Montesano sulla Marcellana (colloquially named Montesano) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' of the

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 ...

in the

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

region of south-west

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Etymology

It is said that the inhabitants of "''Marcellinum''", the lower area of the current town, went over the hill to escape from the unhealthy air caused by marshes and plague. The new town, founded around the year 1000, was therefore called "''Montesano''", namely "healthy mountain", to underline the healthiness of its air and water sources. The toponym "''sulla Marcellana''" ("over Marcellana") results from the original place "''Marcellinum''".

Geography

Located in the south of

, at the borders with Basilicata, Montesano is the easternmost municipality of its region. Its territory, part of the

Vallo di Diano 240px, Vallo di Diano seen from Caggiano. 240px, Panoramic view of Pertosa. View of 240px The Vallo di Diano (also known as ''Valdiano'') is an Italian valley of the south-eastern side of Campania, in the province of Salerno. Geography Si ...

, is included in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. The municipality borders with Buonabitacolo, Casalbuono,

Grumento Nova Grumento Nova is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The ancient name of the town was Saponara. In the locality Spineta are the remains of the Roman town of Grumentum Grumentum ( grc ...

Lagonegro Lagonegro ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is part of the Valle del Noce and has (2017) a population of 5,471. Geography The municipality, located southwest of i ...

Moliterno Moliterno ( Lucano: ''Mulitiernu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Castelsaraceno, Grumento Nova, Lagonegro, Lauria, Montesano sulla Marcellana, ...

Padula Padula ( Cilentan: ''A Parula'') is a ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is the home of the Carthusian monastery Certosa di San Lorenzo, sometimes referred to as the Certosa di Padula. As of 2 ...

, Sanza and Tramutola. It counts the hamlets ''(

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 era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'') of Arenabianca, Cessuta, Magorno, Montesano Scalo, Prato Comune and Tardiano.

Natural areas

The vast municipal territory is made up of valleys, hills, and mountains. "Cerreta-Cognola" regional park is a wonderful green oasis which hosts a large wood of centuries-old trees. Indeed, Montesano boasts 4000 hectares of forest area, one of the largest in Vallo di Diano. Located between Montesano Scalo, Buonabitacolo, Casalbuono and Sanza, the park houses various wild animal species which are almost disappeared, such as wild boars, fallow deer, roe deer and mouflons.

Climate

Montesano presents a warm temperate climate, humid in the lower area and dry in the upper area. It is characterised by short winters with low temperatures in the highland area and by warm summers.

Main sights

The main sights of the town include various churches and monasteries, such as: Santa Maria of Cadossa Abbey, ex Capuchin monastery, Santa Maria of Loreto church, etc. One of the most impressive church is Sant’Anna church, a majestic neo-gothic building located in the main square of the town. It was built between 1954 and 1959 at the behest of Filippo Gagliardi (Montesano sulla Marcellana, 25 February 1912 – Roma, 15 January 1968), an inhabitant of Montesano who left his native place in search of fortune in Venezuela. After he prospered and became rich, he came back to Montesano to help poor people by giving them money and houses.

Economy

The economy is primarily based on agriculture and handicraft. Livestock farming allows the production of meat and milk. In the town, there is also a factory for the bottling of mineral water.

Twin towns

Villa Mercedes Villa Mercedes is a city in the province of San Luis, Argentina. It lies on the center-east of the province, on the left-hand banks of the Quinto River, 32 km from the border with Córdoba, on National Route 148, and near the intersection ...

, Argentina

References

External links

Official website

Civic Museum of Montesano
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montesano Sulla Marcellana Cities and towns in Campania Localities of Cilento