Castello Lauritano, San Lazzaro
Nicknamed the 'Terrace of Paradise', the ruined Castello Lauritano sits on the edge of a sheer rock face at around 650 metres above sea level in the hamlet of San Lazzaro, delivering one of the most sweeping coastal panoramas in all of southern Italy. From its crumbling limestone walls you can trace the entire Gulf of Salerno all the way south to Punta Licosa in Cilento.
History on the Edge
Built during the era of the Maritime Republics as a lookout and defensive bulwark against Saracen raids, Castello Lauritano is today the last surviving example of a noble-farmhouse hybrid — a building that served simultaneously as aristocratic residence and working agriturismo.
Below the castle walls lie the remains of the Cospiti Convent, which dates to the 11th century, adding another layer of medieval history to a site already saturated with atmosphere.
The View
The panorama from the castle terrace sweeps in a single glance from Amalfi and Ravello across to Salerno and all the way to Punta Licosa on the Cilento coast — a vista that no coastal belvedere on the Amalfi drive can match simply because you are looking down on all of it.
The approach walk from Piazza Generale Avitabile in San Lazzaro is an easy 2 km circuit along Via Radicosa, meaning even non-hikers can reach this extraordinary vantage point with minimal effort.
Castello Lauritano, San Lazzaro on video
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