The Castle of Castellabate

The Castle of Abate was built in 1123 by St Costabile Gentilcore, the fourth abbot of the Abbey of Cava de’ Tirreni. The village built up around it and took its own name: Castrum Abbatis, that means Castello dell’Abate which was shortened to Castellabate. Little by little, Castellabate became the richest barony of the whole Cilento region, and the castle was a protective garrison for the populations around the area, who would flee to it in times of strife.

Nowadays the castle is still in great condition in a spectacular setting, overlooking the shores of the Cilento Coast. Be sure to stop at the Belvedere for a breathtaking view of the entire coastline, which extends along the Amalfi Coast and to Capri on a clear day!

A bit of history…

• 1123: Work started to build u the castle and the village around it. These lands were previously occupied by the Lombards, the Normans, the Basilian monks (refugees from the East). Under the Norman rule, the Benedictine monks of Cava de’ Tirreni reclaimed the area, and built a fortress to defend to population from the Saracens, which departed from Agropoli to sack the villages around.
• 1138: Beato Simeone, the fifth abbot of Cava de’ Tirreni, completed both the castle and the port to develop commercial trade routes; gave houses, lands and tax reduction to all his subjects. Thanks to the castle – a afe shelter for the locals – and the development of commerce, Castellabate thrived.
• 1835: the ancient baronial palace was sold to a private citizen. The Benedictines moved away after seven hundreds years of presence in Castellabate.
• 1848: Castellabate was an important center of the Carboni movement, with lots of patriots of the Risorgimento (uprising that led to Italy's unification) centered here.

The castle houses an art gallery and is worth a visit.