Sant'Agata de' Goti Guide

Sant'Agata de' Goti sits in the province of Benevento in Campania, Italy, on a tuff spur on the slopes of Monte Taburno. Houses overhang the edge of the cliff, and below them cellars have been cut straight into the rock, so the town looks as if it grew out of the stone rather than onto it. Naples is about 35 km to the southwest, yet the landscape here is all hills, vineyards and olive groves.

The Centro Storico is the main reason to come. Lanes follow the shape of the spur, and every so often the buildings give way to a drop and a view across the valley. A bridge just outside the old city is a very short stop, but it is the spot where the whole town shows up at once, stacked along the cliff. Walk out to it at the start or the end of your visit to see how the houses sit on the rock.

Churches give the visit its backbone. The Duomo, the Chiesa di San Francesco, the Gothic Santissima Annunziata and the Chiesa di San Menna are all on the list of places to visit, and the Mila - Museo Itinerante dei Luoghi Alfonsiani strings together a route from San Menna, with its mosaic floor, to the Cathedral. Two smaller stops fill the gaps: the Lavatoio Reullo di Sant'Agata de' Goti and Le Segrete Di Palazzo Parisi.

Beyond the stone lanes, the town works as a base for countryside days. Cellars around Sant'Agata de' Goti offer wine tastings and visits, and a tasting can be combined with a cooking class. Horseback riding in the surrounding countryside is another option, and an e-bike tour runs from Caserta to the town for anyone who would rather arrive on two wheels. The Associazione Turistica Pro Loco Sant'Agata is the local tourist association and a sensible first stop for questions.

The surroundings explain the mood. Olives, wine and fruit keep the local economy going alongside tourism, so the slopes beyond the old center are working farmland rather than scenery. The town belongs to I borghi più belli d'Italia, the association of the most beautiful towns of Italy, and according to one account the Touring Club awarded it the orange flag, the Bandiera Arancione, in 2004.

Because the old town is built on a spur, the lanes rise and fall. Shoes with grip matter more here than a long itinerary, and half a day is enough for the main churches, which leaves the rest of the time for the cellars and the countryside.