Campania · Salerno
Auletta
A Tanagro hill town above the Cilento-Vallo di Diano park, fortified by 1000 AD, scene of an 1861 anti-Piedmont massacre and an 1857 earthquake.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Auletta is on our list
It holds Città delle Grotte.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 49 min from Salerno
- Population
- 2,145
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J33°
- A32°
- S27°
- O22°
- N17°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Auletta sits on a hill on the right bank of the Tanagro river, at the northern edge of the Vallo di Diano, inside the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. The town was fortified by the year 1000 and is mentioned as Olibola in 1095, possibly from olea, Latin for oil. The medieval core is reached through three gates, Porta Castello, Porta del Fiume and Porta Rivellino.
The Castello Marchesale, twelfth century in origin, took its current shape in the fifteenth, when defensive systems were added; it is privately owned by the Maioli Castriota Scanderbech family. The 1857 Great Neapolitan earthquake destroyed much of the town and was documented by the Irish seismologist Robert Mallet, in the first systematic post-earthquake survey ever attempted. In 1861, immediately after Unification, locals rose against the Piedmontese army and 45 were killed in what is remembered as the Auletta Massacre. The town is now a Città delle Grotte for its proximity to the Pertosa-Auletta caves.
How to get there
From Naples (NAP), about 1 h 32 min by car.
Bari (BRI) is about 2 h 42 min away.
By car from the center of Salerno 49 min, Naples 1 h 33 min or Bari 2 h 48 min.
Coming from Naples?
Coming by train into Salerno? Auletta is about 52 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Naples airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Castello Marchesale
Twelfth-century fortress in the highest part of the centro storico, reshaped in the fifteenth century with defensive walls and now privately held.
Chiesa di San Nicola di Mira
Parish church inside the medieval walls, holds a relic of San Donato di Ripacandida, the town's patron saint.
Borgo dei Mestieri
Restored part of the centro storico turned into a living museum of traditional Cilento crafts, with workshops on stone, iron and clay.
Grotte di Pertosa-Auletta
Karst cave system on the adjacent commune, visited partly by boat on an underground river, an important archaeological site.
Parco Nazionale del Cilento
Auletta is a gateway commune of the National Park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with hiking trails along the Tanagro and into the Alburni.
Living here
Could you live here?
Auletta is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 2,145, with Polla (5,095 people) 13 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Salerno, a city of 126,000, is 49 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 2,145, down 9.7% since 2015
- Nearest city Salerno, 49 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Polla, 8 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €540 to €680 per m² to buy, €1.50 to €1.90 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 83% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Naples airport (NAP), 1 h 32 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Naples, 1 h 33 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
5% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Ukraine and Mali, against 9% across Italy. There are 222 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 47% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Salerno province ranks 90th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Polla, 8 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Potenza, 35 km away. The nearest IB school is St. Stephen's School, 286 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is École Francaise de Naples Alexandre-Dumas, 105 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.76% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Campania spends about €1,800 a month, €650 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €328 a year for water, on the Campania average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. Under 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 1% in a high or medium one. 6% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
CASTELLO MARCHESALE
Twelfth-century Norman fortress at the high point of the centro storico, reshaped in the fifteenth century with three gates still standing.
MALLET EARTHQUAKE
Robert Mallet's 1857 study of the Great Neapolitan earthquake damage at Auletta is considered the first scientific post-quake survey ever made.
PIZZA CHIENA
Easter savoury pie filled with egg, toma and other soft cheeses, often with local white artichoke, a signature of Auletta's gastronomy.
Common questions
- What is Auletta known for?
- Auletta is a Tanagro hill town above the Cilento-Vallo di Diano park, fortified by 1000 AD, scene of an 1861 anti-Piedmont massacre and an 1857 earthquake.
- Where is Auletta?
- Auletta is a comune in the province of Salerno, in Campania, at 280 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Auletta?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Naples (NAP), about 1 h 32 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Auletta?
- About 49 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Auletta?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Auletta?
- Taurasi, Sant'Angelo Le Fratte and Santa Severina.
- How many people live in Auletta?
- 2,145 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Auletta a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Auletta is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Polla, 13 min). The nearest city, Salerno, is 49 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Polla, 8 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 83% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 280 m
- Population: 2,145
- Surface area: 35.68 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Auletta appears in
- The 8 best hill towns inside a national park in CampaniaCampaniahill towninside a park8 towns · smallest 573 residents
- The best hill towns within 90 minutes of SalernoNear Salernohill townwithin 90 min9 towns · smallest 576 residents · closest 49 min away
- The best small towns inside a national park in the province of SalernoSalerno provinceinside a parksmall9 towns · smallest 573 residents
Similar
Towns like Auletta
What all six share with Auletta: under 3,000 people · hill towns
Taurasi
Province: Avellino
both inland, away from the coast
Sant'Angelo Le Fratte
Province: Potenza
both inland, away from the coast
Santa Severina
Province: Crotone
both inland, away from the coast
Riace
Province: Reggio Calabria
both inland, away from the coast
Montefiore Conca
Province: Rimini
both inland, away from the coast
Pico
Province: Frosinone
The letter
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