Excursion - Punta Campanella

A stroll to Punta Campanella offers breathtaking views. This is the peninsula’s westernmost point and separates the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno. The area has a particular charm about it as legends abound about it.

How to get Punta Campanella

Punta della Campanella is only reacheable on foot, at the end of an easy 1 kilometre path. To get there you must first get to the suburb of Termini in Massa Lubrense.

History

Punta Campanella was once called by the Greeks Promontory Minervae. Greeks built a temple here in honour of the goddess Athena, the foundation of which is attributed to Odisseus (Strabone, V, 247). Romans practised their worship to the Goddess Minerva here.

The presence of the temple is verified by the archaeological remains still visible around the Saracen tower: the remains of the basement of the temple are found to the south of the tower, while the ones of the temple of Minerva -of Roman era- are found on five different areas to the north of the tower.

On the fourth terraced piece of land there is a cleft in the rock bank that to east descends to the old landing place from where sailors came up to the goddess: it still preserves a stretch of the steps carved in the rocks; while just a little below, leaving the cleft, at the feet of the overhanging rock, there is an old Oscan inscription carved in the rock, which refers to the templum Minervae.

Nowadays on the promontory stands the tower of Minervae, commissioned by Robert of Anjou in 1335, and then rebuilt in 1566. the tower was used to warn people against pirate attacks and was only one of the many watch towers built along the Sorrentine peninsula. On the tower a bell used to ring in case of danger and this is the origin of the name Punta Campanella.