The Cilento is the southern part of Campania below the Sele plain — a rugged national park peninsula of limestone mountains descending to a coastline of extraordinary clarity, with the towns of Agropoli, Acciaroli, Palinuro, and Marina di Camerota on its Tyrrhenian arc. It is one of the least-visited parts of southern Italy by international tourism, despite having: Paestum (three temples of the Doric order in a state of preservation exceeding anything in Greece — the Temple of Neptune is the most complete Greek temple in the western Mediterranean); Acciaroli (the fishing village where American physiologist Ancel Keys established the link between the Mediterranean diet and longevity after the 1950s Seven Countries Study); and the best water quality on the southern Tyrrhenian coast (the Cilento National Park coastline has consistently among the highest water quality ratings of any Italian coastal zone). Campania guide
Plan my Italy trip →Region: Campania, province of Salerno (south of Paestum) | National Park: Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni (UNESCO World Heritage 1998) | Key sites: Paestum (Greek temples), Acciaroli, Palinuro, Marina di Camerota | Distance from Naples: 100–160 km | Distance from Salerno: 50–120 km
Paestum (the Roman name — the Greek name was Poseidonia, City of Poseidon, founded approximately 600 BC by colonists from the Greek city of Sybaris in Calabria) contains three large Doric temples that are the best-preserved Greek temples in the western Mediterranean and arguably better preserved than any individual temple surviving in Greece itself. The Temple of Hera I (the Basilica, c.560–540 BC — the oldest, with the characteristic archaic heaviness of early Doric); the Temple of Neptune (Poseidon) (c.460 BC — the finest example of mature Doric proportions anywhere in the Mediterranean, with all outer columns standing and significant portions of the inner colonnade preserved); and the Temple of Ceres (Athena) (c.510 BC, the smallest and most elegant of the three). The Temple of Neptune specifically: it has been called by architects and art historians the most perfect surviving Doric temple in the world, exceeding the Parthenon in the completeness of the outer colonnade. Entry €12; the archaeological museum next to the site (included in the ticket) has the extraordinary painted tomb slabs from the Lucanian period (4th–3rd century BC) — the only surviving examples of Greek-tradition panel painting from antiquity.
In 1954, the American physiologist Ancel Keys arrived in Acciaroli — a small fishing village on the Cilento coast (now part of the commune of Pollica) — to study what he observed as an unusually low rate of cardiovascular disease among the local population despite high fat intake. His subsequent research, the Seven Countries Study (1958–1970, following 12,000 men in seven countries over 15 years), established the epidemiological link between the Mediterranean dietary pattern (high in olive oil, vegetables, legumes, fish, and moderate wine; low in saturated fat and processed foods) and reduced cardiovascular mortality. The term "Mediterranean diet" as a health concept derives directly from Keys's Cilento research. Acciaroli today: a small fishing village with a harbour, excellent anchovies (the Alici di Menaica — a specific anchovy variety, caught by a traditional net method, salt-cured and considered the finest Italian anchovy), and the specific living-laboratory quality of Keys's research site. Ancel Keys lived in his Cilento house until his death at age 100 in 2004.
The Cilento National Park coastline (approximately 100 km from Agropoli to Sapri) is consistently among the highest-rated coastal water quality zones in Italy. The most praised beaches: Palinuro (the cape at the southern tip of the Cilento, with the Grotta Azzurra sea cave accessible by boat, the Arco Naturale rock arch, and the specific turquoise water quality of the cape zone); Marina di Camerota (a small town in the deep Cilento south, with multiple beaches and coves accessible by boat — the Spiaggia della Calanca, the Lentiscelle cove, the Porto Infreschi natural bay); and San Marco di Castellabate (the beach settlement of the medieval hill town of Castellabate — the setting for the Italian film Benvenuti al Sud). The Cilento beaches are significantly less crowded and less expensive than the Amalfi Coast (100 km north) in July–August, and the water quality is measurably higher. The trade-off: infrastructure is more limited, nightlife less developed, accommodation more modest. Amalfi guide →
The Cilento is the southern portion of Campania, south of the Sele plain, in the province of Salerno. The Cilento National Park (UNESCO 1998, 181,000 hectares) protects the limestone mountain interior and the Tyrrhenian coastline. The key Cilento destinations: Paestum (three extraordinary Greek temples, the best-preserved in the western Mediterranean); Acciaroli (the fishing village where Ancel Keys developed the Mediterranean diet concept in the 1950s); Palinuro (the cape with the Grotta Azzurra and turquoise water); and Marina di Camerota. Less visited and less expensive than the Amalfi Coast; water quality consistently higher.
The Paestum temples and the Parthenon are different in scale and preservation: the Parthenon (447–432 BC) is larger, architecturally more refined, and more historically significant as the defining achievement of Periclean Athens. The Paestum Temple of Neptune (c.460 BC) is better preserved in terms of the completeness of its standing structure — the outer colonnade is essentially complete with all columns standing, versus the Parthenon's heavily ruined state (the east pediment partially surviving, the west facade almost entirely gone, the interior cella destroyed). For visitors who want to understand what a complete Greek Doric temple looked like from the exterior, Paestum's Temple of Neptune gives a more complete impression. The two sites are not rivals but complements — a serious student of Greek architecture visits both.
