THE VALLO DI DIANO ROUTES: VIA "POPILIA"

The Vallo di Diano valley - located south of the province of Salerno - is crossed by the ancient Via Popilia-Annia (today the SS 19 road) that ran from Capua to Reggio Calabria and on which in Roman times several post stations were located, as recorded by a famous inscription that can be seen at Polla. Along the Via Popilia there are numerous sacred buildings devoted to spirituality, in particular to the Archangel Michael, as the cult of St. Michael was deeply rooted in all the towns in the Vallo di Diano.

Particularly interesting in this regard is the evidence in the towns of Sala Consilina and Padula, the main stops on the ST. MICHAEL ITINERARY in the Vallo di Diano.

The whole route, from Polla to Padula, is about 30-km long and can be covered by car, motorbike or bus along the SS 19 road (former Via Popilia-Annia). A few stretches, of particular natural and archaeological beauty, can also be covered on foot (e.g., the paths leading to the Shrine of Mount Balzata at Sala Consilina and to the Shrine of S. Michele alle Grottelle at Padula). Travelling and visit times can vary, depending on the means of transport employed and the visitor's interest.

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Macchina

STAGE 1 - POLLA AND PERTOSA

Day 1

After arriving and settling down in one of the many hotels in the Vallo di Diano, the first stop on the itinerary is Polla (Salerno). Here, in the locality of S. Pietro, is found Lapis Pollae (Marble of Polla or Cippus of Polla),a Latin inscription on a marble slab, a written record of the Roman road that connected Capua to Reggio Calabria, known as Via Capua-Rhegium (or Via Popilia-Annia). The inscription is located outdoors and can be seen by the public.

From Polla it is a short distance to Pertosa, where we can visit the Angel's Caves, an important speleological and archaeological site linked to the cult of St Michael in caves.
In Polla we can also visit the Franciscan Convent of S. Antonio, a place of great spiritual importance for the whole Salerno province.

STAGE 2 - SALA CONSILINA

Day 2

We leave Polla take the Via Popilia-Annia road to reach Sala Consilina (Salerno), where two of the main places of worship dedicated to the cult of Saint Michael are to be found.
Along the ancient route we see, first, the ruins of S. Angelo in Fonte, built as a female Cistercian monastery at the beginning of the 14^th century and abandoned after the Black Death of 1348. Not far from the monastery is the cave of S. Angelo, at 560 m., the first nucleus of the cult of Saint Michael, which later moved to the Shrine.
The Shrine sul Monte Balzata, still today the destination of pilgrimages, bears witness to the cult of St. Michael, which began in 1213 following the apparition of the Saint, even though first mentions of the church date back to only 1653. On 17 May 1715 a famous miracle led to the church being elevated to Shine, and to an intensification of the devotion to the Saint.

STAGE 3 - PADULA

Day 3

Following the ancient route connecting Via Popilia with Grumentum (today Grumento Nova), we arrive at the Baptistery of S. Giovanni in Fonte in Padula, dating to the pontificate of Pope Marcellus (beginning of the 4^th century), which rises over the pagan temple of Leucòthea (a water nymph).
Wholly unique because built over a water spring that feeds the baptismal font, it was mentioned in 527 AD by the historian Cassiodorus. In 1297, the Baptistery passed to the Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John (also known as Knights of Malta), until ceded (in 1852) to the Charterhouse of Serra S. Bruno, but actually administered by the Carthusians of Padula.

Continuing along the Via Popilia, we arrive at the cave shrine of S. Michele alle Grottelle at Padula (Salerno), inside a vast rock cave. It may have been consecrated to the Archangel before the Longobard era, as the cult of Michael began around the 4^th-5^th centuries AD, replacing the earlier pagan cult of Attis and of the mother goddess Cybele.
Inside the shrine, there is a cycle of paintings on Santiago de Compostela , depicting the life and miracles of the Saint, whose tomb was the favourite destination of medieval pilgrimages.

Further evidence of the ancient cult of Michael in Padula is found in the Mother Church of San Michele Arcangelo, which confirms the town's devotion to the archangel.

THE VALLO DI DIANO ROUTES: VIA "POPILIA"

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