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The territory of
Massa Lubrense occupies all the final part
of the Sorrento Paninsula, with a settlement
divided into about thirty It succeeded to
gain its freedom from Sorrento only in 1470.
Its name is derived from the Langobard word
"mansa", which defined a territorial unit,
with the adjective "lubrense" related to the
Church of Madonna della Lobra, so named
because it was built upon a preexisting
pagan temple (delubrum, in latin).
From the centre of Massa Lubrense starts the
road leading to Marina della Lobra, a
seafaring suburb with the houses built
hamlets. The early testimonies about Massa
belong to the 10th century, when it was
property of the Sorrento Duchy. in front of
the seashore and of the harbour. At the
entrance of the village there is the Church
of Santa Maria della Lobra (Our Lady of the
Lobra), built in 1528 to replace the former
paleochristian church. Inside the church
there is a beautiful pavement in majolica of
the 18th century and a lacunar ceiling. Near
the church there is a franciscan convent:
inside its cloister are kept some
archaeological remains of the Greek and
Roman age.
From Massa Lubrense you can continue along
the coast and arrive at the headland of
Punta Campanella or to choose the road that
goes to the higher hamlets, where you can
enjoy an incomparable panorama over both the
gulfs of Naples and Salerno, as testified
also by the name of the most importante
village in the territory of Massa Lubrense:
Sant'Agata sui due Golfi (St. Agatha on two
Gulfs). It was a traditional summer resort
for Neapolitan middle-class of the 19th
century, for the fresh and healthy air that
was enjoyable here thanks to the position
exposed to all the winds.
S. Agata sui due Golfi is situated between
the Gulf of Naples and the Gulf of Salerno,
in the hills surrounding the Sorrento
Peninsula. Well known for its healthy air
and organic vegetables, S.Agata has been a
popular tourist resort since the Eighteenth
Century. The village itself is in a very
good location. Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi
and Nerano can all be easily reached either
by car or bus. Nerano and Massalubrense’s
small port are both typical mediterranean
fishing villages, where you can taste the
local seafood, hire small boats or simply
relax whilst enjoying a long, cool drink.
The Sorrento Peninsula ends on south with
the headland of Punta Campanella, on which
there are the remains of Torre Minerva
(Minerva Tower) built in the 14th c. by
Robert of Anjou and used up to the 17th
century to sight the ships of the Saracen
pirates and alert for the danger by the
sound of a small bell ("campanella" in
Italian, from which the name). But in the
antiquity this place was sacred, initially
dedicated to the Syrens and after to Athena
(Minerva for the Roman mythology). In this
area, maybe right on the point, it rose the
temple dedicated to the Syrens by the first
Greek colonists and cited by many ancient
historians, among whom Strabo and Plinius
the Old. In the Classic Age, the temple was
dedicated to Athena and they built the road
coming from Sorrento, afterwards called Via
Minerva by the Romans. In the final stretch
of the road, leading to the extremity of
Punta Campanella, it is still visible in
some points the stone pavement
characteristic of the Roman roads. You can
go to Punta Campanella starting from
Termini, the last hamlet in Massa Lubrense
before the point of the headland (as the
name indicates, since it means "limits").
From Termini you can reach also the top of
the hill that overhangs Punta Campanella,
Mount San Costanzo, where is also a
characteristic hermitage of Byzantine origin.
In spring the statue of San Costanzo, patron
saint of Termini, is carried in procession
from the village to the chapel on the top,
where it is kept until the end of the summer.
This area has not many beaches, except for
the wide and the wonderful Marina del
Cantone, where you arrive coming down from
Termini (or from Metrano) and passing
through the hamlet of Nerano, in the middle
of the slope and with houses and pergolas
going coastwards. The road that leads there
is long and tortuous, so many people prefer
to come here via the sea by boat, especially
with excursions from Capri. This limited
affluence gives to Marina del Cantone a
relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere, far from
the clamour of the mass tourism.
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