Santa Maria Castelabate is a beach resort very near the town of Agropoli in southern Campania. Like most Italian towns it has a sister town, Castelabate, high up in the mountain and walled to protect against pirate invasions. Today the only invasions are from tourists. This town was the location of a very funny Italian movie called Benvenuti del Sud. This is an exaggerated movie on the differences between the Italian north and the south. The video is only in European DVD format (PAL).
In the movie, a postal worker is assigned here from Milan. He wears a bullet proof vest and is told that the south is the wild west. There is a sign in the town that says here you do not die.
In the movie the sign was changed to read here everyone dies. The town has an old castle at the top. The best parking is near here on the road up from Santa Maria Castelabate. After several sets of stairs down and small passageways we arrived at the piazza where the film was made.
The bar at the end of the piazza was the Post Office in the movie.
Near the parking lot is a great place to eat overlooking the cliff down to Santa Maria Castelabate.
At the base of the mountain on the sea is the beach town of Santa Maria Castelabate. It has a walkway called the Promenade. There are beaches and plenty of restaurants and bars. Parking along the Promenade is easy.
These two towns have everything for a tourist. The beaches are beautiful, the mountain town has scenic views and the food, as always, is fantastic. Enjoy your stay. The town of Paestum is near here just north of Agropoli. Be romantic in the most romantic country in the world!
Tomorrow we visit Castelcivita for a scary ride up to this mountain town.
George & Jo Anne
How wonderful. The sea and the mountain. Your photos are stunning