Pontecagnano Faiano (also known simply as Pontecagnano) is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' of the
province of Salerno
The Province of Salerno ( it, Provincia di Salerno) is a province in the Campania region of Italy.
__TOC__
Geography
The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Battipagli ...
in the
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demog ...
region of south-west
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. The area dates back to Roman times when the city of Picentia stood in the place and was destroyed by the Romans after the
Second Punic War.
Geography
Located in the south-eastern suburb of
Salerno, the municipality is formed by the towns of Pontecagnano (main center and municipal seat),
Faiano (a little hilltown, secondary seat) and by the villages of Baroncino, Corvinia, Magazzeno, Pagliarone, Picciola and Sant'Antonio a Picenzia. It borders with
Battipaglia,
Bellizzi,
Giffoni Valle Piana,
Montecorvino Pugliano and
Salerno.
The town of Pontecagnano is the municipal seat and the most populated settlement of the ''comune''. It is situated close to the urban area of
Salerno and few kilometers by the coast.
The village of Faiano, the co-official administrative seat, is located few kilometers of Pontecagnano on the hills on the road to
Montecorvino Pugliano, next to the
Monti Picentini
300px, Rocky limestone landscape in the monti Picentini.
The Monti Picentini is a mountain range and national park in southern Italy, part of the Apennines, traditionally part in the Campanian Apennines. They are included between the Monti Latta ...
. It is locally known to be rich of water.
The civil parishes are Magazzeno (by the coast), Picciola (close to the airport of Salerno), Sant'Antonio a Picenzia (close to Pontecagnano) and Baroncino (between Pontecagnano and Faiano).
History
The area of Pontecagnano was settled as early as the
Copper Age (3500-2300 BC), as testified by the archaeological excavations of two sanctuaries and two necropolises. In the 9th-8th centuries BC remains belonging to the
Villanovan Culture
The Villanovan culture (c. 900–700 BC), regarded as the earliest phase of the Etruscan civilization, was the earliest Iron Age culture of Italy. It directly followed the Bronze Age Proto-Villanovan culture which branched off from the Urnfiel ...
, predecessor to the
Etruscans
The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...
, have been found.
The Etruscan center was perhaps called Amina and dated to the 6th century BC. At the height of its power it ruled all the land from
Salerno to the Silaurus (Sele) River. It was known for a temple of the Argive
Juno reputedly built by
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
. Here, in 268 BC, the Romans built a new town, Picentia, to house a nucleus of deported
Piceni
The name Picentes or Picentini refers to the population of Picenum, on the northern Adriatic coastal plain of ancient Italy. Their endonym, if any, is not known for certain. There is linguistic evidence that the Picentini comprised two different ...
.
Pliny
Pliny may refer to:
People
* Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'')
* Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...
3.9
See also
*
Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport
The Salerno - Costa d'Amalfi Airport , located in the municipality of Pontecagnano Faiano and close to Bellizzi, is an airport in southern Italy, in Salerno city and the west coastal areas of Amalfi to the north and Cilento to the south. It is a ...
*
National Archeologic Museum of Pontecagnano
Transport
*
Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport
References
External links
Official website
Cities and towns in Campania
Villanovan culture
{{Campania-geo-stub