Calabria · Cosenza
Belvedere Marittimo
A Riviera dei Cedri town on the Tyrrhenian, its castle set on the highest coastal hill above a convent that has kept a saint's relics for three centuries.
Known for
CASTELLO ARAGONESE
Norman-Aragonese fortress on the highest coastal hill, rebuilt in 1490 by Ferdinand of Aragon with crenellated walls.
SAN VALENTINO
Relics of Saint Valentine in the Capuchin convent for over three hundred years, giving Belvedere its Città dell'Amore title.
RIVIERA DEI CEDRI
Forty-kilometer Tyrrhenian coast named for the cedro citron, the territory's signature crop and identity.
When to visit
Best · May–Sep
- J12°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M21°
- J26°
- J29°
- A29°
- S26°
- O22°
- N18°
- D14°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Belvedere Marittimo sits on the Tyrrhenian, fifty kilometers west of Cosenza. The municipal territory runs from Santa Litterata to Calabaja along the coast and climbs behind into the Pollino foothills, where the national park covers part of the commune: a town split between shoreline and mountain, with the built-up center held on the high ground between the two. The Normans raised the original fortress around the year 1000 under Roger I, choosing the highest hill above the sea for it.
Belvedere men sailed in the fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The relics kept in the Capuchin convent for more than three centuries gave the town its local title, Città dell'Amore, and the Riviera dei Cedri, the forty-kilometer run of coast from Tortora south to here, takes its name from the citron still grown on the hillsides above the houses. What holds the town together is the vertical arrangement: castle on the hilltop, convent below it, citron groves on the slopes, and the sea at the bottom, each layer named for what it has kept longest.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Belvedere Marittimo’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 2 hours by car.
Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 3h 26m away.
By car from the centre of Salerno 2h 43m, Naples 3h 27m or Bari 4h 14m.
What to see
Castello Aragonese
Built by the Normans around 1000, the fortress was reworked under Ferdinand of Aragon with ceremonial gates added alongside the crenellated walls. It commands the hill above the town and the sea below.
Convento dei Cappuccini
The convent holding the relics of San Valentino sits away from the shoreline crowds, its quiet a contrast to the title the town has taken from it.
Riviera dei Cedri
The stretch running from Tortora south to Belvedere passes beneath hillsides still planted with cedro, the citron visible above the rooftops.
Parco Nazionale del Pollino (lembo)
Pollino National Park covers part of the commune's interior, with forested ridges rising directly from the coastal hills.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Belvedere Marittimo 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.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Sapori & SaperiTrattoria
Sapori & Saperi holds two Gambero Rosso prawns.
Living here
- Population 8,905
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Lamezia / Reggio, 2 h 2 min drive
- Regional capital Catanzaro, 2 h 18 min drive
Common questions
- What is Belvedere Marittimo known for?
- Belvedere Marittimo is a Riviera dei Cedri town on the Tyrrhenian, its castle set on the highest coastal hill above a convent that has kept a saint's relics for three centuries.
- Where is Belvedere Marittimo?
- Belvedere Marittimo is a comune in the province of Cosenza, in Calabria, at 150 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Belvedere Marittimo?
- Lamezia / Reggio (SUF), about 2 hours by car.
- How long is the drive from Salerno to Belvedere Marittimo?
- About 2h 43m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Belvedere Marittimo?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and January the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Belvedere Marittimo?
- Bagnara Calabra, Tropea and Maiori.
- How many people live in Belvedere Marittimo?
- 8,905 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 150 m
- Population: 8,905
- Surface area: 37.09 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.
Similar
Towns like Belvedere Marittimo
Bagnara Calabra
Province: Reggio di Calabria
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Tropea
Province: Vibo Valentia
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Maiori
Province: Salerno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Pizzo
Province: Vibo Valentia
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Praia a Mare
Province: Cosenza
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Castagneto Carducci
Province: Livorno
both on the Tyrrhenian coast · both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
🌲 Parco Nazionale
More Parco Nazionale towns in Calabria
Aieta
Province: Cosenza
An eagle's-nest village in the western Pollino, with one of the few sixteenth-century Renaissance palazzi standing in Calabria.
Alessandria del Carretto
Province: Cosenza
The highest village in the Pollino at 1,043 meters, the only Italian commune carrying its founder's full name, with a fir-tree ritual every 3 May.
Bova
Province: Reggio di Calabria
The capital of the Bovesìa, a 416-resident Aspromonte hilltop borgo at 820m and the cultural centre of the Grecanic minority, where the Calabrian-Greek dialect descended from Byzantine-era Greek is still spoken by elders.
Cerchiara di Calabria
Province: Cosenza
A village at 650 meters below a mountain rock sanctuary, with a sulphurous cave feeding the thermal springs beneath it.
Corigliano-Rossano
Province: Cosenza
The Sibari plain city merged in 2018 from two older towns, one built around a Norman castle and the other around a Byzantine manuscript tradition.