Scario: Marine Protected Area, Grotta dell’Acqua and Archaeology
Accommodation in Scario
Scario combines a protected coastal landscape with trails, boat tours and traces of a distant past. The Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta Marine Protected Area stretches from Torre dello Zancale near Marina di Camerota to Scario on the Gulf of Policastro. If you are looking for a place for your trip to Italy where nature experiences and cultural history stand side by side, Scario offers different ways to engage with both.
Coast between coves, cliffs and woodland
The Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta encompasses 13.808 km of coastline with coves, grottos, small beaches, roadsteads and underwater springs. Along the Costa della Masseta, high limestone cliffs rise up; they are foothills of Monte Bulgheria. In the FAI-protected coastal area, a dense, naturally occurring holm-oak forest also reaches down to the sea and gives way to bare rock. The coast therefore cannot be reduced to a single type of beach: rock, woodland and water-shaped formations define its character.
From the port into the marine protected area
From the port of Scario, boats depart for the Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta Marine Protected Area. They run daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. For planning your day, the port thus provides direct access to a coastal area whose coves, grottos and small beaches take on a distinctive perspective when viewed from the water.
Archaeology at Masseta
The Riparo del Molare at Masseta di Scario contains a 10-metre-thick continental deposit with approximately 20 settlement levels from the Middle Palaeolithic. The stratification makes the site particularly interesting if you want not only to view the landscape but also to understand its human past.
A museum offering a glimpse into prehistory
The “Centomila anni prima di Scario” Museum displays a model of the local landscape as it appeared 100,000 years ago. It also contains casts of finds from excavations supported by the Superintendency of Archaeology of Salerno and the Department of Archaeology and Art History at the University of Siena. The museum’s name points to a very long time horizon: here, today’s coastal landscape is connected with an era that predates the familiar historical views of the area by a very long time.
On foot to the Grotta dell’Acqua
The Sentiero della Grotta dell’Acqua route first leads to Torre Spinosa. The path to the Grotta dell’Acqua is classified as a tourist trail of difficulty level T. This places a clearly designated hiking route alongside excursions on the water, without requiring both experiences to involve the same type of landscape.
The route to the Grotta dell’Acqua ends at the beach of the same name. It is approximately 4 km long and takes an average of about 2 hours there and back.
Private boat tours for different groups
Il Delfino organises private boat tours for families, school groups and other groups. The routes and stops can be customised; the tours are accompanied by a professional skipper. For planning your trip, this offers another way to experience the coast: rather than a fixed hiking route, the focus is on a journey tailored to the respective group.
Positioning Scario as a place to stay
When choosing a hotel in Scario, you can base your location decision on the experiences you have planned. The port is connected to boat departures for the marine protected area, the route to the Grotta dell’Acqua offers an approximately two-hour hike there and back, and the museum and archaeological sites provide a cultural focus. This allows you to assign separate priorities to the coast, nature and prehistory when planning your stay, rather than judging Scario solely by a single excursion destination.
More destinations
Trentinara, Sieti, Sicilì, Positano, Castelcivita, Amalfi, San Mauro La Bruca and Marina Di Camerota
To the higher-level travel overview: Salerno.
