Centola-Palinuro

The origins of Palinuro, a place full of contredictions, have a double interpretation: the legend reported in Virgil's Aeneid leads back to the mythological origins of the delightful uncontaminated place of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which can boast not only an intense blue sea, but also a luxuriant centuries-old vegetation. A local legend has it that Palinuro, helmsman of Aeneas and expert sailor, asleep by Morpheus, god of Sleep, fell into the sea in front of the coast. He swam towards the shore, but was killed by the inhabitants who left the body long unburied, until, to appease the wrath of the Gods for the terrible crime committed, they decided to give him a proper burial on the nearby promontory. To honor the memory of the humble and valiant sailor, the place took its name. From the mouth of the port, even today, the ruins are visible which, according to legend, belong to the cenotaph erected in his memory.
As soon as they arrive in Palinuro, they hit the intense color of the sea, the caves, the stacks and the sunsets. The magic of the place lies in the natural caves that the sea and the wind have crafted. Along the coast, in a small indentation, there appears the Blue Grotto, so named for the splendid plays of light and the intensity of blue. Definitely wortha visit are the Grotta dei Monaci, which owes its name to the presence of stalagmites in the act of prayer; the Cala del Buon Dormire, a cove set into the overhanging rock, and the Grotta delle Ossa, on whose walls you can admire the remains of prehistoric animals and men. Once you reach the mouth of the Mingardo river, where a natural arch separates the cliff from the beach of Palinuro, you can admire a precious flora but also a rare fauna. Leaving the coast and venturing inland, you will come across centuries-old olive groves, fine vineyards, thistle, prickly pear and agave.

The origins of Palinuro, a place full of contredictions, have a double interpretation: the legend reported in Virgil's Aeneid leads back to the mythological origins of the delightful uncontaminated place of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which can boast not only an intense blue sea, but also a luxuriant centuries-old vegetation. A local legend has it that Palinuro, helmsman of Aeneas and expert sailor, asleep by Morpheus, god of Sleep, fell into the sea in front of the coast. He swam towards the shore, but was killed by the inhabitants who left the body long unburied, until, to appease the wrath of the Gods for the terrible crime committed, they decided to give him a proper burial on the nearby promontory. To honor the memory of the humble and valiant sailor, the place took its name. From the mouth of the port, even today, the ruins are visible which, according to legend, belong to the cenotaph erected in his memory.
As soon as they arrive in Palinuro, they hit the intense color of the sea, the caves, the stacks and the sunsets. The magic of the place lies in the natural caves that the sea and the wind have crafted. Along the coast, in a small indentation, there appears the Blue Grotto, so named for the splendid plays of light and the intensity of blue. Definitely wortha visit are the Grotta dei Monaci, which owes its name to the presence of stalagmites in the act of prayer; the Cala del Buon Dormire, a cove set into the overhanging rock, and the Grotta delle Ossa, on whose walls you can admire the remains of prehistoric animals and men. Once you reach the mouth of the Mingardo river, where a natural arch separates the cliff from the beach of Palinuro, you can admire a precious flora but also a rare fauna. Leaving the coast and venturing inland, you will come across centuries-old olive groves, fine vineyards, thistle, prickly pear and agave.