Put on your boots—or just one will do. Now, slap your boot right below your knee, but above the instep. I’m willing to bet you’ve landed right on the Campania region, assuming you’ve just mentally traveled from your own boot to the geographical one. This is exactly how I’ve been explaining the location of my absolute favorite Italian region for years.
The word «campania» historically means countryside, farmland, or land for cultivation. Nowadays, it translates to the countryside or a summer retreat. And indeed, since ancient times, Campania has been Italy’s ultimate summer dacha. It boasts a blessed climate, incredibly fertile soil yielding three harvests a year, mountains, the sea, and pristine air. That is precisely why the ancient inhabitants called this land Campania Felix—the happy land.
At the southernmost tip of this Happy Land lies the Cilento National Park, which UNESCO has declared a World Heritage site. Think about it for a second: this park is protected not just by Italian law, but by the laws of all civilized humanity! What is so special about it that it deserves such care?
From your very first step, Cilento enchants you with dizzying cliffs plunging into a crystal-clear sea. It offers wide sandy beaches easily accessible by both land and sea, alongside tiny rocky coves reachable exclusively by boat. You’ll find villages perched atop hills, extraordinary mountain landscapes, breathtaking sunsets over the sea, and pictures of untouched nature.
And oh, the sheer number of plant and animal species that live and breed here under state protection! But that deserves a story of its own.
This is one of the most beautiful coastlines in Italy: a hundred kilometers of beaches, reefs sculpted out of solid rock by the sun and wind, hidden coves tucked away from prying eyes, and mystical sea caves…
Since ancient times, Cilento’s natural beauty has inspired poets. Many ancient Greek myths took place right here on the Cilento coast. Remember the story of the island of the sweet-voiced Sirens, told by the great Homer in his epic poem, The Odyssey? Well, it’s right here in Cilento, just opposite Cape Punta Licosa, near the town of Castellabate. Don’t believe me? Come and listen to the wind howling through the pine trees of Cape Licosa… You might not actually meet the mermaids who lured sailors into their deadly embrace with their singing, but why not try? Odysseus, for instance, remembering Circe’s advice, plugged his companions’ ears with wax and ordered them to tie him to the mast so he wouldn’t leap into the sea to reach that fatal shore.
In Cilento, you will escape the crowded megacities and return to a world where an ancient way of life still endures and the laws of nature reign supreme.
And what about the superb traditional cuisine? It’s built on ingredients native to these lands, with recipes passed down through generations. It is no coincidence that right here, in the fishing village of Pioppi, the world-famous Mediterranean Diet was born!
If you are sick to death of the hustle and bustle of the modern city, with its traffic, crowds, and endless rush, then Cilento is the truest path to a slow, delicious, and soul-saving vacation. Alone with nature. Immersed in yourself.
Upon returning home, you, like Odysseus, enchanted by those divine sounds, will long to return to this amazing coast. But «obeying the command he had given them before, Odysseus’s companions bound him tighter still to the mast, struck the oars even harder, and rowed until the island of the Sirens was left far behind»…
Cilento is a place where nobody rushes. People come here not for high-society parties, but to slow down their inner pace, sip local wine at sunset, and listen to ancient myths in the sound of the surf.
Would you risk sailing past the island of the Sirens without plugging your ears with wax? Or do you have your own «secret place» in Italy that won’t let go of your heart? Let me know in the comments below!