Castellabate Attractions

Source www.biancoloto.com

Castellabate is a town on the coast in the Campania region, a member of the "Most Beautiful Small Towns in Italy" club.

Castellabate became famous for its "role" in Luc Miniero's film comedy "Welcome to the South", released in 2010. Funny and fun adventures of the characters of the movie take place in the natural scenery of the town of Castellabate, the movie reveals not only the medieval beauty of the city, but also the hospitable and carefree character of the inhabitants of the south of Italy.

In fact, Castellabate consists of two parts: the medieval borgo, located on top of a hill, and the coastal area, characterized by clean water and sandy beaches.

The town takes its name from the Castello Abbate, built in the 11th century for defense against Saracen pirates. Now the fortress houses the city museum, where you can see the hall of the Normans, ancient finds and pass through the underground passage connecting the towers of the castle. Once the underground part was very extensive, it included living quarters, bakeries, cisterns for water. All this was done in case of Saracen attacks.

From the main gates of the fortress and the town there is a magnificent panorama of the sea, the Gulf of Salerno, the islands of Capri and Ischia.

Castellabate, like many medieval towns, consists of a labyrinth of narrow cobblestone streets where it is difficult for two pedestrians to separate. Most of the houses and palaces date back to the 17th century.

The cozy square, simply called Piazza, is terraced above the surrounding plains. It's lined with tables with umbrellas to block the sun's rays, and the walls of the cafe are decorated with photos from the movie. Much of "Welcome to the South" took place here in this square. But don't look for the post office where the main characters from the movie worked, in its place is a small cafe and photos of the actors' faces.

A winding road leads to another part of Castellabate, the one on the coast. The coastline of Castellabate covers 19 km. It is variegated and heterogeneous, with steep cliffs alternating with charming coves and golden beaches.

The coastline is lined with sea towers, which in the olden days warned of pirate attacks. In addition, the palaces of noble Neapolitan families are located on the seashore.

The cuisine of Castellabate is typical of Campania and the coast, with mozzarella di bufala, caciocotta and caciocavallo cheeses ("-caciocavallo" is a cheese that ripens "on top", thrown over a pole and has a funny taut shape), the sweet liqueur Limoncello and the wine Cilento DOC, which is not appreciated. Of the unique and typical only for the Castellabate area are the figs, which are protected by geographical appellation, i.e. they have the right to grow only here. The figs are dried with bay leaf and parsley seeds and sold strung on thin skewers. Delicate dried figs are dipped in chocolate, making a flavorful, delicate and healthy candy.