maria di Castellabate and is approximately 200 meters long. At more than one kilometer, Pozzillo Beach is the longest beach in Castellabate. It stretches from Santa Maria di Castellabate to San Marco di Castellabate. The two beach descriptions thus differ both in length and in the places they refer to.

The Isola di Punta Licosa is located in the Santa Maria di Castellabate Marine Protected Area. The island has coves and beaches with crystal-clear water; the remains of a Roman villa are also found there. You can reach the island via a road with restricted access from the south, along a path from the north, or by sea, docking at the harbor. The “Vallone Alto” Nature Trail connects the harbor of San Marco with the Isola di Punta Licosa and is approximately two kilometers long—a specific distance to help you plan this outing.

The marine protected area was established in 2009 in Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. It covers 7,095 hectares of sea and two hectares of coastline. Meadows of Posidonia oceanica seagrass grow on the seabed off Castellabate, providing shelter for many species of fish and crustaceans. Swimming and navigation are permitted in general protection zone B, provided speeds do not exceed five knots.

Fortress, Churches and Archaeological Traces

The Castello dell’Abate was built as a fortress at the behest of San Costabile Gentilcore to protect the area and its population from Saracen attacks. Gentilcore became the patron saint of Castellabate in 1123; this date marks his appointment, not the construction of the fortress. The permanent exhibition Mostra Mare Antico is housed in the ground-floor rooms of the Castello dell’Abate. It preserves numerous anchors found between San Marco and Punta Tresino in 1977.

The Basilica di Santa Maria de Giulia is a Romanesque church dating from the 12th century. Its preserved works of art include a painting of the victorious Archangel Michael and a triptych by Pavanino da Palermo. Another historical date concerns the Santuario Santa Maria a Mare: it is documented as early as 1102, when it bore the name Santa Maria “presso il lido del mare.”

Villa Matarazzo adds another point in time to the town’s history: it dates from the 19th century. Its park includes a rose garden with more than 220 varieties of historic roses. For traces of earlier use, turn to Campo dei Rocchi, an ancient sandstone quarry that is largely submerged and approximately two kilometers long and 500 meters wide. The area was visited first by the Greeks, later by the Lucanians and finally by the Romans, from the 6th century BC onward.

Traditions and Maritime Cuisine

The religious and patronal festival of Santa Maria a Mare takes place every year on August 15. Castellabate’s maritime culinary tradition includes Alici in tortiera with breadcrumbs, marinated anchovies, egg-stuffed “’mbuttunate” anchovies, and salted anchovies. These different preparations give fish its own place alongside the archaeological and scenic aspects of the coast.

If you’re looking for a hotel in Castellabate, first consider whether your trip will focus more on beaches and the sea or on the fortress, churches and archaeological history. The places and themes described here offer concrete starting points, without requiring you to limit yourself to just one aspect of the destination.

Discover more destinations: Sassano, Capitello, Paestum, Catona, Roccadaspide, Torraca, Laviano, Perito.

For the overview of the wider area: Salerno.