1. History of Cilento
Once known for her heroes, philosophers, bandits, and
patriots, today's Cilento is a place of natural beauty little
known to the rest of the world, but still retaining her
enchanting and mysterious scenery. The importance of
the region echoes in the writings of the ancient
civilizations that once prospered in and around the area.
Myths and history abound, such as the story of Enea's
helmsman, Palinuro. Palinuro was in charge of piloting
Enea's boat after escaping the siege of Troy. As the
legend goes, Palinuro was lulled asleep off the coast of
Cilento and fell in the water during a violent storm. For
three days and nights he struggled in the rough waters,
being kept afloat by the wooden rudder of the boat.
Upon finally reaching the shore, Palinuro was savagely
killed by the locals. Cape Palinuro, as the area of his
landing is now known, has a myriad of sea caves and
other natural wonders only accessible by boat. The
reputation of Cilento's original inhabitants is also
reflected in the writings of the philosopher Zenone, one
of the members of the philosophy school at Elea (now
known as Velia), then considered the most important
philosophy school in the Greek world. 2500 years ago,
Zenone wrote to his mentor describing the inhabitants of
Cilento: quot;The people of Cilento belong to their land in the
same way that that the local plants belong to its soil,
they both share the same attributes. Like the local olive
trees, they grow strong and full of life, and share in the
abundance of their fruit without too much concern as to
who is picking it. Often, just like the olive trees, they
endure suffering and wounds, but they will be unmoved
in their resolve, as they bear their pain in silence. They

2. follow the rhythm of nature around them, and even when
nature turns unkind, they adapt to the new conditions
and will prosper and propagate right where the damage
was strongest.quot; Zenone's mentor, upon hearing such a
description replied: quot;Let us hope for our sake that the
people of Cilento will never change their ways and
always want to belong to the land instead of wanting the
land to belong to them
Prehistoric Cilento
The first humans inhabited the Cilento region almost 500
thousand years ago, living in the numerous caves found
along the Cilento coastline. The earliest traces and
artifacts found date back to the Stone Age (Paleolithic)
with some items being dated between 35 and 70
thousand years old). In the town of Camerota
archaeologists have found burial sites from that era, and
the remains have been aptly named as those of quot;Homo
Camaerotensisquot; . Additional archaeological discoveries
date as far back as the Neolithic period (8500 years ago)
and others bring testament to the dawn of the Iron Age
in this part of the world. Closer study of these artifacts
illustrate that the people of Cilento did not evolve in
isolation, but were an important crossroad to people and
merchants from many different civilizations in the
Mediterranean. In the towns of Capaccio and Paestum,
burial sites were adorned with the typical offerings of the
Local Gaudo civilization. Other items found nearby were
typically produced in areas such Puglia, (the quot;heelquot;
region of italy) or the Lipari islands. Some of the other
Mediterranean civilizations that colonized the Cilento
area are the Enotri, the Lucanians and the Greeks

3. (brought here by their need for copper ore). Very few
places around the world have had so many cultures and
civilizations coming together, exchanging goods and
ideas. Cilento can be considered one of these places, and
as such, it makes it the cradle of ancient European
civilization.
The Cities of Magna Graecia in the Cilento
What began as Greek explorations for copper ore, soon
turned into a full colonization of southern Italy. This
period of expansion took place between the VII and VI
century AC and it resulted in what became known as
Magna Graecia. Some of the most important Greek
colonies in Cilento were established during this period.
Posidonia (present day Paestum), Elea (Velia), Pixunte
and Molpa (Near present day Palinuro). What these cities
have in common is the seaside landscape that the
ancient Greeks left behind in their motherland. Posidonia
was renamed Paestum by the ancient Romans. Even
today it is still a magical city where beautifully preserved
Greek temples adorn the pastoral landscape. The
Sibarites who founded Posidonia made sure that their
Greek heritage was reflected in the architecture of the
Doric style monuments they built, as well as in the
priceless frescos that adorn the local burial chambers. Of
particular interest are the Temple of Neptune, The
Temple of Cerere, and the neo-Christian Basilica. The
city of Elea (present day Velia) was founded by the sea-
faring Focesi who had left their towns in Asia Minor to
colonize the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean. The
earliest form of western architecture to utilize the load-
bearing arch was used in Elea. Built in the IV century AC,

4. the Porta Rosa, is a toll arch spanning two cliffs. In
ancient times, there was a toll door within the arch, used
to block off any potential invaders from attacking the
colony in Elea. Over the years, Elea became the most
important center for the study of philosophy in all of
Magna Graecia, with a school being established there in
the VI century AC by the philosopher Senofane. It was
also the site of the oldest medical school in the European
continent, which became the precursor of the prestigious
medical school in nearby Salerno.
The Lucana and Roman dominations
Until conquered by the Roman armies, the Cilento was
under the control of the Lucanean army. A northern
European clan that fought its way southward. The Roman
armies brought a downfall of Cilento as a center of
culture, when Emperor Ottaviano Augusto declared that
Cilento's role as a roman province was solely to provide
livestock and produce to the markets in Rome.
King Federick II of Svevia
After the fall of the Roman Empire, in the year 410 DC,
the Cilento region became victim to the hoards of
barbarian invaders pillaging the rest of the continent. For
nearly 300 years, the people of Cilento had to endure the
succession of northern invaders such as the Visigoti, the
Goti, as well as the Longobardi, the latter establishing
the Princedom of Salerno. In the year 752 the
Longobardi converted to Christendom, and began a more

5. enlightened rule in the area, especially with the religious
and monastic institutions that took hold in the area.
Some of the religious buildings from the period are still
standing, such as the abbey of Cava, and the Certosa of
Padula. In the year 1076 the Normans conquered the
Cilento from the Longobardi, and established a baron
ruled fief, the likes of which dotted the Italian landscape
until the unification of Italy as a nation in the 19th
century.
The Period of the Briganti (Bandits)
The period between the 16th and 17th century was
perhaps the darkest and cruelest time in Cilento's
history, it came to be known as quot;Brigantaggioquot; or the
quot;rule of banditsquot;. Brigantaggio was a violent outburst
from some of the locals, resulting from the oppressive
regime of the ruling barons. The local barons ruled with
an iron fist, with little care for the wellbeing of their
subjects. Starvation and virtual slavery characterized the
condition of the inhabitants of Cilento. This class struggle
between the oppressed and the nobility often resulted in
the indiscriminate massacre of local nobles and their
servants at the hands of 'Brigantiquot; reciprocated by the
public hangings of quot;Brigantiquot; at the hands of other
nobles. This sad state of affairs continued unabated until
the early 19th century, and it began to spread in other
parts of Italy. One of the bloodiest revolts was in the
year 1828 when Cilento's populace took arms against
King Francesco II of the Borbone family and his
ministers. The revolt ended in indiscriminate bloodshed
when the King's army decimated the rebels and
completely obliterated the nearby town of Bosco. To

6. teach the rest of the people a lesson, the rebellion
leaders were beheaded, and their heads were driven on
stakes to be displayed in town squares around the
region. Even mother nature was not spared the King's
fury, as the forests of Bruca and Monteforted were set
ablaze by the king's armies to drive out any briganti
hiding there. The quot;Brigantaggioquot;, and the republican
class struggle which it brought forth was one of the main
factors eventually leading to the demise of the city states
which dotted the Italian landscape, and the unification of
Italy as a nation, under the auspices of the Kingdom of
Italy.