This October, we are being blessed with clear and sunny days, perfect for a day trip. So a few days ago I decided to go to Agropoli, a medieval village at the beginning of the Cilento Coast, easily reached from Salerno by train in just over half an hour. I took the first photo of the promontory of Agropoli with the Aragonese Castle on the top.
Feeling curious, I walked up the old steps, which used to be the only entrance to the fortified area, and, that are one of the few examples left of walkable steps decorated with battlements.
The portal at the beginning of the old town is adorned with the marble coat of arms of the last feudal city owners, the Dukes Delli Monti Sanfelice.
From there, you can climb to the fortress of Agropoli along streets and alleys so characteristic that they inspired Giuseppe Ungaretti, writing about his trip to Cilento in 1932 in Il Deserto e dopo, to describe as: "One street, made narrow by the houses, which suddenly becomes almost vertical".
The Castle is open to visitors free of charge. The opening times vary, depending on the time of the year. Dating back to the Byzantine age, today’s fortress displays changes carried out in Angevin and Aragonese times: it has a triangular plan with three circular towers.
Inside the Castle, the central part, called Piazza d’Armi, is a garden and an open-air theatre.
You can visit the internal areas, which I found really interesting.
From any part of the Castle of Agropoli you can enjoy a wonderful view of the sea.
English version by Maurizio de Santis
Special thanks to David Strong
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