Cilente - Italy

Hi ATQUI , hope I'm not too late but I've only just seen this. I'm very familiar with the beautiful Cilento region of southern Italy & would love to tell you more if you're still interested

I think we've left it too late for this year . We can't drive over there so were wondering about public transport . We saw a holiday which included excursions to Paestum , but fully booked now. We like quiet places on the coast, and should perhaps book for next year, so any advice appreciated.

Hello! September & October are still good months for visiting southern Italy if you have the opportunity. The temperatures are really lovely still & the sea is at its warmest. The coastline of the south Campania region which contains the beautiful Cilento National Park is very attractive with a mix of lovely Sandy beaches & coves. The water is particularly clear & there are 2 marine National Parks, great for diving & snorkelling. There are plenty of typical Italian towns to visit. If you are intending to use trains, then there is a very good service from Naples down to Agropoli, from where you can easily reach the town of Santa Maria di Castellabate on the coast. It's a bustling small town of great charm & you can explore by bus & train from here. I recommend Hotel Villa Sirio on the sea front. Paestum is breathtaking & worth a day - there's a station nearby. The region is known for fantastic mozzarella & there are a number of superb agritourist hotels based on large agricultural estates, serving some really excellent food. Whilst undoubtedly the easiest way to really explore the region is by car, if you are prepared for some spade work, you can do quite a lot by public transport. Hope this helps a bit - let me know if you have any specific questions & I'll try & help

Hi GrammaH . I was going to PM you but I've forgotten how to do it.The holiday I saw was based in another Castellabate ( San Marco?) which I believe is along the coast . It sounds a lovely area , and thanks for your advice.

Hi! Yes, San Marco is around the bay from Santa Maria. It has a very pretty harbour but is much smaller than A Maria so not so good without a car as fewer places to eat. Was the hotel called L'Approdo? I don't know how to PM either....!!

I love Italy but I seem to be the only person who doesn't like the area around Sorrento (Amalfi, Capri etc). My husband knows it like the back of his hand as he took school groups there for over 20 years in a row, and loves it.

We went to Southern Italy one year in September (the other side: Puglia) and whilst it was great and the weather was just right, the beaches were filthy and many hotels and restaurants were already closed for the season. Cilento may well be like that, too, as it's not such a tourist area as the Gulf of Sorrento.

So, perfect in September, but don't expect the facilities you would have in the holiday season.

Do you live in Italy grammaH? I live near Cassino! A lot of gransnetters live in France and Spain but I've not heard of many in Italy!

The hotel is L'Approdo , GrammaH. The holiday we were looking at did excursions , which while we are not really ' coach trip' people would solve the problem of driving , as I would not be happy driving in Italy , and my husband is prob too old to hire a car. ( Just as well!) Jacky'-That's interesting about Puglia , as we had thought of going there too.I love the sea so dirty beaches would be a turn off.

Interested to see the holiday was to L'Approdo. It's an interesting hotel with a great location by the harbour & asuperb spa. The idea if excursions would be perfect for you Atqui. Puglia is actually my favourite Italian region so I would be interested to know which part of the region JackyB found filthy beaches & what time of the year. The Itria valley with the unique trulli houses & fascinating towns is lovely & there are super beaches between Bari & Brindisi, although I prefer those on the other side of the "heel" down between Taranto & Gallipoli. If you like coves & cliffs, look at the coast between Santa Maria di Leuca & Otranto. For beautiful cities Lecce takes some beating. No, i don't live in Italy but do really love it, especially the less touristy areas of the south.