The seashores dramatically meet the local mountains making for picturesque views along the coast. The magnificent Cilento Coast and its National Park is considered a World Heritage Site under the control and protection of the UNESCO. This destination calls out to the sunbathing vacationers, nature lovers and hikers!
The villages of Agropoli and Paestum are the perfect spots to discover the Campania region and bears witness of the presence of ancient Greek settlers, who built the temple of Artemis on the promontory. Nearby Sorrento will fill in the cultural need with wonderful restaurants, museums, nightlife and great shopping opportunities.

Beaches
The beaches of Trentova Bay contribute to make Agropoli an important seaside resort.

A lot of village along the coast offer small quiet beaches, especially in the Amalfi region. Marina di Vietri has wide beaches and a clear blue sea.

Sorrento's beaches are limited: most of them are just piers extending into the water along the rock-strewn coastline. The best beach is Punta del Capo, reached by going along Corso Italia to Via del Capo. Marina Grande Beach is lined neatly with brightly colored cabins in Marina Grande

Climate With its mild and pleasant climate this destination has been a popular tourist destination for many years. In June the weather is lovely and warm with temperatures in the high 20° C. It does get extremely hot in July and it can be very humid then.

Geography
Agropoli is a town and commune located in the Cilento area of the province of Salerno, Italy, with some 21,300 inhabitants. The town overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea. Agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.

History The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times but permanent settlements only started until the later in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Around the 7th century BC this was a popular place with the Greeks who traded with the local people. This explains the large number of Greek temples still standing today.

During the 5th and 6th life was more difficult due to the Greco-Gothic war. It should be mentioned the advantage was to the locals with a well-protected harbour and a high altitude. Towards the end of the 6th century, the Bishop of Paestum took refuge in Agropoli, which then became not only the seat of a bishopbut also the main centre of the surviving Byzantine territories in Tyrrhenian Lucania. In 882 when Agropoli fell to the Saracens who plundered and terrorized the surrounding areas. The Saracens were finally driven out in 915.

Except for the lands feuds between bishops and local royalty the rest of the medieval era period remained quiet. North Africa again had its eye on the area in the 16th and 17th centuries raiding everything in sight until 1630 when they were again driven out. On September 9, 1943, the U.S. 36th Infantry Division landed on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Italy. Nine days later the Germans withdrew to the north.

Nature The Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park becoma a World Heritage Site of UNESCO. The park’s highlights are the peaks of Alburni Mountains, Cervati and Gelbison and the coastal buttresses of Mt. Bulgheria and Mt. Stella.

One of the activities promoted in this area is hiking some of the 22 foot trails, particularly around the Sorrento Peninsula. Along these paths it is possible to discover panoramic points, lemon-orchards, olive-groves, oak-woods, sunny coasts and a luxuriant and evergreen nature.

Punta Campanella is a protected area stretching for 30 km and includes several municipalities from Massa Lubrense to Vico Equense. The Marine Reserve unfolds along the coast of the Sorrento Peninsula, taking in lush headland and rocky inlets. Places to visit include the Bay of Ieranto, with its tiny islets and Li Galli, where mermaids tried to entice Ulysses with their song. This is a great place for diving and for discovering the natural marine habitat.

The Emerald Grotto is not far from Amalfi in the municipality of Conca dei Marini. The water's distinctive emerald color is caused by water from the Tyrrhenian Sea, entering and partly filling the grotto, through a crevice linked to a 12 m channel leading straight into the sea. A showcase of stalactites and stalagmites of all sizes can be seen in the grotto.

Unique to Here Limoncello is a lemon liqueur produced in Southern Italy, mainly in the region around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the coast of Amalfi and islands. It is made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water, and sugar. It is bright yellow in color, sweet and lemony, but not sour since it contains no lemon juice. Limoncello is traditionally served chilled as an after dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a center of both ceramic and limoncello production.

Airport :
Naples Airport Airport Tax : none Distance from Airport : 119 km from Naples Airport Tourist Office : Via de Maio 35. Sorrento Tel: 081-8074033 Tourist Season : April to June, and September to October Festivals & Events April Comicon - Italian comics at Castel Sant'Elmo, Naples

May Maggio dei Monumenti (May of Monuments), Naples Three Gulfs Cup Regatta, Naples

June Giovanisuoni Music Festival, Naples

Transportation Naples Airport in Capodichino is the closest airport. Agropoli has also a large tourist port, connected by ferries to Capri, Ischia, Salerno and Naples.

Getting around the area is also best done by car, bus or train. Driving here can get tricky though.

Activities & Sports
There are a multitudes of activities that one can practice here such as bicycling, tennis, swimming, diving, sailing, horseback riding, fishing, boating, and hiking.

The local football team is Sorrento Calcio who play in the Stadio Italia, and have achieved promotion into Serie C1 of the Italian Football League.

