I Dintorni

Marina di Camerota (Marina King Cammarota in Cilento), is the most populous center (3 500 inhabitants) of the municipality of Camerota, in the province of Salerno, is immersed in the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano, therefore protected by UNESCO as heritage world heritage and biosphere reserve.
In the seventeenth century, Marina di Linfreschi was nothing but a group of houses at Capo dell’Infreschi, with a well, an oven, a storeroom and a tavern, inhabited by peasants and fishermen who worked on the fortifications along the coast. Many sailors from the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts settled on the coast immediately before the natural harbor of the Infreschi, at the foot of the Layella watchtower, and the town expanded around a church dedicated to St. Nicholas, existing as early as 1616 with a small cemetery.
On July 17, 1848, Ferdinando II Borbone signs the decree that states: “The aggregate of houses along the coast of Camerota is called Marina di Camerota”.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Marina di Camerota suffered the phenomenon of emigration, particularly in South America and Venezuela: due to the links maintained with those lands, in a central square, in front of the port, is a statue was erected at the Venezuelan “Libertador”, Simón Bolívar, to whom the main street of the village and one of the two local cinemas are also dedicated.
The name is also traced back to that of the maiden Kamaraton, beautiful as a goddess, but with a heart of stone. Legend has it that the helmsman of Aeneas, Palinuro, fell madly in love, even coming to chase his image in the bottom of the sea, going to meet his destiny. Guilty of unrequited love, Kamaraton was transformed into rock by Venus: the rock on which today stands Camerota, perennial witness of an unlucky love.
Due to the karstic nature of the soil, Marina di Camerota is known to paleontologists for the interesting caves scattered throughout its territory, in most of which, since the 50s of the 1900s, important archaeological finds have been made, dating back to the mainly at the stone age.
Starting from the border with Palinuro, along the so-called Cala del Cefalo caves are found that until the time of the discoveries were inhabited by shepherds with families: among them, are worth mentioning the Grotta del Pesce, that dell’Autaro and that Caprara (the latter, nowadays, hosts a famous disco). At the northern edge of the town, there was the Grotta della Calanca, today no longer existing due to a collapse. Other important are the Cave of the Sepulchral or Poggio, the Cave of Manfregiudice (well and very dangerous), the Grotta della Serratura (on the beach of Lentiscelle, and so called for its shape), the Cave of Cala or prehistoric Man and the Riparo del Poggio or Niche Gamba (which represents the remains of what was once a cave, collapsed already in prehistoric times).
Others are located on the coast and can only be reached by sea: among these, it is worth mentioning the Grotta di Santa Maria, the Cave of Porto Infreschi (accessible by sea, and inside which there is a very fresh water source , whose oxidation colored the rock briskly), and the Grotta delle Noglie or delle notie, so called for the double entry in the shape of Neapolitan sausages (called precisely the noglie).
In 1960, some remains of human skulls found in the Sepulchral Cave and, poorly reconstructed, they briefly considered that a “missing link” had been found in the human evolutionary chain, since the finds (dating back to the Middle Paleolithic) appeared as those of an individual with a protruding chin and considerable cranial capacity, in clear contrast to the Neanderthal Man. The presumed hominid was given the name of Homo Camerotensis, but after a short time extensive studies made the already weak identity fall.
Marina di Camerota is a renowned seaside resort, both for the quality of the water and the natural environment; being immersed in the Cilento hills rich in typical Mediterranean vegetation. Among the various hotels located in the center, a historian was the “Infreschi”: housed in a large farmhouse, it was demolished in the summer of 2006 to make room for apartments. It has been awarded the European Blue Flag for beaches in the years 2000, 2001 and 2003, and of the five legambiente wings in 2002. In the years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 it received the Blue Flag for tourist landings. From June 2011 Marina di Camerota is the only Italian city, together with Jesolo, to have a beach formally intended for naturist tourism.
The most beautiful beaches to see and visit are:
> Calanca: set between two small rocky headlands, is the beach with the lowest seabed, perfect for children. From the Calanca beach you can also see the island of Marina di Camerota. It is practically a 5-minute walk from the historic center.
> Marina delle Barche: also this very fine sand 10 minute walk from the historic center.
> Lentiscelle: about 1 km from the town. The beach is made up of small pebbles and pebbles.
> Mingardo: series of beaches about 7 km long, the most famous of which are the Cala del Cefalo, the Cala d’Arconte and the la Vela Beach, so called for a shaped rock, in fact, of sail. They are all located outside the town, along the road that connects Marina di Camerota to Palinuro. Mostly of very fine sand, they are renowned for the depth of the sea floor, ideal for those who love swimming.
> Del Troncone: one of the many beaches known as Mingardo. A little more secluded and hidden among the rocks. A destination for LGBT tourism, it is officially authorized for naturist tourism.

sources: go to the website