The Mediterranean diet as a defined health concept was developed by American physiologist Ancel Keys (1904–2004) from his research in the Cilento region of southern Italy from 1954 onward. Keys observed low cardiovascular disease rates among the Cilento rural population despite high fat consumption, and hypothesised that the specific dietary pattern (olive oil as primary fat, high vegetable and legume intake, regular fish, moderate wine, low saturated fat) was causally protective. His Seven Countries Study (1958–1970, 12,000 men, 7 countries, 15 years) established the epidemiological link. UNESCO inscribed the Mediterranean diet as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. Keys lived in his Cilento house until age 100; he died in 2004 in Minneapolis. The town of Acciaroli commemorates his research.
The Cilento Coast is 100–160 km south of Naples — 1.5–2.5 hours by car via the A3 Autostrada del Mediterraneo, with exits at Battipaglia/Eboli (for Paestum, 30 km) and at Vallo Scalo (for the Cilento coast, various towns). By train: Trenitalia regional trains on the Battipaglia-Sapri line stop at Agropoli, Castellabate, Acciaroli, and Palinuro (approximately 2 hours from Naples Centrale). Paestum is a separate station (Capaccio-Roccadaspide) on the line from Battipaglia. A car is strongly recommended for the Cilento coast — the towns are spread over 100 km and the most beautiful coves (Palinuro, Marina di Camerota) require driving narrow mountain roads. July–August parking is limited; arrive early or park in designated car parks and walk or take a boat to the beaches.
The Cilento and the Amalfi Coast offer different experiences and the Cilento wins on specific criteria: water quality (the Cilento National Park coast consistently scores higher on water quality tests than the Amalfi Coast, which has perennial issues with the capacity of its waste management infrastructure); crowd levels (the Cilento in July–August has a fraction of the Amalfi Coast visitor density); price (accommodation and food in the Cilento are 30–50% cheaper than equivalent options on the Amalfi Coast); and the archaeological and historical content (Paestum is far more significant than anything on the Amalfi Coast). The Amalfi Coast wins on: dramatic scenery (the vertical limestone cliff-drop is unique in the Mediterranean); prestige tourism infrastructure; and the specific Positano-Ravello cultural tourism tradition. Both in one trip: drive the Amalfi Coast in a day from the Cilento base — 100 km north, reversing the tourist crowd pressure direction.
Cilento Paestum temples + Acciaroli Mediterranean diet + Palinuro blue grotto + crystal water without Amalfi prices — the Campania secret circuit.
Plan my Cilento trip →The Alici di Menaica is a specific anchovy variety from the Acciaroli and Pisciotta area of the Cilento coast, caught using the menaica — a traditional net with very fine mesh that captures only large, mature anchovies (the small immature fish pass through). The menaica fishing requires calm sea conditions (typically at night in good weather from April to September) and the net must be pulled very slowly to avoid damaging the delicate fish. After capture, the anchovies are immediately cleaned, placed whole in terracotta pots with sea salt and aged for 3–6 months. The result: a specifically complex flavour profile (less metallic, more umami-rich than industrially processed anchovies) that has attracted attention from chefs internationally and from Slow Food, which has given the Alici di Menaica Presidio status. Available directly from the few remaining Pisciotta producers (approximately 10 families maintain the tradition) and at selected food shops in the Cilento.
The best Cilento beaches ranked by water quality and beauty: Porto Infreschi (a completely enclosed natural bay accessible only by boat from Marina di Camerota — crystal clear, protected, no facilities, the finest natural bathing in the Cilento); Spiaggia della Calanca, Marina di Camerota (accessible by boat or a 30-minute path, white pebble, clear water); Palinuro cape beaches (multiple small coves around the cape, accessible by kayak or boat); Spiaggia di Palinuro (the main sandy beach, more developed infrastructure); and San Marco di Castellabate (the beach of the medieval hill town, consistent high water quality, less crowded than equivalent Amalfi Coast beaches). The Cilento coast as a whole receives the EU Blue Flag designation consistently; the specific combination of Cilento National Park protection and low industrial/agricultural pressure explains the superior water quality versus the Amalfi Coast.
Palinuro cape (Capo Palinuro) is the southernmost tip of the main Cilento peninsula — named for Palinurus, the helmsman of Aeneas who fell asleep at the tiller and drowned off this cape in Virgil's Aeneid. The cape has: the Grotta Azzurra (a sea cave with the same refracted-light quality as the Capri Blue Grotto, accessible by rowing boat from the Palinuro harbour, approximately €8/person); the Arco Naturale (a natural rock arch in the sea, visible from the cape path or by boat); and the specific water colour of the cape zone (the meeting of currents from the Tyrrhenian north and south produces a clarity and blue-green quality rated among the finest in Italy by divers and snorkellers). Scuba diving operators in Palinuro organise dives to the Palinuro canyon (a submarine canyon beginning 50 metres from the shore, one of the richest diving sites in the Mediterranean).