The Amalfi Coast alternative with all the charm but none of the crowds

Offering dramatic scenery and excellent food, Cilento has more than enough to rival its better-known neighbour

Natalie Paris, Travel writer

09 March 2025 2:00pm GMT

Turn your back on Amalfi’s coast and head south through Cilento 

The Amalfi Coast may be known for its lemons, but neighbouring Cilento has aubergines, artichokes and courgettes. White figs too, soft-skinned and sweet, like the ones a kindly farmer gave my children as we sat in a hilltop village, waiting for funeral attendees to pass.

Though the Cilento region may not be world famous, the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet certainly are. Back in the Sixties, the idea that olive oil, extended families and – dare I say it – red wine might be good for you was tested in Cilento. An American scientist, Ancel Keys, lived in a town called Pioppi – in what is now a small museum – studying the recipes and traditions of residents, who were known for living long and stress-free lives.

Not that eating well is the only reason to turn your back on Amalfi’s coast and head south through Cilento – a trip made easier by the recent opening of Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport. Initially, the coastline bears little similarity to the precipitous cliffs of Amalfi.

From Salerno, you’re met by wide, buffalo-grazed plains, broken only by ancient columns rising up from Greek temples at Paestum. It’s not until Palinuro, where the green knuckles of the cape plunge into the Tyrrhenian Sea, that comparisons can be made.

Last summer, Easyjet was the first British airline to take advantage of Salerno’s new international airport, and will restart its service from London Gatwick in May. Pick up a hire car in downtown Salerno (there aren’t many options at the airport yet) and, once the city is behind you, the roads are nothing like Amalfi’s traffic-clogged routes.

Cilento’s important Greek and Roman monuments are recognised by Unesco and Paestum’s archaeological site is your first stop. Here you can explore – with just a handful of others – Doric temples from 5th-century BC, wandering in absolute peace between their fluted inner and outer columns.

Paestum is also the place to learn about Cilento’s food culture and to try its renowned buffalo mozzarella. One local clan continuing the area’s organic traditions is the Pagano family, who own the Savoy Beach Hotel. The spa hotel’s two-Michelin star restaurant Tre Olivi, offers creative dishes inspired by the land, such as suckling pig with figs and native Vatolla onions.

The Paganos also have a winery in Paestum, San Salvatore 1988, which produces the region’s best bottles. We made pasta at La Dispensa di San Salvatore, the Pagano’s farm shop and restaurant, curing tiny balls of dough into ear-shaped orecchiette with our thumbs. Not far from here is Tenuta Vannulo, an organic buffalo farm where visitors can watch pearly balls of mozzarella being made.

For romantic, 70m-high cliffs, head further south to Palinuro, where the headlands conceal magical coves and grottos. At Spiaggia di Marinella, we were wondering whether or not to hire a pedalo until we saw some people in their 80s taking one for a spin. The beach has umbrellas and restaurants but this doesn’t detract from its natural wonders, with rocky islets on the horizon and unspoilt, silver-sand bays on either side.

On a quiet morning, when the yachts weren’t too numerous, we powered our pedalo round to the adjacent bay of Buon Dormire. Sun-bleached driftwood lay on the otherwise inaccessible shore, while, in the bright, translucent water, fish picked at petal-like corals.

On the other side of Marinella beach towered a bank of cliffs, limestone with a hint of peach. A short swim took us to the shingle strip beneath them, where we tiptoed into gaping sea caves, a flock of noisy swifts swooping and diving above our heads.

For sightseeing in Cilento you’ll want to drive up to some of the pastel-hued villages that sit above the coast or command green valleys in the Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park.

Pisciotti is a particularly crumbly example, with vertical drops on all sides. Stop at the family-run Osteria del Borgo for anchovies caught in the traditional Pisciotta way (a method known as menaica), arranged on toast, with butter and grilled courgettes.

Castellabate, back towards Paestum, spills down from a 12th-century castle that bears a plaque with a quote from Napoleon’s brother-in-law, “Here you do not die”. Along with nearby Agropoli, you can happily explore the narrow lanes, stopping for a glass of red (safe in the knowledge that it’s good for you) in creeper-clad bars.

Travellers with more time can head inland for an hour, to the Unesco-protected Carthusian monastery at Padula. We stuck to the coast, however, and the region’s most delightful seaside town, Santa Maria di Castellabate. At aperitivo hour, we found locals (many of them, again, in advanced years) enjoying a stroll and a chat between the town’s string of seafront restaurants, gelaterias and crescent beaches. Locally caught fish was served as the sun sank into the sea at El Gatto, a restaurant with fishing nets hanging from the walls and a terrace beneath stone arches.

Behind high walls, nearby, stands 17th-century Palazzo Belmonte, once an administrative centre for the region’s farmers, a giant fig tree stretching across its stone courtyard.

These days it’s a rustic-chic hotel with exquisite suites, a pool and a beach, run by an English woman who decades ago married an Italian prince. The princess herself still tours the grounds, welcoming returning guests while pruning pink bougainvillaea. Another example, in Cilento, of a long life well-lived.

Essentials

EasyJet flies from London Gatwick to Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport from £57 return), and British Airways will be launching the same route in May. The Savoy Beach Hotel in Paestum (0039 0828 720100) has doubles from £126 per night, including breakfast; while Palazzo Belmonte in Santa Maria di Castellabate (0039 0974 960211) has doubles from £136 per night, room only.