Sea

The sea and coast of Castellabate are under “marine biological protection” to preserve their natural and environmental heritage since 1972. In 2009 the protected marine area of Santa Maria di Castellabate was born between the area between Baia del Saùco (or del Vallone) and the tip of Ogliastro. The area is divided into areas subject to different environmental protection regimes:

• the integral reserve zone A also prohibits bathing and concerns the coast between Punta Tresino and Maroccia valley;
• Zone B (around Zone A and between Punta Torricella and Punta Ogliastro) of general reserve allows bathing and navigation within 300 meters from the coast;
• Partial reserve zone C with limited restrictions includes the residual stretch of sea within the protected marine area.

Nature

Some of its natural environments, both marine and hilly, are included in the Natura 2000 Network , a system of protected areas according to the European Habitats and Birds directives, which aim to protect natural habitats where animal species and plants are threatened at Community level. We also find the marine park of Santa Maria di Castellabate, the coast between Punta Tresino and the Ripe Rosse, the island of Licosa, Mount Licosa and surroundings and Mount Tresino and surroundings.

Religious Architectures

• Pontifical Basilica of Santa Maria de Gulia in Romanesque style in the first half of the XII century;
• Sanctuary of Santa Maria a Mare of 1826 in Santa Maria on a pre-existing chapel of the XII century;
• Church of San Marco Evangelista from 1911 in Piazza Giuseppe Comunale in San Marco;
• Church of Sant’Antonio da Padova in Lago;
• Church of the Santissima Immacolata in modern style in Piazza Madre Teresa di Calcutta in Lago;
• Church of Santa Rosa da Lima in Alano;
• Church of San Giovanni built in 957 in Tresino. The legend of the bell of San Giovanni is linked to the church, which was stolen by the Saracens and thrown into the sea in the “fossa di San Giovanni” to prevent their ship from sinking in a storm;
• Chapel of Santa Maria del Soccorso on the pier of Punta Licosa alongside Palazzo Granito;
• Chapel of Pietà (16th century);
• Chapel of San Pasquale (18th century);
• Chapel of San Biagio (17th century);
• Chapel of San Leonardo (17th century);
• Chapel of San Giovanni (18th century);
• Chapel of the Holy Rosary (16th century) located on the churchyard of the basilica Santa Maria de Gulia;
• Chapel of Santa Maria della Scala (17th century);
• Chapel of San Cosimo (16th century) used as a shelter for plague victims of 1656 and cholera of 1836;
• Chapel of Santa Maria della Pace (17th century);
• Chapel of Santa Maria del Piano (16th century);
• Chapel of Santa Sofia (19th century);
• Chapel of San Marco (16th century) near the port of San Marco.

Monuments

• The medieval village on the Sant’Angelo hill;
• the towers along the coast, which constituted the medieval defensive line against the Saracen invasions. The best preserved tower is the Norman-Aragonese one of the “Pagliarola” or “Perrotti”;
• Palazzo Belmonte ;
• Palazzo De Angelis of the XVIII century in San Marco. On the entrance door in Cilento stone there is an epigraph from the late nineteenth century: “Inveni portum. Spes et fortuna valete. Sat me lusistis. Ludite nunc alios” (I found the port, goodbye hope, goodbye luck, you have deceived me enough, now you have deceived others). The surrounding area houses a necropolis;
• Palazzo Granito of the first half of the eighteenth century and overlooks the pier of Punta Licosa. It represented one of the hunting lodges of King Charles of Bourbon;
• Palazzo Perrotti;
• Porto Travierso or “Porto delle Gatte” in Santa Maria. Inside the arches there were some warehouses, useful for storing Cilento goods (cereals, wine and olive oil) which were exchanged especially with Cava de ‘Tirreni and Naples;
• Torretta in San Marco: a seventeenth-century fortified farmhouse owned by the Granito family used in the past for the production of various agricultural products;
• Villa Matarazzo , the nineteenth-century summer estate of the count who emigrated to Brazil Francesco Matarazzo. In the summer months it hosts various conferences, exhibitions and shows;
• Village of San Giovanni : ancient village founded in Tresino around the year 1000.

Archeological sites

• Cava dei rocchi , a quarry from the 6th century BC discovered in 2010. From here the Greeks from Trezeni extracted the rocks: cylindrical sandstone blocks, used to compose the stem of the columns. With these materials the temples of Paestum were built;
• Greek-Roman port from the 1st century BC in the waters of San Marco;
• San Marco is home to a necropolis located near the promenade that leads from the modern port to the Pozzillo.

Museums

• Permanent exhibition “Ancient sea” in the Abbot’s Castle and which contains the archaeological finds found in the surrounding waters. The most important are the amphoras of the first century BC. coming from the wreckage of a Roman ship, sunk off Licosa and brought to light in 1990;
• Castellabate Sacred Art Museum;
• Football museum Andrea Fortunato.

Events

• Feast of San Costabile (17 February), patron of the municipality of Castellabate;
• Feast of San Marco evangelista (April 25), which is characterized by the procession of the patron saint of San Marco with boats by sea;
• Feast of Santa Maria a Mare (15 August), patron saint of Santa Maria, which is characterized by the midnight fireworks display at sea. The fair takes place on August 13th;
• Culture week (10 – 17 February) which provides for the delivery of the “Giglio d’oro” prize to illustrious people who have maintained a cultural and emotional connection with the community of Castellabate;
• Southern publishing showcase (summer period): cultural meetings, book presentations, debates, also associated with food and wine evenings, painting exhibitions, theatrical performances and musical works. The most important publishing houses of the South took part in the exhibition, initially created to promote Cilento publishing;
• Concert on the water (July): a classical music concert dedicated to the siren Leucosia, held on a floating platform in the waters in front of the island of Licosa;
• Leucosia Award (first week of September) in the park of Villa Matarazzo: a recognition for those who have made Cilento known beyond its natural borders with their work;
• Stuzza (14 August) in the waters of Marina Piccola in Santa Maria. The game consists in recovering three flags placed at the end of a 17 meters pole, suspended horizontally and sprinkled with fat. The winner is the one who, walking on the pole without sliding into the water, manages to collect the farthest flag;
• Games of the Shire (month of September) where the various districts of Santa Maria challenge each other in the “terrain” of Marina Piccola in games such as the race with the bags, the race with the wheelbarrows, the spaghetti, the maypole, pots and tug of war to decree the winner of the prize.

Agropoli, Licosa, Ogliastro, Perdifumo