San Severino di Centola, the ghost village
During lazy spring evenings looking for a thrill or simply for different experiences, often we chose San Severino, the abandoned village. Strange and dark legends circulated and the most acclaimed told of a bad epidemic that decimated the population. So the survivors had to abandon the rock.
It was said to be a damned place, a place suitable to meet the needs of the arcane, the mysterious featuring some periods of life.
However, the reasons why this village was abandoned, are less romantic. Because of continuous landslides and being nearer to the access of roads, the inhabitants decided to stay definitively down in the valley living in new, more comfortable houses. The abandoned village is nowadays one of the most fascinating ancient hamlets of the Cilento.
On the other hand, the reasons for choosing that rock and to live up there , are very interesting, there is the so-called Devil’s Throat where the river Mingardo flows inmidst the steep walls of the Mount Bulgheria on one side and the Mount Fontanelle on the other. Built around 1000, San Severino is an authentic masterpiece of military strategy. On top of the rocky spur was a Lombard tower, today you will find only little remains, which must have been so high to check all roads going to the sea as well as going into the land. In order to even reinforce the rock’s defensive capacities, a castle was built on another cliff facing the ravines of the Mingardo. The tower and the castle were practically inapproachable for the enemies and were in eye contact with the coastal towers and the castles of Roccagloriosa, of the Molpa and Camerota. You reach the fortress walking on a well cared and signalled path. Arriving at the little piazza of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the viewpoint evidences the power and control this small village detained in the past. We heartily invite you to pass a day discovering the remains of San Severino, but don’t exclude the possibility of a visit in the middle of the night chasing for.....chills!