Cave diving at Palinuro and in the Cilento

Capo Palinuro has about 35 sea caves that can only be reached by sea: you dive them by boat from Palinuro harbour with a local centre. Some hold warm sulphur springs, such as the Sala della Neve in the Grotta Azzurra, where white bacterial mats create a snow effect. Further south, near Marina di Camerota, the Costa degli Infreschi marine protected area has shallower caves that are considered less complex and are always dived with a guide locally. Take the risks seriously: hydrogen sulphide in air bells (never breathe that air), fine silt that quickly takes away visibility, maze passages and fifteen deaths since 1984. In summer, tour boats also pass the entrances all day.

Don't miss

• Grotta Azzurra di Palinuro: blue light enters through the underwater siphon, and submerged formations and columns over 3 m tall are covered in red coral, sponges and gorgonians.
• Grotta della Cattedrale (Capo Palinuro): the entrance looks like a church façade, and in 'Cattedrale 1' you pass four air bells with sponges and mineral deposits.
• Grotta delle Noglie: a cave in the Infreschi reserve, whose caves are considered less complex than those of Capo Palinuro, named after stalactites that look like hanging sausages ('noglie').

On a rest day

• Velia: Walk through the remains of the Greek city of Elea, with the restored Porta Rosa, Roman baths and a medieval tower on the acropolis.
• Paestum: The Greek city of Poseidonia with its three Doric temples, the most important archaeological site in the national park.
• Pertosa-Auletta Caves: A show cave where you first cross an underground lake on the Negro river in a boat without an engine.
• Certosa di Padula: A vast Carthusian monastery in the Vallo di Diano, begun in 1306 and largely Baroque, with an archaeological museum.

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