San Severino is an Italian village and hamlet (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') 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 consolidat ...

'') of the municipality of

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, ...

in the

Province of Salerno The province of Salerno () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. It has 1,054,766 inhabitants as of 2025. Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Bat ...

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern 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 Islan ...

. As of 2011 its population was 435.

History

The village was founded in the 10th-11th century. Until 1861, it was known as San Severino di

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" ...

. The original settlement is located upon a hill but was gradually abandoned during the end of the 19th century after the construction of a railway line. New houses were built in the valley, just below the hill but closer to the railway. Nowadays, the ancient village is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

and a preserved heritage, because of the conservation status of its

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

structure.

Geography

Located in the valley of Mingardo river, close to the mount

Bulgheria Bulgheria is a mountain in the southern Cilento region of the Province of Salerno, in the Campania region, of southern Italy. Geography The mountain is part of the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park. The peak is near the southern Cilenta ...

, San Severino is found along the provincial road SP 109, in southern

Cilento Cilento () is an Italian mountain range (part of the Lucan Apennines), which gives its name to a geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the province of Salerno. Is an important tourist area of southern Italy. ...

. It is 4 km far from Foria and Poderia, 6 from

Celle di Bulgheria Celle di Bulgheria, also shortened as ''Celle'', is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The town was named after the Bulgars settled here with their leader Altsek (whose father wa ...

, 8 from

, 10 from

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 s ...

(by the sea), 15 from

and 16 from Marina di Camerota. The modern village is linked to the medieval one by a pedestrian trail.

Transport

In San Severino, there is a railway station of Centola which is part of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria line, linking the village to direct trains to

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

. The village is also served by a highway (

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 Naples. It is located ...

Battipaglia Battipaglia () is a municipality (''comune'') in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy. The town is renowned for its production of buffalo mozzarella and is one of the most productive agricultural centers in the Sele ...

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

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 ...

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. History A settlement calle ...

Policastro Policastro may refer to: Places and jurisdictions ;Places * Policastro Bussentino, an Italian town and hamlet of Santa Marina, Campania * Petilia Policastro, an Italian town and municipality in the province of Crotone, Calabria ;Dioceses * The ...

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. History The town of Sapri has ancient origins an ...

), at the exit of "Poderia-Palinuro", 2,5 km far.

References

External links

How to Keep a Medieval Ghost Town Ghostly
2023 article on the abandoned village of San Severino di Centola at

Atlas Obscura ''Atlas Obscura'' is an United States, American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via professiona ...

{{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Salerno Localities of Cilento Ghost towns in Italy

History

Geography

Transport

See also

References

External links