Pisciotta, village and marina, Sirinos and Picsoes
On the highest part of a hill, gently sloping towards the sea, is Pisciotta: it crowns an uninterrupted mantle of majestic centuries-old olive trees, true monuments of nature. The town preserves unchanged the urban structure, typically medieval, with the castle placed on top and, around it, the houses, leaning against each other, to form a whole for the defense from pirates or hostile armies and gangs.
The origin of the town is probably to be placed around the year 900, when, destroyed by the ancient Pixus Saracens, some of its inhabitants took refuge here and founded a small Pixus, or Pixoctum. Pisciotta is already a fief in the twelfth century: it will belong among other things to the Caracciolo and then to the Sanseverino. In 1522 the construction of the Franciscan convent began, of which the bell tower and a few other ruins remain today.
The feud was purchased in 1554 by Don Sancio Martinez de Leyna, captain general of the galleys of the Kingdom of Naples, who began the construction of coastal towers to defend the territory from the assault of the Turks. In 1602 Pisciotta lords Pappacoda, who will hold the fief, became Marquisato, until 1806. It is due to them the construction of the Palace, built on the remains of the ancient castle, which includes a part, on the west side.
From 1635 to 1639 the bishop Luigi Pappacoda transferred the bishop’s residence to Pisciotta. In the 16th and 17th centuries the town suffered heavy attacks by the Barbary pirates
and Turks; subsequently it is mainly targeted by bands of brigands, among which the famous Fra ‘Diavolo. The majestic Church, dedicated to the SS. Apostles Peter and Paul, which preserves precious works, including a painting by St. Francis, miraculously escaped the fire set by the Turks in the convent in 1640.
At the beginning of the 1700s Pisciotta is the most populated country of Cilento: remarkable economy, based above all on the production of olive oil, but also of commercial traffic, particularly maritime, which take place from its port, one of the few existing south of Salemo.
Today Pisciotta entrusts to the olive production – famous the “pisciottano” olive tree – and above all to its natural beauties and exceptionally mild climate, its future.
Rodio, a town rich in water and vegetation, is located seven kilometers from Pisciotta. The origin of the name has been related to the rose and with Rhodes, seat of the Order of the Knights of Malta. In fact already in the thirteenth century was a Commendatore of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta together with S. Mauro la Bruca.
At the center of the village is the parish church dedicated to S. Agnello Abate, whose primitive nucleus dates back to the fifteenth century, and the Baronial Palace, which do not have
certain news: perhaps it was built at the end of the seventeenth century. from a Basilio, baron of the Commenda di Rodio and former baron of Mandia.
Along the rivers that flow near the town there are numerous mills-mills, to witness the agricultural traditions of the country, producer of wheat and especially olive oil.
The road that leads from Pisciotta to Rodio is bordered by the Mediterranean scrub and extensive chestnut woods, which with their intense and varied colors frame this charming medieval village.
Pisciotta is Blue Flag Sea, national recognition of the FEE for the beautiful beaches in Caribbean style, with white sand and crystal clear waters. Every year thousands of tourists come to this small seaside resort to relax in unspoiled nature.
The historic center of the town, with its characteristic shops, bars and restaurants can also be reached on foot through a charming and pleasant pedestrian path that leads down to the Piazza di Pisciotta.
