Cilento

Lore & Background

The Cilento mountain range is located south of the Sele plain, north of Basilicata, and west of the Alburni mountain range and Vallo di Diano. Its main mountains include Mount Stella (1131 m) in the north, Mounts Gelbison (1705 m) and Cervati (1899 m) in the center, and Mount Bulgheria (1225 m) in the south. The area is sparsely inhabited, with most villages at high altitudes and the territory mostly covered by forests. The mountain range is divided into 'High' Cilento and 'Low' Cilento by the river mouth of Alento and Mounts Gelbison and Cervati.

Reader's Guide

Cilento's significance lies in its natural beauty, historical depth, and cultural heritage. The region was part of ancient Lucania, inhabited by the Lucanians, and later saw Greek colonies such as Velia and Paestum, the former being the seat of the Eleatic school of pre-Socratic philosophers. During the Middle Ages, it was part of the Principality of Salerno and saw the construction of numerous castles due to conflicts with Byzantine areas, Norman baronies, and Ottoman pirates. In 1991, the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park was instituted, becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The Cilentan Coast is a major tourist destination, and the area produces Cilento DOC wine. The region's dialect shows influences from Lucanian, Neapolitan in the north, and Sicilian in the south.

Did You Know?

• The name Cilento comes from the Latin phrase 'Cis Alentum', meaning 'On this side of the Alento', given by the Lombards.
• The Cilento mountain range is divided into Alto Cilento and Basso Cilento by the river mouth of Alento and Mounts Gelbison and Cervati.
• Velia, an ancient colony in Cilento, was the seat of the Eleatic school of philosophers including Parmenides and Zeno of Elea.
• In the 1990s, a proposal was made to make Cilento a new province of Campania, but it was never implemented.