ekscrunchy,

What a timely link! I am now planning to go to Friuli-Venezia instead of Sardegna!

ekscrunchy: There wasn't anything that we did not like on our 2nd trip. What happened was, on our 1st visit, we connected with the family who ran the timeshare (they were from Milan), the staff and others staying there. We would be up until 2am on the rooftop talking with them, learning Italian and teaching English. The 2nd trip, the family was gone and the staff had changed. It just didn't hold the magic that the 1st visit did. Having said that, it is a wonderful area.

Thanks so much. I will be back after further research, with more questions....if anyone else has experience in this region, please chime in with any and all comments or opinions..

ek, tomorrow, I hope to meet that person from the Cilento. Are you still interested that I ask him for you? If so, just where to base yourself, one or two locations for one week, and probably some hotel tips? Or any other/further questions?

YES, please, Franco! I would have 7 nights and so far it seems as if I should choose two bases. So the most important choice is: Which two towns? The bases should offer a good choice of restaurants, either in the town, or a short driving distance away.


Extra points for hotel on the sea, or with swimming pool. We will rent a car, and probably fly into and out of Naples. This would be for spring, or fall, 2011, so there is no real rush.

I am interested in any and all restaurant tips! This will be a great help and I thank you in advance, Franco..

Will do, ek - if nothing comes amiss, I'll be reporting back tomorrow!

ek, first, bad news: sorry, but I had got that wrong. He is not from the Cilento but from Naples; just his sister is living in the Cilento, that's why he always goes there. So he deems his expertise on the Cilento insufficient to guide you.

Second, good news: he promised to call his sister, and a friend who lives in (and is from) the Cilento, as well; and he said he would come up with all answers and recommendations you're looking for within a few days, and in detailed form. I'm going to see him again next Wednesday - probably he'll have done his research until then, at least I hope so!!

Franco, my dear, thank you so very much! I will look forward to reading the results of your sleuthing next week!

And regarding another thread, by coincidence, two friends from Florida will be in New York next weekend and they have expressed a desire to have dinner at Peter Luger, where I have not been in about 25 years. They do not have reservations but are willing to eat dinner at 5pm and have invited me to join them. So if my schedule allows me to go along, I will have the results of my research to report to you!

So we'll exchange sleuthing results - wonderful!

Alright sorry for the delay.

And we have not stayed in any hotels along there so I have no advice really about that.

All of your general wants though (glorious scenery, learn about, and devour, great local food, swim, and explore appealing small towns), the Cilento will certainly deliver.

I'm not sure about two bases - I always like to settle in and prefer not to move but this is personal preference. The distances are not very great although travel is slow.

I think you would do much better to base in Castellabate for the northern part (whether Santa Maria di C, San Marco di C at either ends of the beach or or C itself which is up on the hill) than Paestum. We adore the temples but the beach part of town is lots of bland new hotels on a long sandy, but otherwise not very interesting beach.

We have not been south as far as Palinuro - not past Velia - but the coast along there and I'm sure right down to Palinuro is dazzling. Note - these towns are very quiet out of season and their season is very short (although no doubt they are packed in the short high season). When we have been (2nd and 3rd weeks of June), while Castellabate is up and running, Acciaroli and the other small towns to the south have still been absolutely (and I mean absolutely) dead quiet - seem totally out of season still. Santa M di C is far far far quieter then than the AC coast at that time but there are people about ....

ek, here's the first part of my sleuthing results: he has talked to his sister about where to stay - how many places, and which one. (The second part will be about more restaurants - in September, when his gourmet friend will be back home.)
Both his sister and he think there's no point in moving to a second home base; with a car, the Cilento is small enough to stay put in one place and reach everything in convenient daytrips. And the place his sister recommends (it's where all her friends are usually staying on her recommendation) is La Giacaranda, a B&B in S. Marco di Castellabate. They don't have their own website, but this one is giving a pretty complete description: http://www.cilento-ferien.de/en/acco...iacaranda.html - pretty reasonably priced, too.
His sister says it's crucial that you book "the suite" (obviously, there's just one suite). (Which may be more expensive - I don't know.) The beach is 1.5 kilometres away, which may not be what you are craving... but then, it's perhaps not too bad with a car.
And what's of particular interest for you: they are running a slow food restaurant on the property (open upon reservation only)! My friend said this restaurant should keep you entertained for two evenings, and for the remaining evenings, he'll check with his friend (in September, as I said).
Hope that helps!

