Policastro Bussentino (or simply Policastro) is an Italian town and hamlet (''

frazione 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 the municipality of Santa Marina (of which it is its seat) in 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 ...

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 ...

region. It is a former bishopric, now titular see, and has a population of 1,625.

History

The town was founded in 470 or 471 BC as ''Pixous'' ( grc, Πυξοῦς), by

Micythus Micythus ( grc, Μίκυθος), son of Choerus, was a 5th-century BC tyrant of Rhegium (modern Reggio Calabria), Zancle (modern Messina). He also founded the city of Pyxus (c. 471 BC). He was at first a slave in the service of Anaxilas, tyrant ...

( grc, Μίκυθος), the tyrant of

Rhegion Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label=Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popula ...

and Messena. It has been a

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

bishopric twice, as Bussento ( la, Buxentum) and as Policastro, and remains a Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...

as "Capo della Foresta". During the

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

period, with the union of municipalities of

Ispani Ispani is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography Located in southern Cilento, Ispani is a hilltown nearby the Cilentan Coast, few km far from Sapri, Policastro and Villamma ...

and Santa Marina, Policastro became a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Capitello Capitello is a southern Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Ispani, a municipality in the province of Salerno, Campania. As of 2009 its population was of 626. History The village, whose name means " capital" (the architectural element) in ...

Geography

The town is located on the southern side of

Cilento Cilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important Tourism, tourist area of southern Italy. Cilento is known as one of the centers of Mediterranean diet. Geograph ...

, not too far from the

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

, in the middle of the Gulf of Policastro on the

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 ...

. Situated by the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

of river

Bussento The Bussento is a river in southwestern Italy. Originating from Cervati mountain, it flows in the Campanian territory of Cilento, in the Province of Salerno. Its mouth is by the Tyrrhenian Sea, nearby Policastro Bussentino. Geography After it ...

, it is 10 km far (north) from

Scario Scario is an Italian village and hamlet (''frazione''), the largest of the municipality of San Giovanni a Piro in the province of Salerno, Campania region. In 2011, it had a population of 1,124. Geography The village is situated in the western c ...

(''hamlet of

San Giovanni a Piro San Giovanni a Piro ( Cilentan: ''San Giuanni'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southern Italy. Geography The town is located on a hill on the road linking Marina di Camerota to Policastro Bussentin ...

''), 25 from

Marina di Camerota Marina di Camerota is an Italian town, the largest Civil parish ('' frazione'') of Camerota, situated in the province of Salerno, Campania. In 2007 it had a population of 2,674. Geography Marina di Camerota lies on the southern side of Cilent ...

(''hamlet of

Camerota Camerota is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History Its toponym could come from the Greek word "καμαρὸτος" (kamaròtos), meaning curved; or from the Latin word "camurus ...

'') and almost 90 from

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 ...

. The nearest villages by the sea are Capitello (''hamlet of

'', far 2 km) and Villammare (''hamlet of

Vibonati Vibonati ( Cilentan: ''Livunati'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. Geography Located in southern Cilento, Vibonati is a hilltown nearby the Cilentan Coast, few km far from Sapri, ...

'', far 4 km).

Tourism

Policastro attracts visitors, especially in summer, due to the quality of its water, its rural surroundings and a good

rail Rail or rails may refer to: Rail transport *Rail transport and related matters *Rail (rail transport) or railway lines, the running surface of a railway Arts and media Film * ''Rails'' (film), a 1929 Italian film by Mario Camerini * ''Rail'' ( ...

link and for camping.

Transport

The

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

is situated in the middle of the town, by the main line

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

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 ...

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated popul ...

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

. Regional

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

s run every hour. The town recently inaugurated (2006) as the final track of national road SS18, which runs from

Battipaglia Battipaglia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the province of Salerno, Campania, south-western Italy. Famed as a production place of buffalo mozzarella, Battipaglia is the economic hub of the Sele plain. History Formerly part of the ancien ...

Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whic ...

Agropoli Agropoli is a town and ''comune'' located in the Cilento area of the province of Salerno, Campania, Italy. It is situated at the start of the Cilentan Coast, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. History Pre-medieval period The promontory on which Agropoli s ...

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.Palinuro Palinuro is an Italian small town, the most populated civil parish (''frazione'') of Centola, Province of Salerno, in the Campania region. The name of the town is derived from Palinurus, the helmsman of Aeneas, as recorded in the fifth and sixth ...

Sapri Sapri is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. It is one of the southernmost towns of the region of Cilento and its population is 6,783.Padula Padula (Cilentan dialect, 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 d ...

and the A2 Motorway

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

exit Padula- Buonabitacolo, via Sanza.

References

External links