Ceraso

Ceraso is a small town situated on a hill whose Municipality includes five other small towns: Santa Barbara, Massascusa, San Biase, Petrosa and Metoio. The first document in which the toponym Ceraso appears is a Papal Bull by Pope Eugene III of 1149, in which the Abbey of Santa Barbara is recognized as property of the Abbey of Cava de' Tirreni. Some historians hypothesize that the origins of the Municipality are more remote and that they can be traced back to the Greeks of Focea and Velia, who crossed the entire territory on which the current Municipality was built. It is hence probable that some of them decided to settle in the area, when it became an important road junction. Ceraso, in particular, grew in importance in Roman times, when at the intersection of existing streets another was added leading to a toll station called Corneto, now the current town of Vallo della Lucania. The town grew over time thanks to the fertility of the alluvial soils. The houses were built one against the other, in order to guarantee a more efficient resistance to the devastating violence of earthquakes: today it is still possible to experience this characteristic by visiting the “mpieri Ceraso” district.

Ceraso is a small town situated on a hill whose Municipality includes five other small towns: Santa Barbara, Massascusa, San Biase, Petrosa and Metoio. The first document in which the toponym Ceraso appears is a Papal Bull by Pope Eugene III of 1149, in which the Abbey of Santa Barbara is recognized as property of the Abbey of Cava de' Tirreni. Some historians hypothesize that the origins of the Municipality are more remote and that they can be traced back to the Greeks of Focea and Velia, who crossed the entire territory on which the current Municipality was built. It is hence probable that some of them decided to settle in the area, when it became an important road junction. Ceraso, in particular, grew in importance in Roman times, when at the intersection of existing streets another was added leading to a toll station called Corneto, now the current town of Vallo della Lucania. The town grew over time thanks to the fertility of the alluvial soils. The houses were built one against the other, in order to guarantee a more efficient resistance to the devastating violence of earthquakes: today it is still possible to experience this characteristic by visiting the “mpieri Ceraso” district.