Casal Velino is a charming vacation resort on the Mediterranean coast in the heart of the Cilento national park next to the historical excavation places of Velia.
The mass tourism has spared Casal Velino so that the "Comune", divided into several villages, could keep much of its origin. Today the main places are the picturesque Casal Velino Paese high above the valley and the beach resort Marina di Casal Velino at the seven kilometres long sandy beach. Here at the Lungomare and around the central Piazza there are numerous restaurants, cafes and bars. Once a week the farmers and traders offer their products on the large market. The fishing and Yacht port is the centre of the maritime life in Marina di Casal Velino.
A paradise for all kinds of water-sports - sailors, surfers and scuba-diver find perfect conditions, as well as wanderers and cyclists who can start their tours through the Cilento national park from here. High above the Marina thrones the Saracenwatchtower deriving from the 12th century as the symbol of this extraordinary holiday domicile in the Cilento. Above the Marina is Casal Velino Paese with a marvellous view over the Cilento and the coast. The place was founded about 2500 years ago. In its historical centre with its small lanes you feel set back into the past.
Originally Hellenistic Greeks settled in the area around Casal Velino and the now historical places of Velia. A malaria epidemic forced them retreat into the mountains where they founded "Novi Velia the new Velia". After the swamps dried out they returned a couple of centuries later and founded Casal Velino, the "houses of Velia" . The Marina di Casal Velino is much younger and grew around the former mooring of the fishing boats at the northern end of the gulf of Viela directly under the Saracen watchtower. Here rich citizens built their summer residences at the seaside. By the time shops and restaurants were opened and the typical Italian "Piazza" arose and eventually the town as it is today.
Besides the Saracen watchtower and the antique excavations of Viela the small chapel of S. Mateo belongs to the sights here. Here the relics of the apostle Mathew were kept that can be seen nowadays in the dome of Salemo. The Vatican took S. Mateo on the list of pilgrim places.
Location
