Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

Province of Salerno The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy. __TOC__ Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

Gulf of Policastro A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented ...

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...

Velia , alternate_name = Hyele, Ele, Elea , image = Velia Excavation and Tower.jpg , alt = , caption = View of the excavations and the tower at Velia , map_type = Italy , map_alt = , map_size = , relief = , coordinates = , location = Ve ...

Policastro Bussentino Policastro Bussentino (or simply Policastro) is an Italian town and hamlet (''frazione'') of the municipality of Santa Marina (of which it is its seat) in the province of Salerno, Campania region. It is a former bishopric, now titular see, and ...

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

Vallo della Lucania Vallo della Lucania (commonly known simply as ''Vallo'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It lies in the middle of Cilento and its population is 8,680.Agropoli: this is the largest town of Cilento and the principal

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

. Most of this area is included in "Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park".

Inland communes

*

Alfano Alfano is a village and small ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of December 31, 2012, the comune had a population of 1082. History There is little reliable evidence on the ancient history of A ...

*

Campora Campora is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, Campania (southern Italy). It is located in the territory of Cilento and as of 2009 its population was 810.Celle di Bulgheria *

Felitto Felitto is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. It is famous for ''fusilli'', a kind of handmade pasta, and the annual ''Fusillo'' festival. History The town was founded at the beginning of ...

* Futani *

Laurino Laurino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. Geography Laurino is a typical medieval hill town of the Cilento, the southernmost part of Campania. It dominates the surrounding landscap ...

Moio Della Civitella *

Montano Antilia Montano Antilia is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. History Originally known as "Montagna" and after "Montana", it was founded on the ruins of an Ancient Greek settlement. It was a '' ca ...

* Monte Cicerale *

Monteforte Cilento Monteforte Cilento is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. History Monteforte was originally a Roman ''castrum'', which expanded in the High Middle Ages after immigration due to the Saracen ...

*

Morigerati Morigerati ( Cilentan: ''Murgirati'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The village was probably founded by the ancient Italic people of the Morgetes. It was later coloniz ...

*

Ogliastro Cilento Ogliastro Cilento is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2011 its population was of 2,241. History First mentioned in 1059 as ''Oleastrum'' (Latin word referred to the Olive tree), ...

*

Omignano Omignano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography The municipality borders with Casal Velino, Lustra, Salento, Sessa Cilento and Stella Cilento. See also *Cilento Cilen ...

*

Ottati Ottati ( Cilentan: ''Utatte'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. As of 2011 its population was of 680. History The town was founded in the 12th century, presumably by shepherds who aban ...

*

Piaggine Piaggine, also called “Chiaine“ in the local dialect, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, in the south-west of Italy. The town is located on the river Calore, 93 miles (150 km) south-east of Nap ...

* Salento *

Sessa cilento Sessa Cilento (from Greek ''Σύεσσα'' - ''Syessa'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography Sessa Cilento is located in Cilento and in its National Park. borders with the m ...

*

Prignano Cilento Prignano Cilento is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2017 its population was of 1,035. Geography Location Prignano is located in northern Cilento and borders with the municipal ...

*

Rutino Rutino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. It is in the geographic region Cilento. Politic geography The comune is divided into Rutino, the principal city, and the "frazione" of Rutino ...

*

Sacco Sacco may refer to: * Sacco (clothing) (also Sakko), a type of jacket * Sacco (river), a river of central Italy * Sacco, Campania, a comune (municipality) in southern Italy * Sacco chair, by Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro * Ospedal ...

*

Stio Stio is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2016, its population was 872. History The village was founded in the beginnings of the 11th century. The origin of the name is debated, ...

*

Torchiara Torchiara is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography The municipality borders with Agropoli, Laureana Cilento, Lustra, Prignano Cilento and Rutino. It counts the ''frazione ...

* Tortorella * Trentinara *

Vallo della Lucania Vallo della Lucania (commonly known simply as ''Vallo'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It lies in the middle of Cilento and its population is 8,680.Agropoli * Ascea * Camerota *

Capaccio Capaccio Paestum (formerly only Capaccio) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The ruins of the ancient Greek city of Paestum lie within borders of the ''comune''. History Geograp ...

*

Caprioli Caprioli is a southern Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Pisciotta, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. As of 2009 its population was of 121. History The toponym, literally meaning "roe deers" in Italian,See " capriol ...

*

Casal Velino Casal Velino, also spelled ''Casalvelino'', is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The village, first mentioned in the 11th century, was named ''Casalicchio'' until 1893. It was ...

