What to Eat and Where to Stay on the Cilento Coast

Last summer I spent just over 24 hours on the Cilento coast. I knew I wanted to come back and spend some more time exploring this quiet frowsy counterpoint to the better known glittering and buzzy Amalfi Coast. Last month I spent two days with a group of travel bloggers visiting castles, mozzarella farms, and enchanting seaside towns. Here are a few things I loved on the Cilento coast.

PAESTUM

Only a few bends in the road away from the Amalfi Coast and you can visit the incredible ancient Greek temples in Paestum and visit a working farm where some of the best buffalo mozzarella in the world is made. The morning we were there was gray and rainy, but the temples still astound. A short drive from the temples is the Caseficio Barlotti. I visited the pens where the buffalos live separated by age group. The feisty teenagers were bucking in the rain and the sweet large-eyed babies were happy for some pets. Inside I found a place out of the way and steadied my feet on the wet and very slippery floor and watched as the milk was poured into boiling liquid and the workers plunged their hands into mixing and swirling and transforming the mixture into braids, grapefruit, and grape-sized globes of the freshest mozzarella I can say I have ever tasted. At lightning speed, it was boxed up and labeled (with the names of many places I recognized) and sent on its way to restaurants and delis all over Italy. There is a tasting room and a shop where you can purchase cheese, sausages, and butter. 

I could have made a meal of just buffalo mozzarella (and maybe some gelato) but a multi-coursed lunch awaited me at the beautiful Hotel Oleandri Resort. The chef only uses local products from the area so that meant more mozzarella, fresh fish, and a creamy delizia di limone. 

PALAZZO BELMONTE

What girl has not dreamed of a knock at the door delivering the message the prince is waiting for you for a cocktail at the seaside? This is how my stay at the elegant, rambling Palazzo Belmonte began. As the sun turned from deep blues to fiery pinks we learned about the centuries of history of the family estate from the resident Prince, Angelo Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte. The family has included popes, and cardinals and the grounds are where the kings of Spain, France, and Sicily came to hunt. Now there are comfortable rooms where you sleep to the sounds of the sea, gardens to stroll, and a pool or beach to laze beside. The Palazzo Belmonte is indeed as he described, "a place of serenity, you have to come to feel it." 

ACCIAROLI

Acciaroli is a seaside town so charming it is literally a film set on the afternoon that I visit.  This fishing village is said to be a place that inspired Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea". Take your inspiration by zipping around the harbor in an adorable Ape or strolling the cobblestone streets that feel more like an Umbrian town in the countryside than a pastel seaside village.

PALINURO

Capri might get all the press for its blue grotto but Palinuro is the one to see. Much larger and with virtually no tourists we had the entire azure glowy cave to ourselves. There are at least three more caves to see some with sulfur springs that create micro ecologies and colorful coral growths. This part of Cilento boasts mountain bike and hiking trails in addition to its clear clean blue waters. Or you could just lounge beside the infinity pool at the well-appointed Grand Hotel San Pietro. 

MARINA DI CAMEROTA

The town of Marina di Camerota is a typical Italian seaside town. There are boats to rent and a lungomare to stroll, shops with beach cover-ups and beach necessities, but our hosts led us a few streets away from the sea to La Cantina del Marchese. We sat on rustic benches at long tables and wine was poured into unglazed terracotta tumblers and soon the plates began arriving. Some of the dishes were familiar, like the salty savory cured meats and deep-fried zucchini flowers (though here they were stuffed with ricotta in place of the mozzarella), hand-rolled chestnut pasta with porcini, and plenty of garlic, but much of what was served was completely unfamiliar. Maracucciata, a slow food recognized dish that is made with a particular lentil type of bean native to the area and crisp olive oil fried chunks of bread. Decidedly un-photogenic and heartily delicious. Lagane e ceci is the Cilento version of pasta e fagioli and ciaurella a sort of caponata with eggplant, potatoes and sweet peppers.  Even the melanzane parmigiana is a little bit different with long pieces of eggplant stuffed with milk softened bread before the tomato sauce slathering and caciotta (in place of mozzarella) cheese topping. This was certainly a meal to remember.

I was a guest of Camera di Commercio di Salerno, TBNET, Tourism Board of Salerno, Confesercenti Provinciale di Salerno, and Sicme Energy & Gas, but all opinions are my own. #SalernoC2C