It is Lara D'angiolillo, the Miss Cilento in the World in charge for the whole of 2022, who accompanies us to Monte Stella in the short video we made last week. Lara, a passionate painter and designer, university student, is twenty years old and is the "Jessica Rabbit" of Vallo della Lucania.
Monte della Stella is a massif that rises in Cilento national park and its conical peak, to the south (1131 m.l.m.),
it was leveled to build the large radar sphere, lowering the altitude of the mountain (1100 m above sea level).
On its slopes are the municipalities of Stella Cilento, Sessa Cilento, Omignano, San Mauro Cilento,
pollica, Serramezzana, Perdifumo, castellabate, Montecorice, Lustra and Rutino. On the top there is a small church, dedicated to the Madonna del Monte della Stella, dating back to 1000 and restored in 1993.
Monte Stella (Cilento) is the symbolic center of the birth of Cilento, in fact the area closely close to the mountain is called "ancient Cilento" to distinguish it from the entire national park. On the summit, on the summit ridge and mainly on the Alentine side, there are megalithic remains.
Stella Cilento originated around the 13th century, initially it was called "Porcili", due to the high presence of pig farms but, since this name gave an unpleasant image of the place, the administration changed it to Stella Cilento.
The town is called "U' Paese re i Maistri re cofana e canisters". This name derives from the presence of artisans who were very active especially in the 50s. Continuing further, you turn right to reach the highest and smallest of the hamlets: Amalafede.
Its initial name must have been 'Bonafides', so called as a sign of 'good hope'.
Among the ancient stone houses it is like taking a dive into the past: in the center is the small church of Santa Maria Maddalena, celebrated on 22 July.
Stonehenge is the name of the famous English megalithic site which evokes mysterious rites linked to the summer solstice, when the sun, at dawn on 21 June, aligns itself with the large stones of the prehistoric circle.
Even on Mount Stella in Cilento, there is a similar calendar. It is called Preta ru Mulacchio which in the Cilento dialect means "Stone of the Illegitimate Son" because it was also associated with fertility rites.
La Preta is essentially made up of three boulders that separated from a single block due to natural causes: between these three boulders, two "tunnels" were formed.
SOME PHOTOS OF LARA
