Salento
Salento: A Small Campanian Town Surrounded by Olive Trees
Salento is a municipality in the province of Salerno, located in Campania, with about 1,800 inhabitants. The area around the village is characterized by a vast coverage of Salella olive trees, named after their place of origin. The territory of the municipality is classified as a low seismicity zone 3.
The nearest meteorological station to Salento is in Casal Velino. According to data collected between 1961 and 1990, the average temperature of the coldest month in the municipality, January, is around 8.7 degrees Celsius, while that of the hottest month, August, reaches 25.7 degrees Celsius.
A Brief History of Salento
In ancient times, the village was called “Sala di Gioi” and was a small agricultural hamlet of the Lombard dependency of the State of Gioi. In the eighth century, the center was populated by Italo-Greek monks, leading to the agricultural colonization of vast areas of the municipal agro and the urban growth of the village.
The first city district was founded by the Basilian monks and is located in the historic center of the municipality. The founding lineage of De Marco built the first district around the church of Santa Maria, twinning it with the homonymous church of the abbey of Pattano. The urban center acquired its present form during the eighteenth century when the new direction of the village followed a different path from the old Basilian settlements.
Sala di Gioi became an autonomous municipality in 1811, breaking away from Gioi. After the unification of Italy, the village changed its name because the old name reminded of the ancient dependence on the neighboring Lombard center of Gioi. The name Salento was chosen, combining the terms Sala and Cilento, in order to reflect the bond with the Cilento territorial nation.
What to See in Salento
The historic center of Salento is characterized by Baroque architecture and some residences of the new bourgeois elite (palace houses) built in the first decades of the eighteenth century. Among the most important residences in the village, the Baronial Palace of the first decades of the eighteenth century is remembered, whose style reflects the typical Baroque architecture of the time.
In Santa Barbara square, there is the homonymous church, where a fifteenth-century wooden nativity scene of exquisite workmanship is preserved. The nativity scene consists of about fifty polychrome wooden statues representing the most significant moments of Christmas and everyday life of the time.
Events and Traditions
Numerous festivals and cultural events are held in Salento throughout the year. Among the most important is the feast of San Rocco, celebrated in August with processions and prayers to the patron saint of the village. During the festival, concerts, shows, and gastronomic events are also organized, where typical local products can be tasted.
Another important tradition of Salento is the Peperone festival, which takes place in September. The event is dedicated to the pepper, a local high-quality product, which is cultivated in the surrounding lands of the village. During the festival, tastings, cooking competitions, and musical and theatrical performances are organized.
How to Reach Salento
Salento can be reached through the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway, exiting at the Padula-Buonabitacolo toll booths and following the State Road 517 towards Gioi. After a few kilometers, you will arrive in Salento. By train, the village is reachable from the Sala Consilina or Vallo della Lucania-Castelnuovo stations. From the railway station, it is possible to take the bus that arrives directly in Salento.
Conclusion
Salento is a small municipality in the province of Salerno that has a millennial history and a rich cultural and gastronomic tradition. The village is surrounded by Salella olive trees and offers numerous monuments and places of historical and cultural interest, such as the Baronial Palace and the church of Santa Barbara. Furthermore, Salento hosts numerous festivals and cultural events throughout the year, including the feast of San Rocco and the Peperone festival. The municipality is easily reachable by car or train and is the ideal place for a vacation full of history, culture, and the Cilento gastronomy.
