What remains of the ancient port at south of the Gulf of Salerno

A barrier of stone blocks all lined up, that seem to be rocks from where it is possible to make a tender of dives. It's what remains today of an old dock at San Marco di Castellabate, south of the Gulf of Salerno.
This port of the Roman era, not far from the modern one, was formed by two side walls with an opening at the center, from where even today, at a depth of 6 meters, is well planted a tower completely submerged.
Scholars suggest that to build this, like many other ports of the time, it was necessary to transport by sea, for lack of links in the land, huge loads of material, which sometimes were also lost. The ways of the sea, in fact, in ancient represented the most developed routes of trade and commerce, not only for the great maritime cities, but also for small towns such as San Marco. Fruitful ground for those local products which, although they didn't have all the publicity that they have today, already had successful. There are concrete evidence the found of fragments of amphorae, the only known container for supplies of oil, wheat and wine.

In fact, the presence of this basin was strategic in that moment, as it is now.
Inside the area of rectangular shape the Romans introduced two quays to close the stretch of water and protect the boats from the wind. Structures still semi-surfaced and from which started a series of underwater archaeological research that have restored life and interest to an area almost unknown to Italian and foreign tourists. Investigations have focused mainly on the pillar at the center of the two rows of ancient stones. Curious was the strange position and function of a block like that. The historical hypothesis is that the whole area of San Marco has been involved in a deep telluric movement, that breaking the pillar in two part has provoked a violent earthquake.

This discovery, in fact, tells us how important it was, in that time, the creation of a strategic focal points on the extreme coast of Cilento. The ancient craft carrying food, spices and fabrics, in fact, had necessarily need to support points in view in the narrow inlets and deep typical of Campania, like Punta Campanella and Licosa or Miseno and Cape Palinuro. No wonder then, that ancient Romans wanted a port of this size in this place.

And in the same way today, the discoveries came to light led the Superintendent, in the late nineties, to consider this historical testimony so important for the tourism to install a lighting system for the underwater area. So everyone, today like at that time, can observe the ancient dock, from the quay toward the inner side of the pier.

The Editor

In collaboration with Alessandro Tagliapietra of Argos, Underwater Research Group of Venice