The karstic nature of the rock that characterizes Cilento from the sea to the mountains favors the formation of caves and cavities. There are some along the coasts above and below the sea and on the Alburni, frequented since prehistoric times as shelters for men and flocks. Large underground complexes where the water embroiders wonders in eternal evolution.

Source of pure waters together with myths and legends, inspirers of poets, numerous, famous rivers cross the Cilento land from the mountains that generate them to the sea that welcomes them, after making the plains fertile and quenching the thirst of villages and cities. Waterways that have united peoples and cultures in every era of history.

Made of karst rock, clear, tall and majestic, the Alburni stand out against the sky, marking a geographical border with Lucania which has been a bridge between cultures and civilizations throughout history. Among the peaks that offer extraordinary panoramas in every season, the Cervati stands out, the second highest mountain in Campania.

Numerous blue and green flags are waving on the Cilento beaches, favored by sea turtles for nesting. Nestled in the bays and coves where they contribute, with the clear sea and the promontories that delimit them, to form the magnificent natural coastal scenery of the gulfs of Salerno and Policastro.

Small mountain, valleys and high hills to which spring gives a mantle of flowers. Evocative waterfalls crowned with greenery. Deep gorges carved by water on the mountains. Wetlands that offer ideal conditions for the life of various plant and animal species, true havens for migratory birds and otters.

The Cilento thermal basin, already well known to the ancient Romans, is nestled in the Sele river valley with its luxuriant vegetation. There are the thermal baths of Contursi, which guarantee beneficial and healthy effects to those who frequent them in the modern specialized structures of the area.

The emerald green of the vegetation and the intense blue of the sea, the two prevailing colors of the Cilento nature also distinguish a lizard that lives only on the island of Licosa. The small reptile that represents the most curious of the Cilento faunal rarities is called Podarcis sicula Klemmeri.

The entire Cilento, with the Vallo di Diano and the Alburni form the second largest national park in Campania, recognized as a Unesco World Heritage Site. And in the National Park, the oases and natural reserves on land correspond to the sea and on the coast, two Marine Protected Areas, custodians of unique habitats in the world.

Precious jewel, Unesco heritage, among the most impressive and best preserved cities of Magna Graecia, Paestum already conquers from afar with its magnificent Doric temples, among the attractions of the Grand Tour. From the Greeks to the Lucanians up to the Romans, unique testimonies of eras and different civilizations in perfect harmony.

They cross valleys and countryside, overcome slopes and hills, accompany the course of rivers. And they encounter villages, sanctuaries and World Heritage sites. The Cammini in Cilento retrace thousand-year-old itineraries, recovering the dimension of the journey as a life experience.

Along the main routes of the Mediterranean, the coast is furrowed by the communication routes used by men and flocks between one side and the other of the Apennines, the land of the Enotri and Lucani, colonized by the Greeks, and then inhabited by the Romans, preserves fundamental traces of these and other ancient local civilizations.

On the magnificent peaks of the Alburni, where even the most ancient peoples had their places of worship, rise the "Seven Sisters", the Marian sanctuaries, the destination of annual centuries-old pilgrimages accompanied by very special and spectacular rituals, deeply rooted in the communities of origin.

There are fortresses on the sea, to defend the coastal villages exposed to attacks and invasions, and majestic castles on the heights of the interior, in a strategic position on the borders or to guard important routes. Imposing architectural works, where history was made, which today often host museums and cultural centres.

Synthesizing with a few adjectives the quantity and variety of the Cilento villages is an impossible undertaking. Between the coast in all its length and the Alburni, up to the border with sister Lucania, they are scattered everywhere and tell fascinating stories with palaces, churches, alleys and cellars that are lost in the mists of time.

In Vallo di Diano dominates an architectural and artistic, historical and religious, even economic giant for many centuries. It is the famous Certosa di Padula, dedicated to San Lorenzo, the largest Benedictine convent in Europe fully restored to its former glory, which has crowned it a World Heritage Site.

Lovers of direct contact with nature will not be disappointed. There are countless itineraries to choose from and to experience with the pleasure of discovery, meeting and enchantment. Through valleys and hills, around the thousand hamlets that preserve identities and cultures. Welcome to the Cilento trails!

From the museums at the most famous archaeological sites to the less known ones, which are often encountered by chance, the value of the material heritage on display always manages to amaze, even linked to unacknowledged civilizations. Valuable evidence of exchanges and encounters between cultures since prehistoric times.