Pruno is a forest in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

region of southern Italy. It is the largest woodlands of central

Cilento Cilento () is an Italian mountain range (part of the Lucan Apennines), which gives its name to a geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the province of Salerno. Is an important tourist area of southern Italy. ...

region. The hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

'') with this name are situated in the municipalities of

Laurino Laurino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of southwestern Italy. Geography Laurino is a typical medieval hill town of the Cilento, the southernmost part of Campania. It dominates the surrounding landscap ...

Valle dell'Angelo Valle dell'Angelo is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The name translates as "Valley of the Angel" and the comune contains La Grotta dell'Angelo (the Cave of the Angel). The cave saf ...

and

Piaggine Piaggine, also called “Chiaine“ in the local dialect, is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, in the south-west of Italy. The town is located on the river Calore, 93 miles (150 km) south-east of Nap ...

, and are considered a singular village. Pruno represents one of the most unpolluted natural areas of Campania and one of the lesser inhabited territories of

Southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. It is protected within the

Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Italian language, Italian ''Parco Nazionale del Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni'') is an List of National Parks of Italy, Italian national park in the Province of Salerno, in Campania in southe ...

, and is part of the Cilento

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

History

The area of Pruno has been inhabited for centuries by farmers. It had two periods of emigration during the end of 19th century and the second half of 20th.

Geography

Pruno is situated in south of the

Province of Salerno The province of Salerno () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. It has 1,054,766 inhabitants as of 2025. Geography The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 131,950; Cava de' Tirreni, Bat ...

, in the

. The forest is located between Mount Gelbison and Mount Cervati mounts, at elevations between

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. The area is extended not only in the ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

s'' of Valle dell'Angelo, Laurino and Piaggine; but also in

Cannalonga Cannalonga is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Salerno, Campania, southern Italy. History The town was founded between the 9th/10th century AD. It became well known in the region around 1450, when the tradition of the festival called ' ...

, Campora,

Rofrano Rofrano ( Cilentan: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. It is located in the southern Cilento. In 2015 its population was 1,539. History The village was first settled between 3rd and 4 ...

, Sanza,

Novi Velia Novi Velia is a town and ''comune'' of the Province of Salerno, Campania, southern Italy. It is located in the southern Cilento area. The town takes its name from the ancient Greek town of Velia, whose archaeological remains are located nearby. ...

and Monte San Giacomo; and is surrounded by other forest areas. The mountains of the areas are Vesalo, Monaco, Faiatella, Scanno del Tesoro, Raia del Pedale, and Tuzzi di Monte Piano. There are also the springs of

Calore River The Calore Irpino or Calore Beneventano or Calore river is a river in southwestern Italy. It rises from ''Colle Finestra'' ( above sea level), a mountain saddle between Monte Acellica and the Terminio sub-group in the Monti Picentini, sub-range o ...

, and some caves with prehistoric

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

. The middle of the forest is known as ''Croce di Pruno'' (Cross of Pruno), a crossroad between the provincial road Piaggine-Rofrano (one of two completely covered with

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

) and some trails, as the ''Inghiottitoio'' (Swallow), to Laurino / Campora (also covered with asphalt), and others to

and

San Menale Rofrano ( Cilentan: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-west Italy. It is located in the southern Cilento. In 2015 its population was 1,539. History The village was first settled between 3rd and 4 ...

. Major

plain In geography, a plain, commonly known as flatland, is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and ...

s are the ''Piana'' of Roti and Campolongo.

Villages of Pruno

Population in the three rural villages of Pruno amounts almost in 40 inhabitants. It could be considered as a singular scattered village divided into 3 parts, for its common history and also due to a legislative singularity for Italian municipal law. The villages of Pruno di Valle dell'Angelo and Pruno di Piaggine are situated in the municipal territory of Laurino, but these hamlets are not

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

s of their municipality. However their inhabitants have the citizenship of Valle and Piaggine, and ownership of their houses.

Pruno di Laurino

Pruno di Laurino (), locally named simply ''Pruno'', is situated along the Piaggine-Rofrano road, in south of the ''Croce di Pruno''. It is composed by an extended group of circa 15 scattered farmhouses and populated by 25 people. Nearby the village there is a canyon with some little caves (Grotte di Sant'Elena) and the village was interested by the phenomena of the

Brigandage in the Two Sicilies Brigandage in Southern Italy () had existed in some form since ancient times. However, its origins as outlaws targeting random travellers would evolve vastly later on to become a form of a political resistance movement, especially from the 19th ...

in the first half of 19th century. It was in fact the headquarters for a band of brigands guided by

Giuseppe Tardio Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. The feminine form of the name is Giuseppa or Giuseppina. People with the given name include: :''Note ...

. It is the most populated side of Pruno and counts a rural school closed in 1960s and restored into 2000s as historical building. Its main road belongs to the municipality of Rofrano, consisting in a strip of territory. For this reason the village is sometimes also named ''Pruno di Rofrano''.

Pruno di Valle dell'Angelo

Pruno di Valle dell'Angelo (), locally named ''Pruno Casalettaro'', is a rural village, one of the last in Europe. It is located in a detour of Piaggine-Rofrano road, on a trail to

and close to the canyon of Quarantana river. It is composed of circa 8 farmhouses and populated by 12–15 ancient people, with a rhythm of life similar to the one of 19th century, where electrical energy was fasted only in 1992. The community, dedicated to

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

and agriculture, is ''de facto'' autonomous and the village is indicated as a point of touristic interest.

Pruno di Piaggine

Pruno di Piaggine (), locally named ''Pruno Chiainaro'', is the smallest of the three villages. It is situated on a trial from Pruno di Valle dell'Angelo to Rofrano via

, below the trial to Cannalonga and nearby the canyon of Quarantana. It is composed by some scattered

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...

s and the population amounts of 10 inhabitants circa. A few km west it is the municipal border of

, below the area of Gelbison mountain.

Gallery

File:Pruno (di Valle dell'Angelo, view).jpg, File:Pruno (di Piaggine, view).jpg, File:PRUNO (Laurinese).JPG, File:PRUNO (Vallese).JPG, File:PRUNO (Piagginese).JPG, File:PRUNO (Croce).JPG, File:PRUNO (Tramonto).JPG, File:PRUNO (Vesalo).JPG, File:PRUNO (Roti-1).JPG, File:PRUNO (Bosco).JPG,

References

External links

Ecotourism in Valle dell'Angelo and Pruno

Ecotourism in Laurino and Pruno

Photos and info about Pruno

Comune of Valle dell'Angelo

Comune of Laurino

Comune of Piaggine

History & Genealogy
{{authority control Cilento Frazioni of the Province of Salerno Localities of Cilento