I forgot to mention: please take note that they're also running cooking classes there, which might perhaps be interesting.

Thanks to both of you! I will be more focused on this trip once I return from Puglia next month, so please stay tuned and prepare for more questions!

Franco, you are a gem for taking the time to ask around and gather all of this very helpful information. The B&B looks lovely and I will consider it, although I had hoped for a place on the sea, or with a pool. (I do realize that this really constrains me, especially in this area..). But La Giacaranda is tempting so I will keep it in mind and will surely have at least one dinner there.

One issue that disturbs me is Texas' comments about how shut up the towns are, even well into June. I would not consider traveling in July or August, although I am sure everything is up and running by then. So where does that leave us? I wonder if you would mind delving into this topic with your "gourmet" friend---does he feel that I would encounter enough truly local places to eat dinner, for example, in early June? I would also look forward very much to hear as much of the information about eating places as your friend can bear to discuss!

No problem, I'm going to ask him as soon as I meet him again - which will probably be only in September, as well. Of course, I had told him that you wanted a beach or a pool, but his sister was so determined about La Giacaranda that there was no room for any second thought about any other place: for her, that's THE place to stay, sorry ek. Anyway, perhaps at least their advice to stay put in one place will be useful for you.

Just wondering if Franco, or anyone else, has an update to this thread.

ek, hello - frankly, my impression (not a very founded one, perhaps, since I haven't been around too regularly over the last few weeks) was that you've given up on your Cilento plan and are returning to Puglia this year; that's why I didn't ask my friend again about the Cilento. But if you do still plan on going there, I gladly will.

ek?

Franco, many thanks! I am so glad you are "back" here!

I had all but given up on the idea and, indeed, plan to return to Puglia in May with my usual travel partner. But my two older friends have just resuscitated the idea of the Cilento/Amalfi trip for the fall. (Actually, they had the idea of an Amalfi Coast visit and I tacked on Maratea and the Cilento. My tentative itinerary must pass muster with them so I am gathering ideas now) The trouble is that the places that look quite charming, especially the one you recommended above, will be too basic for these two friends. It is a bit of a puzzle to find what look like suitable hotels.

I found this one, in Palinuro; try to ignore the prominent photo of the reception desk on the home page! Not sure what that mud is in the beach photos--maybe they use it in body treatments!

http://www.grandhotelsanpietro.com/it/Structure.html



Charming it's not, but it does get decent reviews and has a nice pool. I wonder if Palinuro would be a good base for a couple of days after Maratea. Scenery should be excellent, which will be critical. And there must be some good seafood in those parts..

Ummm, do you want me to be honest? No, you don't. But I wouldn't certainly recommend staying at such a hotel. If it's obviously difficult to find accomodations in the Cilento, what about staying in Maratea and doing the Cilento in daytrips from there? The trip to S. Marco di Castellabate e.g. is just 19 kilometers longer from Maratea than from Palinuro, and takes just 15 minutes more as per Google Maps (a reliable source IME).
Do you already have a hotel in Maratea? If not, what do you think of this find? www.villacheta.it (I recently researched Maratea for a possible franco trip). On the beach, no it's not, but they seem to have arrangements with no less than 11 beaches on the Maratea coast, and in beach season, there is a daily shuttle for the hotel guests to and from each of those beaches. Plus this hotel is really beautiful IMHO.

Ah yes, and if you really go to the Amalfi Coast, I'll ask that friend about it, too - restaurants, above all. Amalfi, this is where he is a real expert, he said. (But I'll make him phone that other friend, the gourmet from the Cilento, as well!)