South Italy Castles and Coastal Towers

The History of Coastal Towers goes hand in hand the political and military evolution of the Kingdom of Naples. Fortifications were built in Southern Italy over and eight-hundred-year period from the 9^th to the 17^th centuries. The original towers were cylindrical in shape, tall and with small windows. Their main function was to sound the alarm when pirate ships were sighted through the lightning of fires, allowing the local population to find shelter into the hills and grottoes inland from the coast.

Increased Raids during the 16^th Century led to Development of More Complex Coastal Defenses

Naples Viceroy Don Pedro of Toledo ordered the construction of massive, square-shaped towers with thicker external walls. The transition from circular-shaped towers to square-shaped ones was spurred by the introduction of artillery requiring fortifications whose functions now included sighting, signaling, shelter as well as the use of offensive weapons that could hit a ship approaching the coast.

Communications were carried out through a series of visual signals - smoke in the daytime, fires by night as well as acoustic signals such as bells, or shots from a cannon or arquebus, a precursor of the rifle. When a pirate ship was sighted from one tower, one of these signals would be used to warn the people of the area to prepare to fight or flee. The signal would be passed from tower to tower, up and down the coast, passing the word quickly and effectively. The ground level floor had no windows and was set directly above a large cistern to guarantee a constant water supply. This space was used to store food and munitions and also contained a millstone for grinding wheat, making the tower self-sufficient.

Saracen Towers can be viewed along the Southern Italian coastline from Gaeta to the Sorrento peninsula, the Amalfi and Cilento coasts. There are over 350 towers, including 30 along the coastal strip from Vietri sul Mare to Positano. Some have been restored and incorporated into modern buildings in small harbors such as San Marco, Pisciotta and Marina di Camerota. Further south, around Cape Infreschi just before reaching Scario, there are cliffs along the coast unreachable by road; here the original coastal towers stand just a few hundred yards apart.

The Term Saracen has shifted over time. Ptolemy's Geography from the second century mentions Sarakene as a region in the northern Sinai Peninsula and refers to a people called the Sarakenoi. For Italians during the middle ages it meant Muslim invader, from the Arabs who rode the initial wave of Islamic expansion into Spain and Sicily in the 8^th and 9^thcenturies to the Ottoman Turks who took Constantinople in the 15^th century.

Coastal Watchtowers were also as a point of reference for friendly ships. The towers were generally manned by a military team of four guards and a horseman, who often remained outside the tower ready to ride into town to carry a warning as soon as possible.

A Vacation in Cilento and South Italy

Coastal Trails Mountains by the Sea Archeology and Nature

Cilento is located in Campania Region has all the ingredients that visitors to Italy look for:

beaches and seaside activities
a national park under the protection of Unesco
spectacular coastal and inland panoramas
history, traditions, culture
great wine, food and the Mediterranean diet 

Greek colonizers landed along the coasts of Cilento in the 7^th century BC and founded Poseidonia (the Roman Paestum). Of major interest are: The Excavations and the Museum of Paestum surrounded by well-kept Roman walls which are 5 km long. It includes the three famous and imposing Doric temples of the VI and V century BC, and the Archeological Museum which houses the precious fresco of The Diver. 

 

Velia is the Roman name for the ancient Greek town of Helea, founded circa 540 BC. Archeological excavations have gradually unveiled the remains of this town, the amphitheater and Porta Rosa (Pink Door). The sanctuary of Hera Argiva, located at the mouth of the Sele river, is hidden amongst vegetation. The foundation of this temple was attributed to Jason, the mythological husband of Medea and his Argonauts. A Virtual Museum examines these fascinating aspects of the past.

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Hills and Mountain landscapes follow each other, often showing vestiges of man`s ancient presence; among many of these are the Pertosa grottoes where shepherds used to shear their flocks, or the sculpture of the warrior of Antece on the Alburni rock.
 

Agropoli is the largest town in Cilento with highway, rail and sea connections as well the point of reference for shopping and night life. Set between the sea and the Cilento green hills, 10 km south of Paestum, Agropoli is the natural gateway to the Cilento Coast and the protected area of the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e del Vallo Di Diano.

Agropoli Harbor is home port to a wide range of craft, from sailboats to the typical Mediterranean gozzo, available for cruising along the Cilento and Amalfi Coasts.  In addition, various nautical exhibitions and contests are held by the local section of the Nautical League and the Agropoli Rowing Club.

