Ever since I visited the Cilento Coast in 2018 on the amazing Tyrrhenian Sea, I have imagined myself back there a hundred times. This is where my dreams of the perfect vacation came true.
Where is the Cilento coast? It’s about 150 km south of Naples, south of the Amalfi coast, south of Pompei — if you take a train from Naples, you need to travel beyond the town of Salerno, which is the largest town adjoining the region known as the Amalfi coast; which includes the town of Amalfi, Positano, Ravello and more. From here, the Cilento region is just 70 kilometers away, heading south towards Agropoli.
Determined to see this amazing part of south western Italy, I quickly made plans with a friend to create an itinerary. Getting to Italy was easy. In this case, Karachi and Islamabad to Abu Dhabi, a quick stopover with some fun walking around the Abu Dhabi Duty Free; boarding another Etihad Airways plane to Rome, arriving six hours later in Italy’s capital for an overnighter. The next morning we took the Frecciarossa, Italy’s fabulous fast train directly to Naples. Then another train from Naples to Agropoli, and we were there!
Cappacio-Paestum, which is its official name, is in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of south western Italy, right on the Tyrhennian Sea. This is where our primary stop, the elegant Savoy Beach Hotel is located. We arrived here after a meandering ride in the Italian countryside from Agropoli by car with the coastal air filling our lungs with essential aria fresca!
The Savoy is old school luxury, where it is a good idea to dress for dinner. We loved the immense gardens, massive verandas, fabulous blue, yellow and white glazed tiles in the garden, rooms and bathrooms — music in the air, as every night the hotel was hosting a wedding. This hotel and all its adjoining affiliates comprise an important part of Paestum and are owned by Giuseppe Pagano, a brilliant entrepreneur with a passion for good wine — they include the Esplanade Hotel, Beach Club 93 — a few hundred meters away on the water — and the hotel’s very own Michelin star quality, fine dining restaurant,Tre Olivi, where the food is from the freshest ingredients in the region, beautiful too, and where we ate almost every night. His son, the elegant Salvatore Pagano, who we met daily at work, is the General Manager of the hotel — his attention to detail and personal care is typical of the people of the region — family matters, so do your guests, workmates, community.
The ancient town of Paestum and its Greek ruins
Just minutes from the hotel, a bike ride away, one kilometer to be exact, are the ancient ruins of Paestum — 2500 year old Greek temples, rising out from the ruins of a major Greek city.
Ancient and medieval Greek communities came to the south western Italian coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea centuries ago, and Paestum was one its major ports — the Greek colonists called it Poseidonia — later the Romans gave the city its modern name Paestum. The ruins of the three ancient Greek temples in Paestum are circa 600 to 450 BC — it is, in fact, unbelievable to see their amazingly good condition.
Even the city walls and amphi-theatre, as well as some paved roads are well preserved. This is an idyllic location, probably in ancient times, filled with trees, right next to the sea. The Italians are proud of their heritage and a lovely museum next to the site contains beautifully preserved remains from the Greek and Roman eras. Interestingly, this entire site was left as it was in the Early Middle Ages until the 18th century.
Paestum contains three of the most well-preserved ancient Greek temples in the world, including the two Hera Temples next to each other, and on a higher point to the north of the ancient town, is the Temple of Athena.
San Salvatore’s buffalo mozzarella and the freshest food made by Italian ‘nonas’
Paestum is also home to a cluster of buffalo farms that produce Italy’s best mozzarella di bufala, and Salvatore Pagano’s San Salvatore brand is the producer of the freshest, handmade buffalo mozzarella, made by organically fed buffalos, whom we went to meet, after an amazing tour of the vineyard.
The packaging of the San Salvatore brand has the buffalo drawn on all its the bottles, including the olive oil, jams and marmalades by Gillo Dorfles, a famous artist who loved Cilento. These items are available at the lovely La Dispensa, a restaurant and delicatessen, also part of the Pagano conglomerate, where the food is cooked by Nonas (local grandmothers) in an open to view kitchen. Their tiramisu is to die for and the fresh vegetables bathed in the freshest virgin olive oil with fresh garlic and a smattering of paprika! Delizioso!
