From Lucanians to Middle Age
Here is another unmissable village of Cilento.
After Paestum and Velia, Roccagloriosa boasts the most important archaeological area in the entire Cilento.
The origins of Roccagloriosa are lost in the mists of time. Traces of human presence are attested since the Neolithic: here flint blades of the V — IV millennium BC and finds from the Middle Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC) have been found. Other important traces date back to the Iron Age (VIII — VI century BC). Later the area was inhabited by pre-Roman Italic populations: Morgetes, Osci, Oenotrians, but undoubtedly the most important settlement comes from the Lucanians, with a necropolis from the 4th century BC. whose excavations made it possible to understand how advanced, cultured and organized they were.
From an archaeological point of view it is in fact one of the best known and investigated pre-Roman sites in all Magna Graecia.
For its very high value, the Roccagloriosa archaeological area was the subject of a study by the University of Alberta, Canada. Not bad for a village of just over 1500 inhabitants!
Thanks to these studies, it has been possible to unearth a settlement complex of exceptional value. Among the funerary complexes, tomb 6 — the oldest, stands out, with a set of Etruscan — Campanian bronzes. Other finds, such as weapons and tablets, make it clear that we are dealing with an extremely civilized and organized type of society: the city had written laws, magistrates, assemblies. Trousseaux and jewellery testify to its great wealth.
Its geographical position, on the pass lines that connect it with the territories of Velia, Moio della Civitella (another very important Lucanian centre), Vallo di Diano, Basilicata, means that the centre is also important in Roman times, when assumes the name of Patrizia, and in medieval times, when it assumes its current name.
And still today it represents one of the most important medieval settlements of the Lower Cilento: the winding paved streets, the stairways, the fountains, the churches and the small squares show the typicality and richness of the old village. From its streets, it is possible to enjoy some of the most beautiful views of the entire Cilento: the Mingardo’ River Valley, the Bussento’ River Valley, Mount Bulgheria and the sea of the Gulf of Policastro.
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