The Cilento is a stunningly beautiful area with some of the best hikes & walks in Italy!
The region of Campania has been known as a paradise on earth from ancient times on. It is famous for Pompeii, Amalfi, Capri and Sorrento and of course the vibrant city of Naples.
But it’s real secret is located south of Salerno. Here the Greeks built some of their most impressive temples at Paestum and a bit further south the coastline bulges out into an expanse of hills & mountains. This is the Cilento, now one of Italy’s biggest and most diverse National Parks, with World Heritage listing.
In the Cilento you’ll find high mountains close to the sea. There’s something special about walking along cliff tops above the beach, enjoying stunning views of the cliffs and beaches from above. Views of the island of Capri and the Amalfi coast stretched out across the bay one the one side,or views over Calabria and Stromboli behind the turquoise waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea or small picturesque ports filled with fishing boats or small yachts never fail to impress from above.
And without the crowds you’ll find in more famous destinations!
The area is among our personal favourites – not often mentioned in any of the guide books (yet), and therefore without the crowds that can often be found on some better known trails. A great off-the-beaten-path destination, the Cilento is a stunningly diverse area, where you can alternate almost ‘alpine’ hiking with beautiful walks along the seashore. The area is drenched in mythology, due to its Greek heritage (of course the nearby Greek temples of Paestum are a must to visit!), and has preserved much of its recent past, including many traditions and of course its authentic cuisine.
Although the Cilento offers endless possibilities for hiking, unfortunately there are still no good maps available. Many of the paths indicated on some of the proposed ‘walking maps’ (including the official maps of the National park) might be overgrown or simply non-existent….
We therefore recommend to book a Cilento tour at a trustworthy tour operator, who will supply you with up-to-date information about the walks and good maps! Genius Loci tours are sold by many of the leading walking tour operators worldwide. And of course you can book as well directly through our own website!
Perhaps there is not one single hike which stands out but the combination of culture and nature in the ‘Heart of the Cilento’, an area largely undisturbed by the 21st century, is unique. Worth a full immersion – for at least a week!
And then there are the beautiful hikes along the Cilento Coast: along the headlands of Punta Tresino, Punta Licosa and Capo Palinuro. And of course along the stunning Infreschi Coast, which boasts a number of Italy’s finest beaches. Which you have almost completely for yourself when you hike there in Spring or Autumn! The discovery of your own personal Paradise!
We offer both a full tour of the whole coast, as well as shorter tours along the South Coast and the area of the ‘Cilento Antico’, the area of the Monte Stella & the northern coast.
For those who want to do only a few days of hiking in the Cilento area we can also recommend the ‘short breaks’, as wella s the suggestions made by our friend Peter Amann, in his travel guide “Cilento aktiv” (unfortunately only in German). He describes several great walking tours. And we can provide the best possible accommodation, close to the trails.
Interested? Want to find out more? Please contact us. We are here to prepare the perfect tour for you!
And if you want to explore this area by bike: check out the possibilities for cycling in this cyclist’s paradise!
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