What is Castellabate known for?

Castle built from 1123 by Saint Costabile Gentilcore, abbot of the Trinità della Cava, around which the hilltown grew and to which it owes its name. Setting of the 2010 Luca Miniero film that turned the village into a national reference for southern Italian hospitality and stereotype reversal. Blue Flag bay between Santa Maria and Punta Licosa, inside the Cilento protected marine area, with sand and clear water below the borgo.

Where is Castellabate?

Castellabate is a comune in the province of Salerno, Campania region of Italy, about 69 kilometers from Salerno.

Campania · Salerno

Castellabate

A 1123 abbot's castle on a 280-meter Cilento ridge, with a Bandiera Blu beach below and the Benvenuti al Sud film.

69 km / 43 mi

Nearest hub (Salerno)

8,677

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Castellabate is the borgo above and the beach below, on a Cilento ridge thirty kilometres south of Salerno. The hilltowntakes its name from the Castello dell'Angelo built by Costabile Gentilcore, fourth abbot of the Trinità della Cava, who laid the first stone on 10 October 1123. Castrum Abbatis, the abbot's castle, gave the place its present name. The hamlets below, Santa Maria, San Marco, Ogliastro Marina and Licosa, run along the bay where the Saracens were defeated in 846 by a coalition of Naples, Amalfi, Sorrento and Gaeta. Castellabate is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia, a Bandiera Blu commune of about nine thousand residents inside the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. The Punta Licosa promontory, named after the Siren Leucosia of Greek legend, is the southern boundary of the protected marine area. The 2010 film Benvenuti al Sud, shot here, brought the village to a national audience.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello dell'Abate
Castle begun on 10 October 1123 by Saint Costabile Gentilcore, fourth abbot of the Trinità della Cava, gave the village its name as Castrum Abbatis.
Centro storico di Castellabate
Hilltop borgo at 280 meters, one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia, stone alleys around the castle and views down to the bay and Punta Licosa.
Basilica Pontificia di Santa Maria de Gulia
Twelfth-century mother church at Santa Maria di Castellabate, raised to pontifical basilica in the twentieth century, with a wooden statue of the Madonna.
Punta Licosa
Promontory and small offshore island named after the Siren Leucosia of Greek legend, the southern boundary of the Cilento protected marine area.
Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park
UNESCO Mediterranean Diet biosphere reserve, with the Monte Stella ridge inland of Castellabate and the marine area extending to Agropoli.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May, June and September are the open months on this stretch of Cilento, with the borgo above and the marina below working at a manageable pace and the sea warm enough to swim from late May. July and August fill Santa Maria di Castellabate with weekenders from Naples and Salerno, day boats running to Punta Licosa and the SS267 backed up at peak hours. April and October are quiet and dry, the right window for the hilltown stairs and the Monte Stella trails. November through March is winter on the Cilento, half the marina rentals closed, the borgo emptier and the patronal feast of Santa Maria a Mare in early September the last big draw of the year.