Archaeology The ruins of Pollio Felice's Villa were at one time a grand Roman building which is thought to have once had landings, terraces, and reservoirs. Just beyond the ruins there is a natural swimming pool which can be accessed from the sea through a natural archway. This is said to be a former Roman nympheum known as Diana’s Baths.

The city of Paestum is home to the still standing remains of three major Greek temples in Doric style, dating from the first half of the 6th century BC. These were dedicated to Hera, Apollo and Athena. Paestum is also renowned for its painted tombs, mainly belonging to the period of the Lucanian rule.

Attractions & Sights The town, where some tombs predating the Byzantine period were recently found, also houses the medieval ruins of San Francesco's monastery, and the Churches of the Holy Mary of Constantinople (16th century), San Marco, and San Francesco. In the Municipal Antiquarian, there is a sizeable collection of archaeological finds, representing life in the area from prehistoric to medieval times.

The Angevin-Aragonese castle, which was built on the 6th century Byzantine foundations, still stands on top of the promontory. It has a triangular plan with three circular towers and a moat. To the west of the modern tourist harbour is another small promontory, on which the coastal tower of San Francesco (16th century) stands next to the much altered remains of the convent of the same name.

A popular attraction is the Amalfi Drive, which connects Sorrento and Amalfi. This narrow road threads around the high cliffs above the Mediterranean, giving spectacular views down to the Tyrrhenian Sea and on the other side up to the towering cliffs above. The road passes through the village of Positano, which is built on the side of the hill.

Nearby Sorrento has a lot of attraction too. The Museo Correale di Terranova, a former palace, has displays of ancient statues, antiques, and Italian art. The Museo Bottega della Tasia Lignea has a collection of local applied arts. The Antiquarium Aequano - Silio Italico showcases archaeological findings dating back to Etruscan, Greek and Italic times. Visit also the Sorrento Photo gallery, the Archeological Museum of the Sorrentine Peninsula, the Mineralogical Museum Fondazione Discepolo, and the Museum-workshop of wooden tarsi. A few churches and monuments located here are well worth exploring. The Church and Cloister of S. Francesco dates from the 8th century. This cloister is a pocket of beauty in overcrowded Sorrento, with delicate arches and a garden dotted with flowering vines. See also the Duomo and the Basilica di san Antonio.

Nightlife Head to Sorrento's central square, Piazza Tasso, is the site of two worthwhile nightclubs: Fauno and Matilda. A couple of nice bars with a folkloric atmosphere are: Taverna dell' 800 and Circolo dei Forestieri.

Side Trips Explore the stunning Amalfi Coast with its steep sloped lemon tree gardens and colored terrace houses and stunning views and azure sea. See the towns of Positano, Praiano, and Amalfi along the way.

Visit the gorgeous famed islands of Ischia and Capri in the Gulf of Naples.

Because of its vast artistic heritage, the historic center of Naples has earned the UNESCO World Heritage Site denomination. Museums, Castles, Piazzas and more will keep you busy for more then one day.

Making Pompeii a day trip, while it is a very full day, is very doable. Pompeii is an excavation site and outdoor museum of the ancient Roman settlement. In 79 AD, the volcano Vesuvius erupted and the town Pompeii was buried in ash and soot, killing 2,000 people. This site is considered to be one of the few sites where an ancient city has been preserved in detail. The lesser known ruins of Herculaneum have suffered the same fate as Pompeii and are also worth seeing.

Accommodations
Besides the aristocratic villas, there are prestigious hotels, bed & breakfasts, apartments, campings and farm holidays that are part of a wider network of tourist services and offer a top-level comfort.

Eating Out Oil, tomatoes, mozzarella and spices are the basic ingredients of rich dishes like cannelloni, gnocchi, pasta with beans, stuffed pepper, parmigiana of aubergines and the Pastiera cake. The locally produced olive oil is also excellent. Here are a few dinning options to try for a good local style meal:

Don Alfonso L'Antica Trattoria La Favorita-O'Parrucchiano Villa Rubinacci Restaurant

Shopping For a shopping afternoon you will have to head to Sorrento.The city's cobbled alleyways and flower-ringed piazzas encourage strolls, and the best ones for window-shopping are Piazza Tasso and Via San Cesareo, densely packed with shoppers on weekend afternoons.

It is possible to buy handicrafts such as inlaid works, artistic ceramics and scented wax, rosolio liqueur, jams and preserved vegetables, or silver jewels, corals and cameos, or valuable embroideries on table-cloths and handkerchiefs.

One of the top souvenirs from the area is limoncello , the signature lemon liqueur. You can find it at Limonoro Via San Cesareo, 51. This is a good place to see it being made, after which you’ll know why it packs such a punch – it’s basically pure alcohol with flavoring.

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