The home of the Mediterranean Diet
Two days into my trip to Italy, I felt a tangible change in how I felt. Lots of energy and a feeling of lightness, I felt I was walking on air. The joy of being on holiday, the perfection of the weather and cuisine that had me feeling that way. This euphoria, for want of a better word, was also because of one of the most beautiful and healthy diet regimes in the world — located right here in Italy, in the gorgeous little villages of the Cilento coast — the home of the famous Mediterranean Diet. We visited Pioppi, a town with just a few hundred inhabitants, where American physiologist and nutritionist Ancel Keys lived to be a hundred and one years old and put the name ‘Mediterranean Diet’ on the map. He expounded the health benefits of virgin olive oil and called out saturated fats as a major cause of heart disease. In Pioppi, the ‘Museum of the Mediterranean diet, located right on the seafront in the stunning 17th century Palazzo Vinciprova, is the legacy of Ancel Keys where his theories are preserved for future generations.
Storie Di Panne, Da Zero and the freshest food in the world
We were never introduced to anything which wasn’t followed up with the actual thing— especially food. Storie Di Panne, is a unique gourmet food outlet and restaurant that prides itself on quality products and food. From the best charcuterie and cheeses, to Viennoiserie pastries and traditional Italian cakes, bread baked in a wood oven, rolls, pizzas, Focaccia, biscuits and more, the choice was fabulous.
Owned by young, committed foodie/chef Paolo De Simone, this concept is like America’s Whole Foods, but truly whole and wholesome foods — sourced locally. They use the best certified ingredients and the most natural leavening agents. We were served a perfectly healthy lunch with rustic favorites like shakshuka style eggs with chicory leaves, batter fried anchovies and fried pizzas, light as air! The Italian touch, or rather the Cilento touch; the owner’s mother, his mama served us at the table herself — and we were told that they cook the way grandma did, using fresh ingredients and what is available in season.
Paolo’s second endeavor is the Pizzeria Da Zero, of which he describes the main fare as ‘Pizza e Territorio’ — made from fresh authentic ingredients of the area, varieties of tomatoes and cheeses, and the lightest dough this side of Napoli. There is a branch of Da Zero in Milan also. Really, it was the best pizza I have ever eaten.
Blue sky, blue water and the sea air
Its a wonderful feeling when you go on board a yacht for a day out at sea. We joined our hosts Marzio and Santina in Porto di Agropoli, the picture-book port of the ancient city of Agropoli, established since pre-medieval times. It’s a tourist hub from where the gorgeous blue coast of Cilento, shines vibrantly, literally beckoning you to jump into the water! I am sure of one thing: October is the month to travel to Italy. The summer is hot — definitely perfect for swimming — but October is when you can enjoy the outside without the fear of heat or sunburn. It’s fresh and fantastic! That yacht ride was bliss. We went further south, shimmying along the coastal waters, docked into a tiny bay with a pebble beach and swam directly from the boat, jumping into the chilly, fresh blue water. Crossed off my bucket list!
Ciao, arrivederci, until next time
Wise sages say that you’ve got to try something new ever so often to keep your childlike curiosity alive — similarly, I remember my mother always telling me never to become blasé or jaded! (Her favourite word, blasé!) This particular trip to Italy was all about simplicity — just like the food we ate — even the most high-end fare was made with the simplest ingredients. And the days we spent meandering around the countryside, were simply blissful, stopping by tiny coastal villages and towns, enjoying amazing views of the sea, sky and hills, the history all around us, bike rides in narrow country lanes and sunsets on the beach.
This article was originally published in the November 2018 issue of HELLO! Pakistan magazine . Byline: Amna R. Ali
The Cilento Coast: Throwback to an October in Southern Italy
