What to do in Agropoli seems like an easy question to answer. The city, located 80 km beyond the Costiera Amalfitana, is a very popular holiday destination among Italians, especially among residents of the relatively nearby Naples. An hour and a half drive and Neapolitans have what they may lack in their city, namely long sandy beaches.

And apart from that, they certainly have something to do in Agropoli and can feel at home there – the atmosphere of the city is very Neapolitan, the residents of Agropoli use Nnapulitano – the Neapolitan dialect, they are just as chaotic, but funny enough, they supposedly don’t even want to hear about comparing them to their neighbors from the big city. The town has 20,000 inhabitants, but when you walk around it, you get the impression that it is much bigger.

What to do in Agropoli?

The town is located near Cilento, Vallo di Diano and the Alburni National Park, at the southern end of the Gulf of Salerno, so it makes a good base for exploring these places.

The coast of Agropoli is a long seaside promenade (Lungomare San Marco) which is great for walking, cycling, jogging etc. The promenade is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants, so what can you do in Agropoli? For example, you can spend hours on the promenade sipping coffee and gawking at the people passing by.

The less ‘polished’ part of the coast has plenty of beaches and sea caves, such as Trentova and San Francesco; the latter is where St Francis had a chat with a fish in 1222.

If you don’t know what to do in Agropoli visit the medieval ruins of the monastery of San Francesco and the churches of St. Mary of Constantinople (16th century), San Marco and San Francesco. The city also has a historical center with old walls, typical ‘scaloni’ or large staircases, a castle towering over the city and a borgo.

The borgo in Agropoli is rather small and looks like many other such medieval settlements/villages in Italy. In my opinion it is not particularly interesting, but at the entrance to the borgo, right by the gate there is a small bar. You can order a drink there, sit by the old walls and enjoy the view of the sea.

To get to the castle, you have to go through the borgo. The impressive building was built on Byzantine foundations from the 6th century and has three round towers and a moat. I have not been inside the castle for a very simple reason – I have been to many castles in Italy and 99% of them are just walls without any exhibits/displays, so I gave up on visiting empty walls once again. Maybe I am wrong, maybe there is something more there, but my Italian-castle experience tells me no. If I remember correctly, the ticket costs 3 euros.

If you want to learn about local customs, the city also has a wide range of cultural events such as carnival and a reenactment of the Turkish attack on Agropoli in 1630. In July, the Festa della Madonna di Costantinopoli takes place at sea; the celebrations are accompanied by a boat parade, which it is a pretty cool option for what to do in Agropoli in July.

Is Agropoli worth visiting?

Agropoli has beaches, a Mediterranean climate and smell, loud people, pizzerias, cafes, etc., in other words, everything you can find in southern Italy; all these amenities give you plenty of ideas for what to do in Agropoli. Maybe that’s why after a few hours of visiting, the city didn’t seem like a particularly interesting place to me, even though some parts of the city are nice.

So, answering my own question, I think it depends on what you expect from your holidays. I wasn’t impressed with Agropoli and I probably wouldn’t spend my vacation there, but that’s just my opinion. Besides, I’ve been to so many places that I feel a bit spoiled and that’s why I’m getting more picky.

In general, however, Agropoli can be a great place for a seaside vacation in Campania, because it offers basically everything we usually want on holidays. The weather will be guaranteed, good food too, nearby towns and beaches for lazing around, etc. And it’s cheaper than the famous Costiera Amalfitana, which is not without significance if, for example, you want to spend your vacation there with your family. Singles and hiking enthusiasts will also find something for themselves, so it’s easy to decide what to do in Agropoli.

Besides, if you want to see something like a miniature Naples, feel the Neapolitan atmosphere without visiting Naples, this will definitely be a good choice.

Let me know in the comments if you think Agropoli sounds like a place for holidays!