| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 View from Mount Cervati | |
| Location | Province of Salerno,Campania, Italy |
| Part of | Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites ofPaestum andVelia, and theCertosa di Padula |
| Criteria | Cultural: (iii)(iv) |
| Reference | 842 |
| Inscription | 1998 (22ndSession) |
| Coordinates | 40°17′24″N15°28′34″E / 40.290°N 15.476°E /40.290; 15.476 |
  Location of Cilento in Campania  Cilento (Italy) Show map of Italy | |
Cilento (Italian:[t͡ʃi.ˈlɛn.to]) is an Italian mountain range (part of the LucanApennines), which gives its name to a geographical region ofCampania in the central and southern part of theprovince of Salerno. Is an importanttourist area ofsouthern Italy.
Cilento is known as one of the centers ofMediterranean diet.[citation needed]
The Cilento mountain range, part of the Lucan Apennines, is located south to Sele plain, north toBasilicata, west toAlburni mountain range andVallo di Diano. The main mountains are the Mount Stella (1131 m) in the North, Mounts Gelbison (1705 m) and Cervati (1899 m) in the center, Mount Bulgheria (1225 m) in the south. This area is sparsely inhabited, most villages are located at high altitudes, and the territory is mostly covered by forests.The mountain range is divided in two areas by the river mouth ofAlento and the Mounts Gelbison and Cervati: "High" Cilento (Alto Cilento) and "Low" Cilento (Basso Cilento), respectively at the North and the South of the listed sites.
Thecoast of Cilento is located on theTyrrhenian Sea, stretching fromPaestum to theGulf of Policastro, near the town ofSapri. Most of the touristic destinations in the coast arefrazioni (hamlets) ofcomuni (municipalities) whose seats are inland; examples includeSanta Maria di Castellabate,Acciaroli,Velia,Palinuro,Marina di Camerota,Scario andPolicastro Bussentino.
The inner boundaries of the Cilento mountain range are the Alburnimountains andVallo di Diano; in addition to the Cilento mountain range, they are also considered as part of Cilento geographical region, such as the southern part of the Sele plain and the mountain range of Eremita-Marzano. The entire Cilento geographical region is located south toSele river, an area known as the western part ofLucania, which has inSala Consilina (in the Vallo di Diano) its largest center. The other most important towns in this area areVallo della Lucania (in the middle of Cilento mountain range), Sapri andAgropoli in the Cilento coust; Sapri is the largest town of Cilento, and the principalharbour. Most of this area is included in "Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park". The principal site in the southern part of the Sele plain is the archeological site ofPaestum, while the main center isAltavilla Silentina. In the Eremita-Marzano mountain range the principal city isBuccino, while in the Alburni mountain range there areCastelcivita andSicignano degli Alburni.
As part of the ancient region ofLucania, the Cilento was inhabited by Lucanians people, an italic tribe. Known lucanian site areRoscigno,Roccagloriosa andCaselle in Pittari, where archaeological excavations have been made.The region is steeped inGreek mythology and legends, as in the names of some towns, which is also visible in the remains of thecolonies ofVelia (ancient Elea) andPaestum (ancient Poseidonia). Velia was also the seat of "Eleatics", a school ofpre-Socratic philosophers asParmenides,Zeno of Elea andMelissus of Samos).The Romans made new cities mainly in the Vallo di Diano and Mounts Eremita-Marzano, asVolcei, because of the central position in relation to the main road of the empire in this area (the Capua-Regio).[1]
After theLombard conquest, the Cilento area was included in thePrincipality of Salerno, as a "gastaldato" (a type of district of the time) of Lucania, divided into the counties ofCapaccio andMagliano. TheNormans created the baronies of Rocca Cilento andNovi Velia, which became the main centers of the region. The Cilento territory was located on the border with theByzantine area, which is why many Greek rite monasteries were created. The nobles of the territory frequently rebelled against the sovereigns, as withFrederick II of Swabia andFerrante of Aragon, carrying out many conspiracies. TheAngevins andAragonese fought in the territory during theWar of the Vespers, becoming a battlefield for a long time. At the end of the Middle Ages there were continuous battles with theOttoman pirates.All these events led to the construction of the numerous castles that characterize the area.[1]
Cilento comes by theLatin wordCis Alentum, meaning "On this side of theAlento", a name given by the Lombards.[2]
In the 1990s it was proposed to make Cilento a new province ofCampania.[3] This proposal has never come near to implementation; in particular there was the difficulty of choosing an administrative centre. The four candidates wereVallo della Lucania (in the most central position),Agropoli (the largest town, situated in the north),Sala Consilina (the most populous town of Vallo di Diano) andSapri (in the centre of southern Cilento, with the most important railway station).[citation needed] Another more recent proposal was to move Cilento from Campania toBasilicata, as a third province[4] together with the existing provinces ofPotenza andMatera.
In 1991,Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park was instituted to preserve the landscape and promote tourism. In 1998, the park became aWorld Heritage Site ofUNESCO.
The Cilentan Coast, orCostiera Cilentana inItalian, is a stretch of coastline situated in the gulfs ofSalerno andPolicastro, extending in 16 municipalities; fromCapaccio-Paestum in the north-west toSapri in the south-east.
Cilento was part of ancientLucania, and itslanguage is influenced by Lucanian. In the north of Cilento thedialect is more influenced byNeapolitan, but in the south it has many similarities withSicilian.
Italian wine, red, white androse, under the Cilento DOC appellation comes from this area. Grapes destined for DOC product must beharvested to a maximumyield of 12tonnes/hectare with the finished red winesfermented to a minimumalcohol level of 11.5% and the whites androses fermented to 11%.[5]
Red Cilento wines are a blend of 60-70%Aglianico, 15-20% ofPiedirosso and/orPrimitivo, 10-20%Barbera and up to 10% of other local redgrape varieties. The whites are a blend of 60-65%Fiano, 20-30%Trebbiano, 10-15% ofGreco and/orMalvasia bianca with up to 10% of other local white varieties. Theroses are blends of 70-80%Sangiovese, 10-15% of Piedirosso and/or Primitivo and up to 10% of other local red grape varieties. A separatevarietal Aglianico can also be produced under the Cilento DOC provided that at least 85% of the wine is Aglianico with Primitivo and/or Piedirosso permitted to fill in the remainder and that the wine is aged at least one year before it is released.[5]
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