Bring your loved one to the Museum for Valentine's Day!

At the Museum of the Mediterranean Diet in Pioppi, one entry is free for couples.

Love good living, love culture, love Cilento! The Museum of the Mediterranean Diet in Pioppi celebrates Valentine's Day with an exclusive gift for lovers. Couples who visit the museum, a delightful 19th-century castle that witnessed Garibaldi's passage during the Expedition of the Thousand, will pay a single entrance fee and will also receive a tasty gift from the La Petrosa farm.

No reservation is necessary. After all, what better place than the wonderful Palazzo Vinciprova, with its romantic windows overlooking the crystalline sea, to exchange a promise of eternal love or take a souvenir photo? The weekend idea suggested for the well-being of the couple is a hymn to good food but also to life in the open air. After the exhibition route and a romantic break on the terrace of the structure, you can continue to discover the Museo Vivo del Mare and then along paths, educational gardens, historical places in the vicinity, tasting the typical products of the place.

Both museums are located on the first floor of Palazzo Vinciprova, are managed by Legambiente and are part of the Ecomuseum of the Mediterranean Diet network.

The invitation to couples is not only a strategy to promote the world's most beloved food lifestyle but also an action aimed at the area known for the exuberant nature of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, for its waters awarded the Cinque Vele di Legambiente as well as the Blue Flag. In winter when the tourist flow decreases, the charm of Pioppi, a small village in the municipality of Pollica that was so dear to Ernest Hemingway, reserves other emotions. The community of farmers and fishermen that attracted the attention of the scientist Ancel Keys for its longevity, preserves the charm of the places thanks to its picturesque views and its unique history. A special place that in every season can offer intimate and authentic atmospheres.

The Museum of the Mediterranean Diet

There are five exhibition rooms, with descriptive panels and videos, including one dedicated to the senses, with installations for taste, touch and smell; the room for homemade pasta, with video tutorials by Cilento housewives; the personal library of Ancel Keys, donated by the family to the Municipality of Pollica. The Museum organizes educational workshops, Cilento cooking courses and guided tours of trails, vegetable gardens and mills in the area. A concrete way to pass on the legacy left by Ancel Keys, his wife Margareth and their colleagues, to promote a lifestyle inspired by healthy eating, respect for the environment and local culture.

In fact, it was in this Cilento area that the American scientist carried out studies on the Mediterranean Diet for over 40 years, which in 2010 was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Living Museum of the Sea

The Museo Vivo del Mare is one of the most popular museum and educational facilities in the Campania region. With a monitoring program of Caretta Caretta turtle nests, in collaboration with Legambiente and Stazione Zoologica “Anton Dohrn”, the site is periodically one of the most active centers for turtle observation but also for the training of Tartawatchers, volunteers who with their spontaneous participation, contribute to the protection of turtles. In conjunction with the nesting period that begins in June, every year the museum supports the organization of volunteer camps on the Cilento coast, to verify the presence of traces of ascent on the beach.

Palazzo Vinciprova

The Castle, as it is called by the inhabitants of Pioppi, was built in the 17th century by the Ripoli family, merchants originally from Catalonia but settled in Pollica during the Aragonese domination of Naples.

In 1888 it belonged to Giuseppe Sodano, lord of Pollica, who subsequently sold it to the Vinciprova family of Omignano.

Pier Leone (known as Leonino), an officer among the “Thousand” in Garibaldi’s famous expedition, belonged to this family. His “red shirt”, sword and cap are preserved in the museum.

It is said that Alexandre Dumas (father), the famous French novelist, landed on the schooner “Emma” in front of Palazzo Vinciprova on 15 September 1860 to deliver around 400 rifles to Garibaldi's Thousand through Leonino Vinciprova, a trusted man of the hero of the two worlds.

In 1986 Palazzo Vinciprova was sold to the Municipality of Pollica by the profess Lidia Vinciprova, the last heir of the family.