PAESTUM
The Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia in the Cilento Land of Myths. Velia is famous for having been home, in Antiquity, to the renowned school of philosophy of Parmenides and Zeno, known as the Eleatic School from the Greek name of Velia, Elea. Besides the Eleatic School, the archaeological site of Velia is still rich in traces and memories of the daily life of a great city of Magna Graecia, as the Greek colonies in southern Italy were known, with its public and private spaces. It was founded in around 540 BCE by the inhabitants of Phocaea, a city in present-day Turkey. The city was named Hyele, after a spring, and then Elea and Velia in Roman times. Featuring an Acropolis at the top, the city is surrounded by long walls, enclosing three distinct quarters, still visible today, linked by gullies, one of which was monumentally enhanced by the construction of the extraordinary “Pink Gate”, the oldest example of a round arch in Italy.
VELIA
The Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia in the Cilento Land of Myths. Velia is famous for having been home, in Antiquity, to the renowned school of philosophy of Parmenides and Zeno, known as the Eleatic School from the Greek name of Velia, Elea. Besides the Eleatic School, the archaeological site of Velia is still rich in traces and memories of the daily life of a great city of Magna Graecia, as the Greek colonies in southern Italy were known, with its public and private spaces. It was founded in around 540 BCE by the inhabitants of Phocaea, a city in present-day Turkey. The city was named Hyele, after a spring, and then Elea and Velia in Roman times. Featuring an Acropolis at the top, the city is surrounded by long walls, enclosing three distinct quarters, still visible today, linked by gullies, one of which was monumentally enhanced by the construction of the extraordinary “Pink Gate”, the oldest example of a round arch in Italy.
ARAGONESE CASTLE OF AGROPOLI
Leaning against the ancient village of Agropoli, the castle rises in all its austere beauty on the town’s promontory, embellishing this already enchanting Cilento town with its architecture. Its origins are very ancient, the earliest evidence dates back to the Greek-Byzantine period, when a bulwark was built as a watchtower.
Medieval village of San Severino di Centola
The Medieval village of San Severino di Centola is a fortress built at a strategic location in the Mingardo Valley. It’s a magical place, where time seems to have stopped at the beginning of the 20th century. The strategic position, the houses, the castle, the small churches, and many other picturesque features make this Medieval village one of the most fascinating places in the Cilento district. It was built between the 10th and 11th centuries to control access to what is known as the Devil’s Gorge.
CAVES OF PERTOSA
The Pertosa-Auletta cave system is located in the Monti Alburni massif and represents one of the focal geosites of the “Cilento Geopark”, with two unique features: they are the only caves in Italy where it is possible to navigate an underground river, the Negro, and the only caves in Europe to preserve the remains of a prehistoric pile village dating back to the second millennium BCE. The caves extend for about three kilometres and are covered in stalactites and stalagmites of different shapes, colours and sizes, arousing amazement and wonder in visitors. The caves can be visited on guided tours only, to ensure maximum safety, and include crossing the subterranean river Negro on a boat, which makes for a fascinating and unusual journey, in an unreal silence interrupted only by the roar of the underground waterfall.