Castelnuovo Cilento

“Castelnuovo”, to which the connotative “Cilento” was added in the last century, takes its name from the presence of a castle that rises in a very suggestive geographical position, upon a hill, right within the center of the municipal territory, from it is possible to overlook all the Alento valley, up to the beach of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The village, which also includes the hamlets of Casal Velino Scalo and Vallo Scalo, develops around the Castle, among narrow stone streets.
According to a legend, after the fall of the Bruca castle (whose ruins and tower can still be visited on the acropolis of ancient Velia), the inhabitants abandoned it and, travelling towards the hinterland in search of a refuge, they settled near an old Norman fortification, that took the name of Castelnuovo. The hill on which the current town stands, in the past was the site of small Benedictine cells and hermitages, of which there are still some ruins. According to legend, the castle of Castelnuovo was connected with the castle of Velia and other castles in the area through underground tunnels.
On the slopes of the hill, several archaeological excavation campaigns have identified a rural settlement where numerous materials, such as iron tools and large terracotta containers for foodstuffs, suggest the agricultural exploitation of the soil; the presence of numerous loom weights is an indication of the weaving of wool, while the modern toponym "Foresta" suggests a wooden activity.

“Castelnuovo”, to which the connotative “Cilento” was added in the last century, takes its name from the presence of a castle that rises in a very suggestive geographical position, upon a hill, right within the center of the municipal territory, from it is possible to overlook all the Alento valley, up to the beach of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The village, which also includes the hamlets of Casal Velino Scalo and Vallo Scalo, develops around the Castle, among narrow stone streets.
According to a legend, after the fall of the Bruca castle (whose ruins and tower can still be visited on the acropolis of ancient Velia), the inhabitants abandoned it and, travelling towards the hinterland in search of a refuge, they settled near an old Norman fortification, that took the name of Castelnuovo. The hill on which the current town stands, in the past was the site of small Benedictine cells and hermitages, of which there are still some ruins. According to legend, the castle of Castelnuovo was connected with the castle of Velia and other castles in the area through underground tunnels.
On the slopes of the hill, several archaeological excavation campaigns have identified a rural settlement where numerous materials, such as iron tools and large terracotta containers for foodstuffs, suggest the agricultural exploitation of the soil; the presence of numerous loom weights is an indication of the weaving of wool, while the modern toponym "Foresta" suggests a wooden activity.