The 10 best castles in and around Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park

What an interesting place! I would love to start by informing you that it's definitely not worth buying the souvenirs at the start of the park. Moving on I'd say you've gotta be fit if you're thinking about visiting this site or else it will probably not be worth the effort. What I'm trying to tell you is that it's honestly just a bunch of rocks here and there and next to being athletic you're also gonna need a lot and I mean A LOT of imagination. To sum everything up: would I consider myself satisfied? Yes. Would I redo it? Absolutely not

Visited as part of a combined ticket with Paestum (visited the previous day). Good information boards throughout the site. Helpful staff at visitor centre. Fresh water fountains dotted around the site can be be used to refill own bottle; was incredibly hot so this was a welcome bonus. Combined with visit to Paestum, Velia gives a good insight into how people lived up to 3,000 years ago.

Visited on Tuesday afternoon in September 2025 no queue for the entrance. Handy toilet near start of the site. Large area to walk around to see the ruins, we downloaded the app for the guided tour but this didn't work as no volume ( we are not tech savvy say may have been us). The information boards are in Italian & English so no problem understanding what the buildings were. Enjoyed visit & highly recommended. Ticket at 15euors per adult included entrance to Paestum site also

Quietly interesting but needs a lot of walking to explore

This was an awesome experience. Beautiful runs with so much history. The apostle Matthew’s remains were kept here for 400 years. Truly amazing!

Really interesting ruins with good explanations in Italian and English. Easy walking route, but it is hot so take a hat and some water.

Velia was interesting but very hot and quite a slog climbing uphill. It is not like Paestum but we felt we had to go as we had the joint ticket.

Very nice beachs well equipped. There are also some lido where you can have a local speciality. Place where you can rent the canoa or pedalò.

Beautiful water & sand. A bit small area as a public Beach.

The beach itself is nice. However there are not enough places in the organised beaches at the weekends in high season. There were many free places but all beaches said they are full. I believe authorities have restrictions due to covid. Parking is free, however restricted amount of places. We had to park outside for 10€ and walk around 10 minutes to the parking lot of the beach. There are many other beatiful beaches except this one though if you like to avoid the rush at the weekends.

breathtaking view . crystal clear water . lots of rocks very hot sand . worth it 100%

Top location, quite a climb, but what a reward.

Beautiful beach in Palinuro woth gold sand

Hlplus

We selected this place on our 3 week tour of Italy in a camper van because of the website and descriptions of farming, ranching, and the restaurant. The route from Lecce to here was easy and very beautiful. The property was absolutely gorgeous! We had a campsite near the beautiful river and because of it, we had our best nights sleep. The restaurant served great food. And we saw one of the best sunsets from the deck. The staff was very nice. The reason I gave this a 4 rating and not a 5 is because we were not able to see nor participate in any farming or ranching activities. We walked to the animal barn but it was locked. The garden area seemed overgrown so we didn’t try to go in the area. Maybe because it’s late in the year? But the expectation generated by the advertising did not come through.

We stayed in the Agritourismo for a few days in September as a family with a baby. Maybe it’s better in the summer season, but in the off season, the stay was not as expected. One reason for us to stay there, was the restaurant and the offer to do stuff on the farm. But the told us one day before arrival, that the restaurant will be closed. The activities like making cheese should be offered every day (that’s what the say on the website and on the flyer in the flat), but in fact it was just once a week. The flat was ok, but not really good for a family with baby, eg the had no baby chair. The kitchen was equipped, but it seems that no one ever uses this. There was no kitchen towel, nothing to clean the dirty dishes and no basic inventory like salt or oil. Maybe that’s common, but we experienced it differently in Italy. The owners were nice but a bit chaotic. The opened the restaurant for us on the weekend. On the website and the flyer in the apartment, it says 20€ for a full menu including starters, first and second course with side dish, a dessert and coffee and free water. In fact it’s just first and second course with side dish and water. The quality was ok, except the side dish, which was dry and boring. The main problem ist, that the advertisement is better than the real offer. For the price paid, we expected more. (As we booked early we discovered later, that there was an 20% discount for September. But as we already booked and paid, we had to pay the full price. 20% less may had been a fair price, but for the full price it’s just 2 stars)

A fabulous campsite nestled in the farmland next to the river. Perfect location with amazing staff…. Thank you for a great stay…. We ll be back!

La Petrosa is truly one of the best farmhouses we've ever seen. The atmosphere is so relaxing and you get the chance to visit the beautiful scenery of Cilento, spacing from the crystal water of the seaside to the high mountains and woods of the inland. They are autonomous and self-sufficient from many points of view since they re-use and recycle basically all their waste, while also using solar panels and alternative sources of energy. Plus, they make all sorts of tasteful products: from bread to vegetables, from meat to oil, and much more. The restaurant is able to mix all of these fine ingredients into astonishing meals for the right price. The kindness and generosity of Edmondo and his staff really stroke us, and we can't wait to visit them again. Either if you want to bring your tent and camp, or if you want to rent a renovated silos with all the comforts, La Petrosa is really recommended: 10+

The grounds are pretty beautiful, it was a nice place for glam-ping. They also killed a goat for us to eat that night, which is pretty awesome.

