Trentinara Town Hall

TERRITORY – Trentinara Town Hall

Trentinara, terrace of Cilento

Trentinara is an ancient medieval village set on the top of Cantenna cliff at 606 meters above sea level, stretching out between the sky and the sea. A privileged position, unique, that allows the eyes to sweep over the Amalfi Coast, Capri, till Point Tresino and Mount Sacro.

In his work Visconti wrote: "Who wants to experience the feeling of flying though having his feet well firm on the ground, or rather we should say on the rocks, must come up here and stop in some of the areas overlooking the landscape below."

Its territory, for the greatest part encompassed in the National Park of Cilento and Vallo di Diano, is surrounded to the north and east by two mountains - Mount Difesa Soprana of 1082 meters and Mount Vesole of 1210 meters, which offer breathtaking sceneries united to uncontaminated nature. The element that makes it a unique village is the magnificence of its landscapes that change colors in harmony with the people that lives there, and is included in the Unesco World Heritage list.

A bit of history

The origins of Trentinara date back in the mists of times. Built as a fortified village in the II millennium B.C., it was then used by the Romans to draw the waters used for drinking and for cultivation of the famous roses of Paestum. A permanent garrison of soldiers, called “trentennarie” from which someone thinks the toponym Trentinara derives, constantly watched the aqueduct that collected the water from the springs Fontana Secca, Vetuso, Forma e Ospitale. The first real village dates backs to the time of Saracen invasions (800 A.C.) and relevant sacking of Paestum that forced its inhabitants to take refuge on the nearby hills.

Its history then follows the events that involved the other feuds of Cilento, passing through several dominations. Around mid '500 the village passed under the dominion of the famous poet Berardino Rota, who chose Trentinara as privileged destination of his visits to Cilento and often mentioned it in his verses dedicated to his wife Porzia Capece: “Solphon, cui Silaris pater est, cui Trentana mater, cui Jungana uxor, cui Cominenta Soror”.

In his Geographical Dictionary Giustiniani describes it as follows: "Trentenara, land in Hither Principality in the diocese of Capaccio, distant from Salerno miles 28 and 2 from Capaccio. Mannelli, in his Lucania Ms. affirmed that it once was a city and had two hamlets, Giungano and Covingenti. Built on the top of a mountain that someone call Catenna, enjoys of good air and beautiful view. It is inhabited by a thousand people employed in agriculture and farming. The products cultivated are wheat, wine, chestnuts and acorns to fatten pigs...".

The date of 12 July of 1848 is significant in the history of the village, as in the village took place the ending of Cilento revolts against the Bourbon monarchy, in which a lot of youth sacrificed their lives for attainment of freedom.

The battle was so summarized by Bourbon Colonel Recco: "The troops were marshaled on three positions; one in the front and the others at the sides, with the aim to surround the place as much as the ground permitted and, despite each of the rebels had a parapet, due to the special conditions of the ground - as we said - Trentinara was completely overcome in less than two hours." In 1943 Trentinara risked carpet bombing by the Allied army because the Germans had settled a military post just in the panoramic square.

The legend

In one of the most suggestive and panoramic foreshortenings of the town, behind the town hall, there is the so called “preta 'ngatenata" (chained up stone). It is two enormous boulders embedded between them in indissoluble clasp, positioned perpendicularly over the inhabited area of Giungano in such a particular way to look like chained to each other.

A popular legend narrates of the opposed love story, ended tragically , between Isabella, the Marquis’ daughter and Saul, a young brigand. The two, determined not to renounce their love, preferred to commit suicide by jumping off – hugging - the top of the cliff.

The old town center

The old town center of Trentinara extends on an area of around 12 hectares and is the result of the evolution and cultural sedimentations that from IX century A.C. onwards took place in the city. Originally the inhabited area had two access gates: Porta Soprana (Upper gate) in the highest part on the east side and Porta Sottana (Lower gate) in direction west-south. The tangled maze of streets and alleys that still today is observed reflects the medieval urban structure. A part of the center preserves its ancient look made of roads paved of antique vasoli (stones), at the sides of which rise silent houses made of stones, the local stone that abounded in the fields and that - with immense efforts - had been used to build the houses. It is worth to visit the two panoramic squares, called Terraces of Cilento, the rural church of Madonna di Loreto, the church of Assunta, the church of San Nicola built in XI century in Romanesque style, the ancient church of Rosario restructured in 1747 and enriched with paintings -among which an altar-piece of Francesco Solimena’s school.