Our beautiful country is full of wonders, from north to south. One of these is located in Campania in the province of Salerno and is called Casaletto Spartano, a municipality that has just over 1.200 inhabitants at 400 above sea level sea. This enchanting village of medieval origins is renowned both in Italy and abroad for its flagship: The Hair. This location develops in the green area surrounding Casaletto Spartano and owes its name to its 'most illustrious guest'. We're talking about the famous one waterfall Venus hair.
But why is it called that way? The reason lies in the lush vegetation that acts as a backdrop to the waterfall, made up mainly of plants Maidenhair.
The latter grows mainly in wooded, warm and humid areas, therefore the proximity of a watercourse is ideal. The peculiarity of this plant is given by the conformity of its leaves with a fan shape and bright green color. They seem to be made on purpose to highlight the play of light and shades created by the water that flows from the top of the waterfall once it is reached by the sun's rays. A true marvel! A show not to be missed. Furthermore, walking around these places is truly regenerating, because it means 100% contact with the and gentle cosmetics, immersed in tranquility. To say the least, a panacea, especially for travelers coming from big cities. Here you can really unplug from the stress of everyday life and you will be surrounded by the magic of it fairytale place.
Discovering the surroundings of Casaletto Spartano
If you set aside a few days to enjoy the and gentle cosmetics and the good cuisine of Cilento, you can combine the visit of Casaletto Spartano and the wonderful Capelli di Venere waterfall with the discovery of the surroundings which are just as enchanting as its hamlets. So, don't miss the medieval villages Battle and Fort.
They are separated from Casaletto Spartano by the river Rio di Casaletto and connected to each other by some paths.
from wikipedia: Of medieval origins, the town, according to a local legend, developed around the ancient "Spartoso" district, from which the name Spartano could derive. The abandonment of the old nucleus, according to this old legend, was caused by an invasion of ants. Much more likely, the first nucleus of the town arose at the foot of Mount Difesa because the place was rich in water, as there were numerous springs and a small river in the area. The first document that can give a historiographical location to the town is a small stone plaque with Latin writing currently located at the entrance to the left side nave of the mother church of San Nicola, which commemorates the consecration of the church, bearing the date of 1177 .
The toponym “Casaletto” derives, as can easily be deduced, from “casale”. In fact, Casalecti, in the Middle Ages, was, together with Bactalearum (Battaglia), a hamlet in the lands of Tortorella. In the seventeenth century the town was, like all of southern Italy, hit by the plague of 1656, which reduced the population to less than half. The unification of the Municipalities of Casaletto and Battaglia took place in 1810, by order of the French general Charles Antoine Manhès. He was tasked by the king of Naples, Joachim Murat, with solving the problem of brigandage (pro-Bourbon) in the kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Having arrived in the gulf of Policastro he sent orders to the mayor of Casaletto to prepare fodder and supplies for his army. The mayor, however, deliberately or due to lack of means, did not satisfy the requests of the general who, having arrived in town and suspecting the mayor of being in cahoots with the pro-Bourbon brigands, had him shot in the place known as "alle pietra del Campo", ordering the reunification of the municipalities of Casaletto and Battaglia and requiring the mayor of Battaglia to move to Casaletto, (WIKIPEDIA)
The legend of the Hair of Venus
Tradition has it that this beautiful waterfall is the fruit of one revenge of the Goddess Venus. Let's find out why. One day Venus went to this oasis, where she used to take refuge in search of tranquility and to escape the heat, and she saw a shepherd pass by. He was struck by the beauty of Venus, in particular her long blonde hair. From that day on, the shepherd passed by there daily and then hid behind a tree from which he spied on the beautiful Venus for hours. But he was, more than in love, obsessed and, in particular, he was obsessed with that long blond hair that looked like threads of gold.
One night the shepherd approached Venus and managed to cut her hair! The Goddess, having woken up with a start, as soon as she saw her locks in the hands of the shepherd who was running away, she decided to react immediately. In fact, after a few meters of useless escape, the intruder found his hands wet... yes, wet from the water that slipped between his hands, the hands that until a moment before him were holding those wonderful golden locks. Venus had therefore transformed her hair into water. The same water that continued to increase more and more, until it enveloped the poor shepherd who, not knowing how to swim, would certainly have drowned. At this point, Venus took pity and decided to save him. She took him out of the water and gave him the opportunity to continue living, but... in the form of a plant placed at the edge of the waterfall.