A beautiful, peaceful place. No tourists or noise. Wonderful hosts, highly recommended.

Excellent traditional local dishes superbly presented 👍

Beautiful views of the surrounding area and sea! €1 tickets are purchased from a machine. It's fun to wander around the castle.

When we visited most of the exhibition were closed, so... it's inexpensive (1€ per person) but there's not much to see. So much potential, hopefully will improve.

Very beautiful place and worth the visit....

Beautiful little town on top of the hill, must see in Cilento.

Nice town nested on top of a hill, worth a visit if in the area.

It's a such beautiful place to Go.

Beautiful view of the coastline with classic Italian charm.

This was the first time to Teggiano, but our family will definitely return. The Castello Macchiaroli is stunning and the history of the castle brings you back to the medieval times. The owners have taken care to renovate over the years to restore the castle back to its glory and they've done a magnificent job. The Suites are perfectly appointed and very comfortable. Although I wasn't there for a specific event, I can't imagine a more beautiful place for a special event. We were taken on a tour of the Castle and saw the event space. It too is gorgeous! The staff are so welcoming and no detail was left out. I give this an easy 5+ rating.

Small castle with access to some of the passageways and towers, well worth a visit for the views and then a walk through the village surrounding the castle.

We stayed in the Castle through Air BnB for a night and were blown away by the beauty, comfort, and authenticity. The hospitality given by Gisella, the owner, was over the top. We can’t wait to go back someday.

I love it! The category for here in google maps is restraunt but it is originally medieval castle, and currently also used as event place. It also has small art gallery inside and provides castle tour. It is not end, I stay here one dream night in the castle because the kind owner privides beautiful, clean and comfortable room in the castle to tourists.

Beautiful stay in the castle - special experience.

It's great to admire old structures

Bellisimo

(Translated by Google) Characteristic In a very poor state of conservation, and cannot be visited as it is unsafe (Original) Caratteristico In pessimo stato di conservazione,e non visitabile in quanto pericolante

(Translated by Google) It's a shame it can't be visited. (Original) Bello peccato che non sia visitabile.

(Translated by Google) It could be beautiful but it still needs to be renovated. It is still suggestive. There is work in progress. (Original) Potrebbe essere bellissimo ma è da ristrutturare comunque suggestivo. Ci sono lavori in corso.

(Translated by Google) It is impossible to visit. In very poor storage conditions. It is a building that deserves a little more attention from the competent restoration authorities. It cannot be abandoned to itself. A real shame. (Original) È impossibile da visitare. In cattivissime condizioni di conservazione. È un edificio che meriterebbe un poco di attenzione in più da parte delle competenti autorità per la restaurazione. Non può essere abbandonato a se stesso. Un vero peccato.

(Translated by Google) Fascinating place but visible only from the outside (Original) Luogo affascinante ma visibile solo dall'esterno

(Translated by Google) visited only from the outside, it doesn't seem too well looked after. but very distinctive (Original) visitato solo da fuori, non sembra troppo curato. però molto caratteristico

(Translated by Google) In a superb position, it's a shame that it can't be visited, I imagine due to the precarious conditions another piece of heritage left to fend for itself, I hope that the competent authorities can return such a beautiful place to the public. (Original) In posizione superba, peccato che non sia visitabile, immagino per le precarie condizioni un altro pezzo di patrimonio lasciato andare a se stesso, spero che le autorità competenti possano restituire al pubblico un luogo così bello.

(Translated by Google) Beautiful place, too bad it can't be visited inside but it's worth taking a tour of the entire town!!! (Original) Bellissimo posto peccato che non sia visitabile all'interno ma vale la pena fare un giro nell'intero paese!!!

(Translated by Google) Beautiful place, we met a boy who acted as our guide, and made visiting the entire castle a pearl. From there we went to have lunch at the excellent Montanara cuisine restaurant. I recommend doing this stop immersed in nature (Original) Luogo bello, abbiamo incontrato un ragazzo che ci ha fatto da guida, e fatto visitare l'intero castello una perla. Da lì siamo andati a pranzare al ristorante la montanara ottima cucina. Consiglio di fare questa tappa immersi nella natura

(Translated by Google) Very suggestive place well restored (Original) Luogo molto suggestivo ben restaurato

(Translated by Google) Truly suggestive, with nature that has enveloped the remains of the entire structure. The place is well maintained, easy to access and dominates the valley below, meaning that you can essentially see the coasts from Agropoli going up towards Salerno (Original) Davvero suggestivo, con la natura che ha avviluppato i resti dell'intera struttura. Il luogo è ben tenuto, di facile accesso e domina la vallata sottostante facendo si che in sostanza si possano arrivare a vedere le coste da Agropoli salendo verso Salerno

(Translated by Google) Even though the second floor is still unusable, it is a fascinating place, especially now that it has been renovated (Original) Anche se il secondo piano è ancora inagibile, è un luogo affascinante, soprattutto ora che è stato ristrutturato

(Translated by Google) Unique, spectacular panorama, you absolutely must visit it (Original) Panorama unico, spettacolare, bisogna assolutamente visitarlo

(Translated by Google) Beautiful and well restored place (Original) Luogo bello e ben restaurato