Among the villages that aspire to obtain the most beautiful prize in Italy there is also Sant'Agata dei Due Golfi. The hilly fraction belonging to the municipality of Massa Lubrense it is known for being poised between the gulfs of Naples and Salerno. An extraordinarily suggestive panorama thanks also to a benevolent position in the most extreme part of the Sorrento peninsula.
The name Sant'Agata dei Due Golfi indicates precisely the position of the territory, a peculiar aspect that has always characterized the village. Sant'Agata instead refers to a chapel with a statue of the holy present between Massa Lubrense and Sorrento, for this reason the wayfarers said in the past "I'm going to Sant'Agata”To indicate the passage along this path. Sant'Agata is located on the slopes of the Lattari Mountains and is 6 km from Massa Lubrense, 7 from Sorrento, 11 from Positano, 17 from Vico Equense, 23 from Castellammare di Stabia, 60 from Naples and 61 from Salerno.
The panorama and the history of Sant'Agata dei Due Golfi
What is surprising is the panorama that can be observed looking out from Sant'Agata: the gaze is captured by the view of the island of Capri and the islets of the Galli, Isca and Vetara. In the ancient village it is also possible to take pedestrian paths full of lemon and olive groves. In this way it is possible to identify breathtaking views that conquer instantly.
Obviously such a place is suitable for legends and stories to tell. Starting from the hill where Sant'Agata dei due Golfi is located. This should be defined as "Mount Sireniano”As always indicated by ancient geographers, such as Strabo, and by maps. The reason was due to the fact that the village hosted the cult of the sirens and perhaps also the temple, very ancient and hybrid of Etruscan and Greek culture.
From the village through a path you can also reach a small beach, called Marina di Crapolla. According to a legend, the apostle Peter landed here on his difficult journey to Rome. A small church is dedicated to him, venerated by the fishermen of the ancient village, and built on the remains of the temple of Apollo.
Get inspired
In addition to the charm of the place, the small village also hides some artistic pearls of rare beauty. It is present in the church in the square an altar dating back to 1600. A work by the sculptor and architect of the Florentine school Dionisio Lazzari, made of mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli from the ancient church of the Girolamini in Naples. This is the parish church of Santa Maria delle Grazie wanted by the Casafestina family. It is still today the center of all the cultural and social activities of the city of Sant'Agata.
On the highest point of Sant'Agata there is the Desert Monastery built on top of the homonymous hill by the Carmelite friars in 1679. From the belvedere it is possible to fully enjoy the panorama that characterizes the hamlet. Near the monastery, in the locality of Vadabillo, a necropolis built by Greek colonists was discovered, containing several tuff sarcophagi and dating back to the XNUMXth century BC. Some of the archaeological finds are kept at the Georges Vallet archaeological museum in Piano di Sorrento.
