Palinuro and Cilento National Park

The Hotel "La Primula" is located in Palinuro, in the heart of the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano, one of the largest and best preserved Italian national parks.

The Cilento National Park
The National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano, founded in 1991, covers a vast territory of the southern Campania, bordered on the north by the plain of Paestum, on the east by the Vallo di Diano, west and south by the Tyrrhenian Sea (more precisely, by the waters of the Gulf of Policastro on the south). The park area is not only large but also diverse, it includes both mountain environments, with peaks ranging from 1898 meters of Mount Cervati to the 1130 of Mount Stella, and hilly areas, the marine environments is of great beauty and variety, among which stands out Cape Palinuro.

The nature is still wild and untouched, especially in remote areas, traversed by few roads. Well, almost as if time has stopped magically, the memories of ancient civilizations and lost towns are frequent and impressive.

The flora and fauna of the Park are unique. As soon as you cross the border, descending from the mountains to the sea, you’ll feel continuously assaulted by the intense perfume of Mediterranean vegetation, euphorbia tree, helichrysum, the cyst, the mastic, myrtle and rosemary. In spring the hills shall gild the yellow and fragrant gorse and grass dewy bloom orchids. But the symbol of the Park is perhaps the primrose (“primula” in italian) of Palinuro named, as well as the Cape, after the unfortunate helmsman of Aeneas, the legend wants him kidnapped by the clear but wild waters, due to a traitor sleep. The primrose grows from the cracks of the rocks of the promontory on the coast and the surrounding area within a radius of no more than fifty kilometers. It is considered by botanists a biological rarity, almost a living fossil, and is also considered the grandfather of all European wild primroses, the only one who has chosen to live by the sea. It blooms very early, in late winter, when the air in the early spring of Cilento portends the glory of the summer to come.

Not to be missed:

Paestum, a UNESCO heritage of mankind, is one of the best preserved Greek/Roman city.
Besides the urban plant, are now preserved in excellent conditions three large temples, within each one you can still see the tablet structure columns.

Padula: its Charterhouse is famous for its majestic structure and dimension and is located inside the national park of Cilento.

Palinuro: the most representative of the maritime center Cilento. A five-pointed rocky cape stretches in the sea, creating a high coast by beautiful landscapes, rich in grottoes, creeks and gorges to explore and visit only by boat. Of particular beauty is the largest natural arch that rises on the homonymous beach.

Marina di Camerota: a fishing village, Marina di Camerota, offers white sandy beaches, which alternate with the typical high coast of Cilento.

San Severino di Centola: visiting the remains of its old borough now abandoned, perched atop a mountain, is ideal to discover the typical Cilento of a few centuries ago.

For more information and itineraries visit: www.cilentonelmondo.it