Territory

One finds Villa Murat in the heart of one of the most enchanting places along the Sorrentine Coast:  Massa Lubrense.  Place of myth, one remembers that this is the Land of the Sirens, marine demons who seduced all those who heard their song and immortalised in Homer’s Odyssey and his story of Ullysses.  It’s the celebration sanctuary of Athena Tirrena and has always been known as the land of flowers and fertile soil, rich with an abundance of fruit.

Massa Lubrense is not only situated in an exceptional strategic position, in the heart of the green and blue delta, between Sorrento, Capri and Positano, it also has a splendid coast of some twenty-one kilometres, from Puolo to the Crapolla fjord and including Marina della Lobra, Punta San Lorenzo, The Bay of Sirens, the Cala of Mitigliano, Punta Campanella, the Bay of Ieranto, Marina del Cantone and the Bay of Recommone.

Its territory extends for 20 kilometres and is rich in a network of trails of around 100 kilometres connecting the numerous suburbs such as San Costanzo and neighbouring communities.
Elements which typically illustrate the historical environment of Lubrense are the watch-towers which were erected to defend the population from the invasions of the Saracens.
Of particular interest is the Tower of Punta Campanella, built on the ruins of a Roman villa from the Imperial Age, which in turn was built upon the remains of a temple to Minerva, which dominated the spur which divides the Gulf of Naples from that of Salerno; The ancient Tower of Toledo, rebuilt in the Viceregal Era on the Punta San Liberatore, or that at Capo Corvo which dominates the entrance to Marina della Lobra, and Tower Turbolo, today known as Tower of Capece Minutolo, in the Annunziata town square, not far from Villa Murat.

The tastes and flavours are of fundamental cullinary value in this area an, in fact, there are 3 restaurants which have been accredited with Michelin star ratings. The area is also known for its olive oil production and is part of the association known as the City of Oil.

The care given to the environment and sustainability of the area are always top-of-mind in Massa Lubrense and so it’s not surprising that it is considered the “Safest community in Italy”, this as measured by the “Hoiday Metre”.  The FEE Italia (Founation for Environmental Education) has recognised this and awarded Massa Lubrense with Blue Flag 2008 status, the only beach in the province of Naples to have received this.  It is also the first town in Campania to have a high level of refuse differentiation (higher than 80%), even during the period during the refuse emergency.  Recently it was also declared the “most virtuous city in Italy”.  It is also the leading community in protected marine reserves of Punta Campanella, which comprises of the communities of Positano, Sorrento, Vico Equense, Piano di Sorrento and Sant’Agnello.