The Italian region of Campania is best known for Naples and the Amalfi Coast, but south of them lies another glorious and much less touristy area. With its "cinematic" coastal scenery and wild mountains, the Cilento region is a dream for hikers, says Nina Burleigh in The New York Times – or for anyone looking to "staccare la spina" ("unplug").
Most of it lies within the Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni, Italy's second- largest national park – "699 square miles of beaches, cliffs, emerald vales, river gorges and mountain meadows". It's full of historic villages and fishing towns, and near its northern end sits ancient Paestum, site of some "stupendous" Greek temples – among the best-preserved in the Mediterranean – that inspired 18th century architects across Europe.
After the Second World War, the US army doctor Ancel Keys bought an old villa here and devoted his life to studying the "salubrious effects" of local eating patterns on the heart. In the fishing hamlet of Pioppi, there's a museum devoted to the Mediterranean diet he made famous, and the region still produces "some of the finest basics of Italian cuisine" – including wonderful extra-virgin olive oil, fresh seafood and excellent cheeses (the road to Paestum is "lined with shops selling mozzarella from the milk of Asian buffalo, possibly first introduced to Italy by the Greeks"). Indeed, among all the reasons to come hiking in the region, none is better than the chance to eat and drink lots of Cilento food and wine.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And as for the Certosa di Padula, Italy's largest monastery, it almost defied belief – a baroque building of immense grandeur hidden away "beyond a maze of farm roads", deep in the mountains.
-
October 19 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
Diane Keaton: the Oscar-winning star of Annie HallIn the Spotlight Something’s Gotta Give actor dies from pneumonia at the age of 79
-
Heirs and Graces: an ‘enthralling’ deep dive into the decline of nobilityThe Week Recommends Eleanor Doughty explores the ‘bizarre fascination’ with the British aristocracy
-
6 sporty homes with tennis courtsFeature Featuring a clay tennis court in New York and a viewing deck in California
-
Critics’ choice: Seafood in the spotlightFeature An experimental chef, a newspaper-worthy newcomer, and a dining titan’s fresh spin-off
-
Taylor Swift’s Showgirl: Much glitter, little goldFeature Swift’s new album has broken records, but critics say she may have gotten herself creatively stuck
-
Theater review: Masquerade218 W. 57th St., New York City 218 W. 57th St., New York City
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider WomanFeature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
