Dreaming Summer: Locanda Del Mare at Paestum

Last June, Locanda Del Mare was my base while visiting vineyards in the region of Campania. Simple, clean, hip and directly on the beach, it was just a few miles down the coastal road from the Greek ruins at Paestum.

The inscription over the bar reads: To find perfection, let go of it.
bar

A lovely breakfast buffet is served there in the morning with tables out on the terrace overlooking the grounds for relaxing with your cappuccino.
breakfast bar

The yard is shaded by the classic Italian beach pineta, grove of pine trees to provide protection from the hot summer sun.
outdoor

The rooms are just across the yard from the reception area.
room pineta

And the beach is at the end of this lane.
lane to beach

And what a beach it is…stretching out for miles and ending in the Cilento Nature Preserve, visible here. The Locanda provides chairs and umbrellas for no charge.
beach chairs

Further down the beach, the chairs are packed closer together and “animators” with microphones call out dance commands over the beat of loud pop music. The Locanda is peaceful, low key and outside the crowds and the action except during summer weekends and in July and August. During the week in June, it was exceptionally beautiful.

I took long walks on the beach…
empty beach
And saw amazing sunsets.
sunset

Coming back from the beach, I found the hotel and the pineta bathed in golden light.
beach side view

One evening, the Locanda hosted a Slow Food event featuring sardines and sardine fishing. The wines were fromDe Conciliis, just 15 minutes abutting the Cilento Nature Park.
Selim glass
The aperitivo wine was De Conciliis Selim, a clean, dry sparkling made with metodo classico and Fiano and Aglianico native grapes. A first for the region, this bubbly is named for Miles Davis, Miles spelled backwards.
Selim

bacioilcielo
The still white, paired with all the sardine dishes was De Conciliis BacioIlCielo, which translates to “Kiss the Sky”. Made from Fiano grapes grown in limestone soil, it was very fresh and cleaned the palate with near salty minerality.
bacio in glass

Read more about Lucio Liguori, the featured artist at the event.
locanda copy

Rooms cost between 60 and 170 euros per night depending on the season.
More photos and info:
Locanda Del Mare
Via Linora, Paestum
84063 Capaccio SA
info@lalocandadelmare.net
Ph: +39 0828 81 11 62

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