SCARIO

Located where the slopes of Mount Bulgaria reach down to the sea, this picturesque little seaside village is a well known tourist spot, with one of the best equipped harbours in the area. Scario’s attractions also include its wonderful seafront and the incomparable Masseta coast.
Founded in Greek times, as testified by its name “Skarios”, which means a small shipyard, Scario became a Roman settlement around 197 B.C. In those days Scario - which gave hospitality to Marcus Tulius Cicerone in the year 44 B.C. - was famous for its fishing activities and in particular for the production of “garum”, a fish-sauce for which the ancient Romans were said to be gluttons.
Destroyed by the Vandals in 450 A.D. and again by the Saracens in 915 A.D., Scario, reappeared from the darkness of the Middle Ages in 13th century when it became part of the County of Policastro. Like many other settlements on the Gulf of Policastro, Scario was devastated during the incursions by Turkish pirates in 1534 and 1552. The village came to life again around the middle of the 13th century, thanks to the fame and ability of its craftsmen, known as “calafati” (caulkers), who built and repaired fishing boats.
Two coastal watchtowers, Torre Garigliano and Torre dell’Olivo were built - on the north and southern outskirts of the settlement respectively, during the above period.
The village began to assume its present aspect towards the end of the 18th century thanks to the aristocratic families of San Giovanni a Piro who built their summer residences there, and in particular to the Counts Carafa, who built “la casa contesca”, the Counts House, in Scario.
In addition to Scario’s beautiful coastline, other attractions are the churches of Sant’Anna and Immacolata. The latter contains a statue of the Madonna, which was donated to the church by the captain of a vessel who narrowly escaped being shipwrecked. This event, the “failed shipwreck”, is commemorated on the evening of August 10th each year with a procession of boats out at sea.