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.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 49 min from Salerno
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 2,124
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.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J33°
- A32°
- S27°
- O22°
- N17°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Donato da Ripacandida, 17 August
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.
The Sunday letter
Auletta is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Auletta comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Auletta in our articles
The best hidden hill towns you can reach by train in Campania7 towns, Auletta among them.
The best towns you can reach by train in the province of Salerno7 towns, Auletta among them.
The 8 best hill towns inside a national park in Campania8 towns, Auletta among them.
The best small towns you can reach by train in Campania8 towns, Auletta among them.
How to get there
From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 32m by car.
Bari / Brindisi (BRI) is about 2h 42m away.
By car from the centre of Salerno 49 minutes, Naples 1h 33m or Bari 2h 48m.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Naples?
Coming by train into Salerno? Auletta is about 52 minutes away by road.
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.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Auletta fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Living here
- Population 2,124
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 1 h 32 min drive
- Regional capital Napoli, 1 h 33 min drive
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?
- Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 1h 32m by car.
- Can you get to Auletta without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Auletta?
- About 49 minutes 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.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Auletta?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Donato da Ripacandida, 17 August.
- Which other towns are like Auletta?
- Riace, Crecchio and Taurasi.
- How many people live in Auletta?
- 2,124 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 280 m
- Population: 2,124
- 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.
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