The Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park is a place to discover, full of charm and ready to welcome curious visitors.

Consisting of vast areas of land and sea, it is the largest park in Italy by extension of protected areas. It possesses an inestimable natural heritage, which adds up to a historical and cultural heritage, so much so that it has received prestigious international recognition, such as being included in the network of biosphere reserves (MAB-UNESCO), as an area where there is a proper balance between human activity and respect for nature, and such as the inclusion, for the first time granted to a Mediterranean park, in the exclusive UNESCO World Heritage List, together with the adjoining archaeological sites of Paestum, Velia and the Charterhouse of Padula.

Over the centuries to the present day, man has managed to colonise this often harsh and impervious environment while respecting nature, and the first signs of human presence date back to the Palaeolithic period. But it is the favourable geographic position, in the centre of the Mediterranean, that has allowed the meeting of sea and mountains, east and west, merging different cultures through various periods, through wars and conspiracies, tyrannies and revolts, but also through continuous trade and cultural exchanges between civilisations.

Greeks and Romans, Lucanians, Arabs, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Spaniards and French, have all left evidence of their culture and art in Cilento, which can be seen in the medieval villages, historic centres, monuments and customs of the people.

Important personalities such as the great philosophers Parmenides and Zeno, the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway, the Neapolitan philosopher and man of letters Gian Battista Vico, and the American dietician Ancel Keys, a scholar of Cilento food and discoverer of the healthy 'Mediterranean Diet', have stayed and lived here.

As well as the historical and cultural aspects, there are also the naturalistic beauties, with the presence of beautiful beaches and suggestive bays, fascinating caves and spectacular cliffs, scattered along a coastline some 100 km long.

No less beautiful is the hilly hinterland shrouded in Mediterranean scrub and olive trees, vines and Cilento figs, all the way to the mountains, with their chestnut, holm-oak and beech forests.

The presence of so many microhabitats allows the life and development of hundreds of flora and fauna species, including some very rare ones, such as the otter living in the Bussento and Calore rivers, and the Palinuro primrose, climbing the cliffs of Capo Palinuro.

An ideal place to spend a relaxing holiday by the sea, in the quiet hills or amidst the medieval atmosphere of small villages, or simply enjoy the healthy air, the quality of the food and the joviality of the people.

Finally, there are numerous activities to promote the area, from hikes along picturesque paths through the countryside to boat trips along the coast.