Tom`s travels: Castellabate (07/07/2016)

Friday, September 2, 2016

Castellabate (07/07/2016)

My aunt and my cousin Alexandra decided to take me to the town of Castellabate to meet Alexandra's religion teacher and see the old town. We left Salerno after lunch and about 1 hour and 30 minutes later reached our destination. We picked up the teacher and his parents that were holidaying in the fraction of Castellabate called Santa Maria which sits directly on the waterfront with many historic houses, palaces, a medieval tower and two pretty churches. We then drove uphill until we reached the center of Castellabate, perched on the hilltop overlooking the surrounding landscape and the sea below. The town's name translates to Abbot's Castle as its castle was built by the abbot Costabile Gentilcore during the 12th century. So after reaching the top we parked the car and continued on foot exploring its streets and buildings, as this town is part of the club, the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Walking up steep steps and narrow alleys we reached the small but pretty main square where we sat down at the local bar and had something to drink. Walking further up we reached the highest spot of the town where the castle is located; next to it a beautiful panoramic point with an amazing view over the sea. After taking several photos we went back into town and saw the main church: the Basilica di Santa Maria de Giulia with a baroque style but still some medieval remains such as the baptismal font, some parts of majolica floor and the bell tower. We then went in the church for mass since Alexandra's teacher was requested to be the priest that day. After mass we were getting hungry so after asking the locals for a place to eat we were told to go to the restaurant just below the castle where we enjoyed a great dinner and an awesome sunset over the sea.