Cycling the Cilento Coast and Mountains

Arrive at your hotel in Paestum, just outside the ancient city walls, just a few metres from the Greek temples. You can visit the archaeological site, dating back to the 6th century BC (on the UNESCO World Heritage list), where you will admire the temples and several other monuments. The bikes will be delivered to the hotel and there is a welcome meeting usually at 6pm. Cycling for the day: 6.5 km, approx 0.5 hours

Your first cycling stage takes you on a ride through the ancient territory of Paestum. You may opt for a relaxed ride through the plain or a longer and harder one, taking you to some nice medieval hamlets in the foothills and offering amazing views. Before taking off, you can visit the temples and the museum of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Paestum and its world-famous Doric temples. Your cycling trip will take you through the plain to the Sele River and along the ‘Capo di Fiume’ karstic springs to the villages of Giugnano and Cicerale (optional) and back down again to your hotel. Dinner is on the premises of our hotel tonight. After dinner, you can take another short stroll through the temples and perhaps grab a gelato. Cycling for the day: 25/33/65 km, between 3 and 6 hours

Today, you leave the Paestum Plain to get the first taste of Cilento. The trip takes you on quiet roads through fragrant Mediterranean maquis and shady olive groves up into the coastal hills above the town of Agropoli along some dreamy medieval hamlets and down again to the coastal village of San Marco di Castellabate. After arriving at your hotel and settling in, you can either cycle or walk the short way along the coast to the wonderful tiny islet of Leucosia, situated in the marine reserve of Punta Licosa, or take a stroll through the centre of town for a pre-dinner aperitif at one of the local bars. Cycling for the day: 40 km, approx 4 hours

Today’s trip starts with a long and winding climb up to the beautifully located town of Castellabate, once a fortified stronghold offering refuge to the local peasants. Here you can take your time to rest and visit the medieval castle from which you enjoy a splendid view of the coastal hamlets of San Marco and Santa Maria. You then climb further up to Perdifumo and Mercato Cilento after which starts your circumnavigation of Mount Stella. Along your route, your eyes reach as far as the Amalfi Coast and Capri, while on clear days it may be even possible to see all the way to Sicily. During this part of your trip, you will pass through the exquisite medieval hamlets of Celso, Galdo, Stella Cilento, San Mauro and Rocca Cilento. At the end of the day, you have the choice of turning back again to San Marco by Castellabate or opt for a slightly longer route that takes you down to the fishermen’s village of Agnone and then back to San Marco along the coast. Cycling for the day: 65 km, approx 6 hours

After leaving San Marco you will head south on the coastal road towards the Alento river plain. A short climb takes you up through Mediterranean maquis and pine woods to the ‘Ripe Rosse’ or Red Rocks. You then whizz down to the coastal hamlet of Acciaroli, where back in 1952 Ernest Hemingway spent some holidays and, some say was inspired to write ‘The Old Man and the Sea’. Slightly further along the coast, you pass through the fishing village of Pioppi, another delightful little town, where you will find a small Sea Life Museum dedicated to the local marine fauna and flora. The coastal road then takes you to Casalvelino Marina, and through the plain of the Alento River to the Greek and Roman site of Velia, home to the philosophers Zenon and Parmenides, and cradle of one of Europe’s most ancient schools of medicine. From Velia, you’ll have a last steep climb to go: up to the old village of Ascea, from where you’ll follow a stunning coastal route to the hilltop village of Pisciotta, one of the best-preserved medieval villages of the area, where you settle for the night.

During today’s roundtrip, you will discover the largely unspoilt and often rough landscape between Ceraso, Pisciotta and Ascea. Few tourists ever set foot here, even during the busy summer season, and you are certain to have the quiet roads and peaceful villages all to yourself. From Pisciotta, you return in a northern direction, first to Ascea and then down in the direction of Velia. If you didn’t visit the archaeological site the day before now is the time to explore it. Amongst its remains, one finds the celebrated ‘Porta Rosa’, one of the first examples of the use of the vault in Greek architecture. Other monuments worth exploring are the port, the Greek and Roman baths and the agora. The town’s acropolis in medieval times has been reused as a local stronghold and preserves a magnificent medieval bastion. From Velia, you will then head inland to the medieval hamlet of Ceraso with its characteristic ‘palazzi’. After visiting Ceraso you continue through shady oak and chestnut forests to the tiny, wonderfully located villages of Santa Barbara, Mandia and Rodio high above the Cilento coast. From Rodio you start descending back towards the coast, passing through groves of the enormous local olive trees, with views reaching from Monte Stella to the north and Capo Palinuro to the south. If you still feel fit you might go for a short extra loop to Marina di Pisciotta (and back up); otherwise, you can ride directly back to Pisciotta and enjoy in drink in the village.

Today is a relatively easy day, which will bring you along the panoramic coastal road to the southern part of the Cilento. The first few km. are like a warm-up ride with a gentle downhill all the way to the mythical headland of Capo Palinuro. This promontory, named after one of the helmsmen of the mythical hero Aeneas, is one of the most famous spots in the Cilento National Park. Its unique topography, made up of dazzlingly high rock cliffs full of sea grottos, amongst which is the stunning ‘Grotta Azzurra’, makes for a wonderful sight. You can cycle all the way through the village of Palinuro – make a scenic loop over the top of the cape and stop at the tiny port. Those who feel like it can take a short boat tour of the cape here, visiting the caves. Or you can opt to have a drink or go for a swim at the beautiful small beach. Then you’ll cycle eastwards along the southern coast of the Cilento National Park. Upon arrival in the lovely coastal town of Marina di Camerota, you can have a drink at the harbour and then settle in your hotel. At night you can go out for dinner in one of the nice fish restaurants.

After an early breakfast, you can start your cycling day with a short flat stretch along the coast, but then you have to start climbing. During this very scenic climb, you’ll enjoy an unparalleled view of one of the most unspoilt stretches of coastline in southern Italy, the ‘Costa degli Infreschi’. You pass through the little hamlet of Lentiscosa and continue to the amazingly located village of San Giovanni a Piro, beautifully located with spectacular views of the Gulf of Policastro on the one side and the impressive sheer cliffs of the mountain on the other. Here, you can have lunch, either a picnic at one of the most stunning places you’ve ever been to, or in a cosy little restaurant. Then you continue the tour all around the impressive Mt. Bulgheria. First with a short downhill section, and then a flatter one through the villages of Bosco and Acquavena, keeping the impressive limestone crags of Monte Bulgheria to your left. After reaching the valley of the Mingardo River, you can continue for a short visit to the charming village of Roccagloriosa, nestled on a rocky hill high above the valley floor. After a stroll and perhaps a drink in the village square, you then continue downhill, towards the entrance of the impressive Mingardo canyon, dominated by the abandoned medieval village of San Severino. Through the Mingardo Canyon, you return to the coast and then cycle back the coastal route to your hotel. For those who still have some energy, there is the option to take one of the most scenic roads of the area, a challenging climb up to Lentiscosa.

The tour ends in Marina di Camerota after breakfast today. A short transfer takes you to the local train station, from where you can reach Salerno and Naples easily. A taxi transfer to other destinations can be arranged on request.