Stio

According to historians, the toponym “Stio” derives from the Latin "aestivus" referring to the transhumance of summer pastures. Traces left by prehistoric shepherds have been found in the area. Findings dating back to more recent times, found on the slopes of Colle "Casalicchio", testify to the presence of a Lucan site probably placed to control the area on the border with Lucania. Between the eighth and ninth centuries, Stio was the destination of all those who from the coasts escaped barbarian incursions, a phenomenon to which the first inhabited nucleus, delimited and protected by vegetation and woods, can be ascribed, and safe against any invasion and barbarian incursion . The migration from the coasts into the Cilento was not an isolated phenomenon but, with the arrival of the Basilian monks, it repeated itself and gave rise to numerous agricultural colonies around the Chapel of S. Maria della Croce.
Around the year Thousand, Stio and Gorga were part of the county of Magliano, which included the vast territory that extended from the Valle del Calore to the ancient S. Mango. Stio was a fief, between 1140 and 1148, in Gisulfo di Magna, as shown in the catalog of the Barons. During the War of the Vespers the population of Stio was decimated by the plague of the '300. A notable development in the trade came with the establishment of the Fiera della Croce starting from the 1400s. In the Aragonese period the Fair assumed national importance, recalling the great silk merchants but, after the '500, experienced a considerable decline. From 1914 to today the Fair is held for two days, maintaining respect for traditions alive.
Stio represents a point of reference for the small inhabited centers of the Upper Valley of the Alento, halfway between Valle della Lucania and Castel S. Lorenzo. From the top of his hill the town takes on the appearance of a small nativity scene, recalling the images of an ancient past.

According to historians, the toponym “Stio” derives from the Latin "aestivus" referring to the transhumance of summer pastures. Traces left by prehistoric shepherds have been found in the area. Findings dating back to more recent times, found on the slopes of Colle "Casalicchio", testify to the presence of a Lucan site probably placed to control the area on the border with Lucania. Between the eighth and ninth centuries, Stio was the destination of all those who from the coasts escaped barbarian incursions, a phenomenon to which the first inhabited nucleus, delimited and protected by vegetation and woods, can be ascribed, and safe against any invasion and barbarian incursion . The migration from the coasts into the Cilento was not an isolated phenomenon but, with the arrival of the Basilian monks, it repeated itself and gave rise to numerous agricultural colonies around the Chapel of S. Maria della Croce.
Around the year Thousand, Stio and Gorga were part of the county of Magliano, which included the vast territory that extended from the Valle del Calore to the ancient S. Mango. Stio was a fief, between 1140 and 1148, in Gisulfo di Magna, as shown in the catalog of the Barons. During the War of the Vespers the population of Stio was decimated by the plague of the '300. A notable development in the trade came with the establishment of the Fiera della Croce starting from the 1400s. In the Aragonese period the Fair assumed national importance, recalling the great silk merchants but, after the '500, experienced a considerable decline. From 1914 to today the Fair is held for two days, maintaining respect for traditions alive.
Stio represents a point of reference for the small inhabited centers of the Upper Valley of the Alento, halfway between Valle della Lucania and Castel S. Lorenzo. From the top of his hill the town takes on the appearance of a small nativity scene, recalling the images of an ancient past.