What is Teggiano known for?

Norman Sanseverino castle, seat of the 1485 Conspiracy of the Barons against Ferdinand of Aragon; renamed Macchiaroli after the family that acquired it in 1920. Gothic cathedral consecrated 12 August 1274 under Charles I of Anjou, with a 1271 stone pulpit by Melchiorre da Montalbano and Sanseverino tombs. Mid-August medieval festival restaging the 1480 wedding of Antonello Sanseverino and Costanza of Urbino across the centro storico and the castle.

Teggiano is a comune in the province of Salerno, Campania region of Italy, about 94 kilometers from Salerno.

Campania · Salerno

Teggiano

A ridge town at 635 meters above the Vallo di Diano, the ancient Tegianum that named the valley, held by the Sanseverino for three centuries.

635m

Elevation

94 km / 58 mi

Nearest hub (Salerno)

7,056

Population

May–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Parco Nazionale

Why come

Teggiano sits at 635 meters on an isolated hill above the Vallo di Diano, the broad upper valley to which it gave its old name, Diano. The Lucanians built Tegianum here in the fourth century BC; it was a Roman municipium and received Gracchan and Neronian colonists. The Sanseverino ruled it from 1239 to 1556 and turned the place into a stronghold of the Kingdom of Naples. The Norman castle, now called Castello Macchiaroli after the family that bought it in 1920, hosted the Conspiracy of the Barons in 1485, when Antonello Sanseverino, married to Costanza of Urbino, led the revolt against King Ferdinand of Aragon. The Gothic Cattedrale di Santa Maria Maggiore was begun under Charles I of Anjou and consecrated on 12 August 1274. Thirteen churches still stand in a centro storico of three thousand residents. Every August the historic wedding of Antonello and Costanza is restaged across the streets as the Tavola di Principessa Costanza, the town's medieval festival.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello Macchiaroli
Norman castle of the Sanseverino princes, seat of the 1485 Conspiracy of the Barons, in the Macchiaroli family since 1920 and partly open as event venue.
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Maggiore
Gothic cathedral begun under Charles I of Anjou and consecrated on 12 August 1274, with a 1271 stone pulpit by Melchiorre da Montalbano and the tomb of Enrico Sanseverino.
Centro storico
Walled medieval town with thirteen churches and Roman-Lucanian foundations visible in the lower walls, climbing the ridge to the castle.
Museo Diocesano di San Pietro
Diocesan museum in the deconsecrated church of San Pietro with sculpture, paintings and liturgical objects from the Vallo di Diano churches.
Vallo di Diano
Broad Apennine valley below the town, part of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park, with the Tanagro river running its length.

When to visit

Best months · May–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through October is the working window for Teggiano. The 635-meter elevation keeps July and August below the punishing temperatures of the valleys, though afternoons can still cross thirty degrees, and the centro storico shuts down between two and six. The Tavola di Principessa Costanza falls in mid-August and brings the streets back to life for several days. April is still chilly; the cathedral interior holds the cold into late spring. November through March is quiet, often misty over the Vallo di Diano, with snow possible on the surrounding ridges. Many trattorie close on weekdays in winter. The cathedral and the castle keep limited weekend hours.