Lower Cilento is the territory delimited by the watersheds of the rivers Bussento, Lambro and Mingardo. Its territory extends toward the coast up to Cape Palinuro and the Gulf of Policastro and is made up of small villages. Major points of interest in Lower Cilento:

San Severino di Centola a medieval village at the entry point to Lower Cilento, founded in the XI century to garrison the Mingardo valley.

Roccagloriosa behind the Capitenali Mountains, and overlooking the middle course of the Mingardo, this archaeological site and village was founded in the V century BC by the Lucanians.

The Certosa di San Lorenzo in Padula is located at the entry of the Vallo di Diano. Founded in 1306, it is the largest Carthusian monastery in Italy. 

Cilento Countryside experiences include homemade bread and cheese making, olives harvesting and olive oil production as well as an appreciation of local traditional music and peasant culture.

Your Connection to Cilento and South Italy

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 Information and Reservation

Book Your Cilento and South Italy Vacation Here!

Travel Duration 3 nights and 4 days. Group Size Minimum 4, Maximum 50 persons.

Cost/Person/Day Euro 245 for adults age 19 to 64 Euro 195 for seniors 65+ and children under 18.

Information for Booking First and Last Name, Passport Number, Expiration date and Issuing country, Date of birth, Email address.

Included Travel between cities and states that are part of the itinerary, lunches and dinners, accommodations in double occupancy with breakfast for three nights, applicable local and state taxes, one-half day sightseeing events, local transport services.

Excluded Evening entertainment and transport to tour location start and from tour ending location.

Day/time Day to day programs and specific events at each location, as well as the sequence of the tour stops, will be finalized with the participation of the clients after details on family/group composition have been determined to take-into-account client priorities and preferences.

Reductions Children under the age of 18 and seniors over the age of 65 traveling with parents and/or guardians, staying in the same hotel room receive a 20 percent discount.

Boat Tours in Naples Bay the Amalfi Coast and Cilento

Visit magnificent Naples Bay, Capri, Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast and Cilento in a traditional local boat, hugging the coastline in a series of one day tours, stopping along the way to savor the history, culture and traditions in quaint villages and famous resorts.

The Phlegraean Fields

There is a place where the fields  “burn”, and vapors and mud come out of the land whose level is constantly rising and lowering; where volcanoes like 133 meter high Monte Nuovo have emerged overnight. Hence, the name Campi Flegrei coined by the Greeks who first saw it 2800 years ago, assuming that Titans where imprisoned underground and their breathing caused the bradisism phenomenon of the earth’s crust.

Your voyage begins in Pozzuoli where you can see the remains of the Macellum and the underground Roman city  Rione Terra by simply entering a 17th Century palazzo.  Bradisism is also responsible for the sinking of the Roman Imperial city of Baia.

Just across the bay of Pozzuoli are Baia Castle and Miseno, home port of Rome’s navy; it is from here that Plini the Elder sailed in a vain attempt to save Pompeii. Your tour will end where it all began: Cuma as Southern Italy and Magna Grecia acted as catalysts to bring Greek culture to Rome. Western civilization began right here with the Cuman Sibilla and its myths.

 Sorrento Capri and Positano

Your boat leaves the port of Sorrento and reaches across to circumnavigate and visit the nearby island of Capri. Then it hugs the Amalfi Coast side of the Sorrento peninsula, and an opportunity to swim in crystal clear waters, on its way to the resort of Positano. This very relaxing day can only end with dinner based on local food and wine specialties  at a restaurant on the beach.

Cilento

All the ingredients that visitors to Italy look for can be found here: pristine beaches, a national park under Unesco’s protection, coastal and inland panoramas and a superb culinary tradition. Coastal, hilly, and mountainous landscapes follow each other, showing vestiges of man`s ancient presence; Greek colonizers landed in the 7th century BC and founded Poseidonia (the Roman Paestum). Of major interest:

Paestum is surrounded by well kept 5 Km long Roman walls and includes three famous and imposing VI and V century BC Doric temples, the Archeological Museum and The Diver fresco.

Velia was founded circa 540 BC. Archeological excavations have gradually unveiled the remains of this town, the amphitheater and the Porta Rosa (Pink Door).

Cilento Coast if you can spare an extra day, your boat can take you further down the Cilento coast with stops along the way at quaint fishing villages in the company of a breathtaking coastline, all the way down to Palinuro, named after Ulysses’ helmsman on the voyage back to Ithaca.

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