* Castellabate *

Centola Centola ( Cilentan: ''Cendula'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography Located in southern Cilento, Centola borders with the municipalities of Camerota, Celle di Bulgheria, ...

*

Montecorice Montecorice is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. As of 2011 its population was of History Montecorice likely originated as a small village around the monastery of Sant'Arcangelo, whic ...

* Palinuro * Pisciotta *

Pollica Pollica (Campanian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Located 94 km from Salerno, the town rises to an elevation 370 meters from sea level. History The first mention of Pol ...

* San Giovanni a Piro * San Mauro Cilento * Sapri

History

Greek colonies

The region is steeped in

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

and legends, as in the names of some towns, which is also visible in the remains of the

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

of

Velia , alternate_name = Hyele, Ele, Elea , image = Velia Excavation and Tower.jpg , alt = , caption = View of the excavations and the tower at Velia , map_type = Italy , map_alt = , map_size = , relief = , coordinates = , location = Ve ...

(ancient Elea) and Paestum (ancient Poseidonia). Velia was also the seat of " Eleatics", a school of

pre-Socratic philosophers Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of thes ...

as

Parmenides Parmenides of Elea (; grc-gre, Παρμενίδης ὁ Ἐλεάτης; ) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Elea in Magna Graecia. Parmenides was born in the Greek colony of Elea, from a wealthy and illustrious family. His dates a ...

,

Zeno of Elea Zeno of Elea (; grc, Ζήνων ὁ Ἐλεᾱ́της; ) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher of Magna Graecia and a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of the dialectic. He is best known fo ...

and

Melissus of Samos Melissus of Samos (; grc, Μέλισσος ὁ Σάμιος; ) was the third and last member of the ancient school of Eleatic philosophy, whose other members included Zeno and Parmenides. Little is known about his life, except that he was the co ...

). Cilento comes by the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''Cis Alentum'', meaning "On this side of the Alento".

Sixth province of Campania

In the 1990s it was proposed to make Cilento a new province of

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

. This proposal has never come near to implementation; in particular there was the difficulty of choosing an administrative centre. The four candidates were

Vallo della Lucania Vallo della Lucania (commonly known simply as ''Vallo'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It lies in the middle of Cilento and its population is 8,680.Agropoli (the largest town, situated in the north), Sala Consilina (the most populous town of Vallo di Diano) and Sapri (in the centre of southern Cilento, with the most important railway station). Another more recent proposal was to move Cilento from Campania to

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, as a third province together with the existing provinces of

Potenza Potenza (, also , ; , Potentino dialect: ''Putenz'') is a ''comune'' in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata (former Lucania). Capital of the Province of Potenza and the Basilicata region, the city is the highest regional capital and one ...

and

Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...

.

The Cultural Pyramid

Piramide Culturale del Ciento ideata da Menotti Lerro

In 2020, the poet

Menotti Lerro Menotti Augusto Serse Lerro (22 February 1980) is an Italian poet, writer, playwright, librettist and academic, born in Omignano, Salerno. His work explores matters of social alienation and existentialism, the physicality and vulnerability of the ...

drew an innovative

Cultural Pyramid of Cilento The Cultural Pyramid of Cilento (Italian: ''Piramide Culturale del Cilento'') is a geometric drawing created in 2020 by the poet Menotti Lerro. The Pyramid shape came out adding the "Cultural Triangle" founded by Lerro at the historical summits of ...

. The form of this came out adding the "Cultural Triangle" he founded (

Omignano Omignano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography The municipality borders with Casal Velino, Lustra, Salento, Sessa Cilento and Stella Cilento. See also *Cilento Cilen ...

- "The Aphorisms Village", Salento - "The Poetry Village" and

Vallo della Lucania Vallo della Lucania (commonly known simply as ''Vallo'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It lies in the middle of Cilento and its population is 8,680.Paestum,

Velia , alternate_name = Hyele, Ele, Elea , image = Velia Excavation and Tower.jpg , alt = , caption = View of the excavations and the tower at Velia , map_type = Italy , map_alt = , map_size = , relief = , coordinates = , location = Ve ...

and Palinuro. In a second moment also Trentinara - "The Village of Love" joined. Within the Triangle a new literary, artistic, philosophical and cultural movement arose: the Empathism (Empathic School).

National Park

In 1991, Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park was instituted to preserve the landscape and promote tourism. In 1998, the park became a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

.

