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00 Pisciotta
Stemma di Pisciotta

Campania · Salerno

Pisciotta

A Cilento hilltop town of olive terraces above the Tyrrhenian, where fishermen still pull anchovies with a medieval net.

Best time
May–Sep
By car
2 h 5 min from Salerno
By train
Station in the comune
Population
2,428

Known for

  • MENAICA ANCHOVIES

    Slow Food Presidium for the night-fished, hand-sorted, salt-cured anchovies caught with a medieval menaica net by a handful of Marina boats.

  • PISCIOTTANA OLIVE

    Endemic cultivar of the lower Cilento, hand-harvested on steep terraces, base of the Cilento DOP extra-virgin oil.

  • BANDIERA BLU

    Marina di Pisciotta beach holds the Blue Flag for water quality and shoreline management on the Cilento coast.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J12°
  • F13°
  • M14°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J26°
  • J29°
  • A29°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N17°
  • D14°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 15°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

The hill the town occupies rises between Ascea and Palinuro, part of the strictest zone of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, and the ridge gives the stone houses of the centro storico a clear line of sight to Capo Palinuro twelve kilometers south. The town's parts sit at different elevations doing different work: the historic core holds the ridge, the olive terraces cover the slopes below it, and Marina di Pisciotta occupies the shore at the foot of the hill, where the fishing boats go out. The menaica net worked by the Marina's fishermen is a technique once widespread around the Mediterranean and now reduced to a few coves, of which this is one.

Carlo Pisacane's failed 1857 revolutionary expedition landed at Sapri and was crushed nearby; the Cilento coast keeps the memory in plaques and processions rather than in any structure at Pisciotta itself. What holds the town together is elevation: everything of note here, the anchovies, the olives, the beach, the ridge, is defined by how far it sits above or below that 171-meter line.

The Sunday letter

Pisciotta 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 Pisciotta comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Pisciotta in our articles

How to get there

From Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 3 hours by car.

Lamezia / Reggio (SUF) is about 4 hours away.

By car from the centre of Salerno 2 hours, Naples 3 hours or Bari 4h 11m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Pisciotta, photo 1
Pisciotta, photo 2

What to see

  • Centro storico di Pisciotta

    Hilltop medieval core of stone houses on a ridge 171 meters above the sea, with a clear sightline to Capo Palinuro.

  • Marina di Pisciotta

    Fishing port at the foot of the hill, departure point for the last menaica anchovy boats on the coast, its beach holding the Blue Flag.

  • Uliveti di Pisciottana

    Terraces holding trees of considerable age, the source groves of the Cilento DOP extra-virgin oil.

  • Chiesa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo

    Parish church in the historic centre, with a high stone bell tower and traditional patronal procession in late June.

  • Parco Nazionale del Cilento

    UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and National Park stretching inland from the town to the Alburni, with marked hiking and pasture trails.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Pisciotta 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.

Plan your trip

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.

  • AngiolinaTrattoria

    A Michelin Bib Gourmand for Angiolina, and three Gambero Rosso prawns.

  • PerbaccoRistorante

    Perbacco has a Slow Food snail and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

Living here

  • Population 2,428
  • Very remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Naples / Salerno, 3 h 2 min drive
  • Regional capital Napoli, 3 h 2 min drive

Common questions

What is Pisciotta known for?
Pisciotta is a Cilento hilltop town of olive terraces above the Tyrrhenian, where fishermen still pull anchovies with a medieval net.
Where is Pisciotta?
Pisciotta is a comune in the province of Salerno, in Campania, at 171 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Pisciotta?
Naples / Salerno (NAP), about 3 hours by car.
Can you get to Pisciotta 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 Pisciotta?
About 2 hours by car.
When is the best time to visit Pisciotta?
Best in May–Sep. August is the warmest month, averaging 29 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 15 rain days.
Which other towns are like Pisciotta?
Parghelia, Praiano and Minori.
How many people live in Pisciotta?
2,428 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 171 m
  • Population: 2,428
  • Surface area: 31.24 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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