Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park

Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park
Location:	Salerno , Italy
Next city:	Vallo della Lucania
Surface:	1,810 km²
Founding:	December 6, 1991
Address:	Duck Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano ; Piazza S. Caterina ; 8 - 84078 Vallo della Lucania (SA)
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The Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park (Italian: Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano) is the second largest national park in Italy and is located in the Campania region and in the Salerno province . It was established in 1991 and extends over an area of 181,048 hectares of mostly mountainous terrain from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Vallo di Diano at the foot of the Apennines . In 1998 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The center of the national park are the places Marina di Camerota and the smaller Palinuro.

Coast at Marina di Camerota

landscape

The landscape of the Cilento is very varied. On the coast, cliffs alternate with sandy beaches. The inland is hilly with some river valleys, partly forested, but also covered with olive groves. But there are also largely bare mountain regions. Parts of the Calore Gorge are also under nature protection, as is the highest mountain at 1,898 m, Monte Cervati . There are also underwater reserves in two places: In front of Santa Maria di Castellabate the "Parco Marino Subacqueo" and east of Marina di Camerota the Baia degli Infreschi (Riserva Naturale Costa degli Infreschi). There are many caves both on the coast and in the river valleys.

flora

Palinuro primrose

The national park administration estimates that there are around 1,800 different wild plants in the park. Around 10% of these are endangered species. The Palinuro primrose (Primula palinuri), which was chosen as the national park logo, is an endemic species that only occurs between Cape Palinuro and the Maratea coast. The dune funnel daffodil is also a rare species found in the coastal region.

In the coastal region, pine groves and macchia alternate with olive groves. Beeches, alders, holm oaks and chestnuts grow inland.

fauna

The mountainous regions of the national park provide a habitat for the golden eagle and its prey, the Alpine stone grouse and the Corsican hare . There are also some wolves in the mountain regions of the national park. The hawk and wildcat live in the lower forests . Occurrences of the alpine goat are significant . Endangered otters , spectacled salamanders and fire salamanders live in the watercourses of the Calore Valley .

tourism

The national park region is not shaped by mass tourism. However, the coastal regions are often very well visited in the high season. In the off-season in spring and autumn, however, tourists experience largely empty beaches and places. The national park region offers a variety of options for active vacationers. There are many attractive hiking routes and cyclists will also get their money's worth here. The conditions on the steep rocky coasts are ideal for diving and snorkeling. The varied coast is also very suitable for sailing and surfing. Other offers include white water rides, horse riding, hang-gliding and paragliding, as well as cave exploration and boat tours to the caves on the coast, some of which are only accessible from the water.

The famous water buffalo whose milk is processed into the traditional mozzarella di bufala also live in the area around Paestum .

Temple of Athena in Paestum,
6th century BC

Cultural sights

There are three main attractions in the Cilento , each of which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List :

The excavation site in Paestum with the three well-preserved Greek temples
The archaeological site of the Greek philosopher city of Velia
The Carthusian monastery in Padula

In addition, many places have charming historical town centers. Also worth seeing are the medieval coastal defense towers - often only preserved as ruins.

Web links

Commons : National Park Cilento and Vallo di Diano - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Official website of the national park (Italian)
Pages of the Association of Italian Large Protected Areas (FEDERPARCHI) (English)
World Database on Protected Areas - National Park Cilento and Vallo di Diano (English)