Coast

The Cilentan Coast, or ''Costiera Cilentana'' in Italian, is a stretch of coastline situated in the gulfs of

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

and Policastro, extending in 16 municipalities; from

Capaccio-Paestum Capaccio Paestum (formerly only Capaccio) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The ruins of the ancient Greek city of Paestum lie within borders of the ''comune''. History Geograp ...

in the north-west to Sapri in the south-east.

Language

Cilento was part of ancient Lucania, and its

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

is influenced by Lucanian. In the north of Cilento the

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...

is more influenced by

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and Hig ...

, but in the south it has many similarities with Sicilian.

Cilento DOC

Italian wine, red, white and ''

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

'', under the Cilento DOC appellation comes from this area. Grapes destined for DOC product must be harvested to a maximum yield of 12 tonnes/

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

with the finished red wines fermented to a minimum alcohol level of 11.5% and the whites and ''roses'' fermented to 11%. Red Cilento wines are a blend of 60-70%

Aglianico Aglianico ( , ) is a black grape grown in the southern regions of Italy, mostly Basilicata and Campania. It is considered with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo to be one of the three greatest Italian varieties. Aglianico is sometimes called "The Barolo ...

, 15-20% of

Piedirosso Piedirosso is a red Italian wine grape variety that is planted primarily in the Campania region. The grape is considered a specialty of the region, being used to produce wines for local and tourist consumption. Its name "piedirosso" means "red f ...

and/or

Primitivo Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...

, 10-20% Barbera and up to 10% of other local red

grape varieties This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

. The whites are a blend of 60-65% Fiano, 20-30%

Trebbiano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it h ...

, 10-15% of

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wine ...

and/or

Malvasia bianca Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world ...

with up to 10% of other local white varieties. The ''roses'' are blends of 70-80%

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...

, 10-15% of Piedirosso and/or Primitivo and up to 10% of other local red grape varieties. A separate varietal Aglianico can also be produced under the Cilento DOC provided that at least 85% of the wine is Aglianico with Primitivo and/or Piedirosso permitted to fill in the remainder and that the wine is aged at least one year before it is released.

Photogallery

image:Agropoli700.JPG, Agropoli File:Velia2-enhanced.jpg, Velia image:Isola di Licosa.jpg, Licosa island in the ''Comune'' of Castellabate image:View of Paestum.JPG, Paestum Image:Hera_temple_I_-_Paestum_-_Poseidonia_-_July_13th_2013_-_01.jpg, Paestum Image:Romagnano02.jpg,

Romagnano al Monte Romagnano al Monte is a village and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southern Italy. History The village was destroyed in the Irpinia earthquake of 1980 and rebuilt a few kilometers away. The ghost town became a ...

Image:Zona Lago.jpg, S.Maria di Castellabate Image:Capo palinuro.jpg, Cape Palinuro

References

Sources

* Maurizio Tortora: ''Cilientu mia''. Edizione del Delfino, 1977,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

* Giuseppe Vallone: ''Dizionarietto etimologico del basso Cilento''. Editore UPC, 2004 * Pietro Rossi: ''Ieri e oggi 1955-2005. Poesie in cilentano''. Grafiche Erredue, 2005 * Barbara Schäfer: ''Limoncello mit Meerblick. Unterwegs an der Amalfiküste und im Cilento''. Picus, 2007, * Peter Amann: ''Cilento aktiv mit Costa di Maratea - Aktivurlaub im ursprünglichen Süditalien''. Mankau, 2007, * Peter Amann: ''Golf von Neapel, Kampanien, Cilento''. Reise Know-How, 2006, * Barbara Poggi: ''La Cucina Cilentana - Köstlichkeiten aus der Cilento-Küche''. Mankau, 2006, * Luciano Pignataro: ''Le ricette del Cilento''. Ed. Ippogrifo, 2007, *

Menotti Lerro Menotti Augusto Serse Lerro (22 February 1980) is an Italian poet, writer, playwright, librettist and academic, born in Omignano, Salerno. His work explores matters of social alienation and existentialism, the physicality and vulnerability of the ...

, ''La Scuola Empatica: movimento letterario-artistico-filosofico e culturale sorto in Italia nel 2020'', Ladolfi, 2020

External links

What to do and see in Cilento and Tourism in Cilento

Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park

Historical and other infos about Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park

Tourism in the National park of Cilento

Tourism and holidays in Cilento

Cilento Social Network
{{Authority control Geography of Campania Tourist attractions in Campania Biosphere reserves of Italy World Heritage Sites in Italy Geographical, historical and cultural regions of Italy