| Punta Campanella marine protected natural area | |
 | |
| Area type | Protected sea area |
|---|---|
| State | Italy |
| Region | Campania |
| Territory | Salerno |
| Surface | 1,539 ha |
| Institutional website | |
Punta Campanella is a protected area located in the Gulf of Salerno, in Campania.
To know
Punta Campanella is the extreme end of the Sorrento peninsula, on the eastern edge of the Gulf of Naples. Protected natural area covering 40km of coastline and sea. The promontory extends along the coast and seems to want to rejoin the island of Capri from which it is 3 nautical miles away which have always been dangerous for sailors and fishermen. The entrance to Capri, where various currents create whirlpools and eddies meeting the rocky coast that offers no landing points. The extreme point, where once the Greeks venerated Athena and later the Romans venerated Minerva, today takes the name of Promontory of Minerva. In the 14th century a watchtower was built here, used to raise the alarm in case of an attack by Saracen pirates. On the tower there was a bell that was rung in case of danger to communicate with the other towers positioned along the coast.In this point, according to the legend, Ulysses meets the Sirens, therefore it is also known as the promontory of the Sirens, Sirenusium. one of the wonders of the world according to the writer Norman Douglas, the reserve offers a landscape of inestimable value whose area is mainly made up of limestone rocks and various caves of karst origin now submerged due to the rising sea level. One of the most spectacular is the Cala Mitigliano cave, an excellent destination for trekking lovers and scuba divers. The views offer breathtaking views and a wealth of flora and fauna with wild olive trees, junipers and the possibility of sighting herring gulls and peregrine falcons. The waters instead go down to a depth of 40 meters, rich in gorgonian corals, amberjacks and tuna.
Suggested readings
- Odyssey by Homer.
- Massa Lubrense website on Marine Park.
- Massa Lubrense website on sirens.
How to get
By bus
The reserve can be reached by bus leaving from the Termini station in Sorrento.
Permits / Rates
The tourist tax of the municipality of Massalubrense is € 1.
The entrance to Zone "A" of the Protected Marine Area, which includes the rock of Vervece and Vetara, is € 5.
The entrance to the submerged Archaeological Park, for those who dive is € 5.
How to get around
What see
What to do
Trekking
You can start the walk from 1 Piazza Santa Croce in Termini, a hamlet of Massa Lubrense, easily reachable by bus from Sorrento station in the direction of Nerano. From this square you follow 2 Via Campanella to then take 3 Via Minerva, following the signs for Punta Campanella, passing through a countryside with breathtaking views of Capri and the Gulf of Naples. On the left we run along Monte San Costanzo of white rocks with its typical vegetation, while on the right the sea with its gulfs and inlets. The first part of the route flies over Cala Mitigliano, with its characteristic Mediterranean vegetation where you can also get off comfortably by car. Approaching Punta Campanella you will see the 4 Tower of Fossa Papa and the vegetation changes becoming lower and less luxuriant giving space to a triumph of olive trees, myrtle, juniper, and rosemary, exposed to the sea breeze that draws them and offers them to the seagulls as an ideal place for nesting. Peregrine falcons and kestrels can also be seen in this area. In the wild isolation of Punta Campanella there is a modern lighthouse and the ruins of the 5 Mineva Tower, medieval tower that represents an example of the defense system built by Roberto D'angio between 1334 and 1335 when the raids of Saracen pirates were a constant torment for the population of the coast for three centuries. It was then rebuilt in 1556 after its destruction by the Turks. Near the temple of Greek origins there is a Roman villa of which however few remains remain. There are other interesting sites to see: a speculum (a signal tower) that rises majestically when looking at the lighthouse of Villa Jovis in Capri. The ancient road that leads to the temple of Athena is still maintained today for long stretches.
The myth of Ulysses (Odysseus) places here his encounter with the sirens, who according to scholars lived here or on the Sirenuse (the Li Galli islands).
You can find a crack in the rocks where there is a rather precarious staircase that leads to a cliff connected with a cave at sea level, the Cava delle Sirene. Here the ancient Greeks and Romans unloaded the loads of their boats with also offerings to the goddess Minerva. If you look up on the ridge you could see the "Oscan inscription" which indicates the docking point for the sanctuary and which demonstrates the presence of Italic populations in an area occupied by the Greeks.
You can continue to Monte San Costanzo to reach, near a pine forest, the 6 Monastery of San Costanzo following the path marked with red and white brushstrokes, path 00, high via dei Monti Lattari, arriving at 485m a.s.l. where you can admire a wonderful view that extends from the hills of Massa Lubrense to the Faito massif. After you can choose whether to take the stairs that lead to the starting point via an old mule track or continue to descend along the path that ends at the square of Nerano, another hamlet of Massa Lubrense. To return to Termini take the stairs that lead to a path that passes between olive and lemon trees.
Scuba diving
The reserve offers many beautiful dives and it is advisable to contact the diving centers in the area to enjoy what the seabed has to offer.
- 1 Punta Campanella Diving, Marina della Lobra (at the Il Paguro factory), 80061 Massa Lubrense, ☎ 39 338 471 2360, 39 338 315 8841, @[email protected].
- 2 Nettuno Residence Diving, Via A. Vespucci 39, 80061 Massalubrense, ☎ 39 081 808 1051, 39 081 808 3980, fax: 39 081 8081 706, @[email protected].
Shopping
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Punta Campanella marine protected natural area
Commons contains images or other files on Punta Campanella marine protected natural area
