Area archeologica di Cosilinum

The Civita hill south of Padula is identified with the ancient settlement of Cosilinum. A surviving stretch of wall and the route of the Roman Via Popilia mark the archaeological landscape, while finds from the area's necropoleis are preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Western Lucania inside the Certosa.

Why it matters

Cosilinum connects the modern town with the Lucanian and Roman history of the Vallo di Diano. The municipal museum system identifies the Civita with the ancient settlement and records a visible stretch of wall on higher ground south of Padula. The Via Popilia linked the valley to the Roman road network, while necropolis finds offer evidence of the communities that lived here.

What to notice

The surviving masonry on the Civita hill is a visible trace of the ancient settlement. The wider archaeological landscape includes nearby burial grounds, whose finds are now held in the Archaeological Museum of Western Lucania at the Certosa. Together, the hilltop remains and the museum collections connect the ancient town with material recovered from its surrounding territory.

Context and history

The identification of Padula with Cosilinum developed over time. Earlier scholars placed the ancient town near the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte; later attention shifted to the Civita hill. Antiquarian records from 1913 and 1914 describe Roman tombs and a cinerary urn found in the countryside around Padula. The settlement belonged to the Lucanian sphere before Roman administration reorganised the valley and its roads.