The beaches of Punta Campanella, a promontory and protected marine area between the Sorrento Coast and the Amalfi Coast, are located on the approximately 40 kilometers of coast of the cape that separates the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, in the southern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The Greeks erected on the promontory, which they called Athenaeus, a temple to the goddess of wisdom, the arts and strategy in battle. Currently there is the Minerva Tower, built at the time of Robert of Anjou for the sighting of the Saracens, on which, in case of danger, a bell was made to ring.
The nature reserve is a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI).
To reach the Punta Campanella area, the hydrofoils for the Sorrento Coast may be useful, direct to the port of Sorrento, from where you can then move with the SITA SUD Campania buses or thanks to the maritime connections.
Where to swim and stay on the beach at Punta Campanella
Punta Campanella is characterized by white limestone cliffs overlooking the sea, so the beaches are not many or large; the few that exist, however, are caressed by the pristine sea. Let’s see where to swim, excluding the rocky coves and accessing from land, along the coastline of the promontory, in order, from Marina di Puolo to Tordigliano-Chiosse.
Marina di Puolo
Marina di Puolo is a fraction of the municipality of Massa Lubrense; the beach, easily accessible, is made of sand and pebbles, with bathing establishments, bars and restaurants also with tables directly on the strand, and free stretches, with a panoramic view of Vesuvius. The adjacent beach of the fico (fig tree) is very small, sandy and free, near the fishermen’s mooring pier. Continuing on, there is a concrete solarium equipped with deck chairs and umbrellas. Behind the cliff called muraglione there is a free and pebbly small beach, characterized by the clarity of the fronting sea.
Cala di Puolo
The beach of Cala di Puolo, a former gravel quarry, can be reached from the Sorrento – Massa Lubrense provincial road by paying a toll; of sand and pebbles, it has an equipped bathing establishment and a bar-restaurant.
San Montano
The beach of San Montano is located in the fraction of Riviera di Marcigliano in the municipality of Massa Lubrense, from whose marina it can be easily reached on foot; it is made of pebbles and rocks, free, with a ladder for access to the sea, on whose level it is located in a raised position, and the possibility of renting sunbeds and umbrellas at the bar.
Baia delle Sirene
The small beach of Baia delle Sirene (mermaids bay) can be reached by car, from Sorrento, via the Provincial Road SP7, once you arrive in Pontone di Marciano you have to go down a steep private road a couple of kilometers long; of pebbles and rocks, it has a small free stretch and a bathing establishment equipped with a bar-restaurant.
Bay of Ieranto
The small beach of the Bay of Ieranto can be reached via a 3.5 km long path that begins in the Massa hamlet of Nerano (upper) among dry-stone walls, olive and carob trees; of pebbles, it is free and devoid of any type of service. The pristine bay is owned by the National Fund for the Environment and, according to Pliny the Elder, it is here that Ulysses met the sirens of the Odyssey.
Nuns Beach
The beach of the nuns (delle monache) is made up of small pebbles and it is free, with the possibility of renting bathing equipment; it is easily accessible via the Amerigo Vespucci street of the Massa area of Nerano and the passage through the adjacent Lido La Perla.
Lido la Perla
The beach of Lido La Perla (Venione), located in Nerano, in Via Vespucci street, is pebbly, with an equipped bathing establishment, bar and restaurant; parking is available in the immediate vicinity.
Germans beach
The beach of the Germans (dei tedeschi) is located in the hamlet of Marina del Cantone in the municipality of Massa Lubrense; reachable via a steep staircase, it is made of pebbles and gravel, partly free and partly in concession to two bathing establishments equipped with a kiosk bar and restaurant. Already among the rocks outcropping a short distance from the shore, the marine fauna is remarkable.
Marina del Cantone
The beach of Marina del Cantone, in the hamlet of Massa, is also known as the beach of the bay of Nerano; about 200 meters long, it is one of the largest in the area and it is pebbly, with free sections and sections in concession to bathing establishments, with several restaurants close by, very close to Amerigo Vespucci street and the public parking.
Recommone
The small beach of Recommone, in the bay of the same name, is accessible via a short but not very easy path that starts from the Marina del Cantone and crosses Punta di Recommone, where the sixteenth-century tower of the same name is located. Partly made of gravel and partly pebbles, it is also known as Conca del Sogno, it is in concession to a bathing establishment with a restaurant and has a free section.
Crapolla Fjord
The Crapolla Fjord is characterized by a free pebble beach that can be reached on foot starting from the square of Torca, a hamlet in Massa; the path, made up of a mule track and 700 steps, is tiring to walk. Used in the past as a natural port, it has traces of ancient Roman houses; the clear water of the Iarito stream flows from the aqueduct of the time, of which the inlet forms the gorge.
Scaricatoio
The Scaricatoio beach is located on the coastal side of the San Pietro hills; of pebbles and stones, it is difficult to reach, via a path that begins in the upper part of the municipality of Piano di Sorrento, crosses the Amalfi Drive 163 and ends with a steep and run-down staircase; in the bay there is the ruin of the seventeenth-century customs house.
Tordigliano Grande
The beach of Tordigliano Grande, or Marina Longa di Tordigliano, about 300 meters long, is located in the municipality of Vico Equense, in the locality of Tordigliano-Chiosse, almost opposite the Li Galli islands; to reach it there is a path of medium difficulty that originates from the SS163 and takes half an hour; sandy and wild, it is entirely free.
Marinella di Tordigliano
The small beach of Marinella di Tordigliano, located in the municipality of Vico Equense, is about 50 meters long, made of sand and pebbles, free and surrounded by nature. On the sides there are two other beaches, almost entirely made up of stones. The path to reach it is the same as the previous one.
