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Stemma di Camerota

Campania · Salerno

Camerota

A Cilento hill of 422 meters above the Costa degli Infreschi, with prehistoric caves documenting Neanderthal occupation along the southern Tyrrhenian.

Known for

  • PREHISTORIC CAVES

    Marina di Camerota cave system with Neanderthal and early modern human stratigraphy from the late Middle Palaeolithic to the Chalcolithic.

  • COSTA DEGLI INFRESCHI

    Protected marine area with freshwater springs feeding cold pools into the Tyrrhenian, accessible by foot or by boat from the Marina.

  • BANDIERA BLU

    Blue Flag water quality at Marina di Camerota, with sandy and pebbled coves inside the Cilento national park boundary.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

The festa: Vincenzo Ferreri, second Sunday of July

Why come

Camerota sits in the southern Cilento, six kilometres above its better-known marina, with three other hamlets, Lentiscosa, Licusati and Marina di Camerota, scattered between the hilltop and the sea. The name probably comes from the Greek kamaròtos, curved, after the limestone arches along the coast. The Marina is a Bandiera Blu fishing village inside the Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta protected marine area, with a series of caves cut into the cliffs by sea and rivers.

Excavations since the 1950s in Grotta della Cala, Grotta di San Biagio and others have documented Neanderthal and early modern human occupation from the late Middle Palaeolithic to the Chalcolithic, one of the longest stratigraphic sequences on the Tyrrhenian. The hilltown above keeps its medieval centro storico almost empty in winter and full in August, alongside Cilento DOP olive oil from the slopes.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Camerota’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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Camerota — photo 1
Camerota — photo 2

What to see

  • Grotte di Marina di Camerota

    Coastal cave system including Grotta della Cala and Grotta di San Biagio, with continuous archaeological sequences from Neanderthal occupation to the Chalcolithic.

  • Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta

    Protected marine area between Marina di Camerota and Scario, freshwater springs feeding cold pools into the sea, accessible by foot or boat.

  • Castello Marchesale di Camerota

    Medieval castle on the highest point of the hilltown, of Norman origin and remodelled under the Marchesi, with views over the Gulf of Policastro.

  • Centro storico di Camerota

    Hilltop old town at 422 meters with stone alleys around the castle, the eighteenth-century mother church and the four-hamlet civic structure.

  • Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park

    UNESCO Mediterranean Diet biosphere reserve, with the Bulgheria massif behind the town and the protected marine area along the coast.

The slow-trip planner

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Living here

  • Population 6,875
  • Very remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
  • Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 2 h 54 min drive
  • Regional capital Napoli, 2 h 54 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 422 m
  • Population: 6,875
  • Surface area: 70.58 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

Close by

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