A pleasant climate in summer and very mild even in the middle of winter. A landscape of great beauty, characterized by the presence of two important rivers, Sele and Tanagro, which have their confluence point in the immediate vicinity. An ancient village with a timeless charm, standing on a hill 250 meters high.
And a rich thermal basin, son of a prehistoric volcano now extinct, that feeds springs of thermal mineral waters of different characteristics and well-known health effects since Roman times. With the added value of modern accommodation facilities for hospitality services related to thermal baths and to enhance the significant historical-naturalistic heritage of the area. All this and much more is Contursi Terme, in the valley of Sele.
There is a human face carved in stone at the entrance of the “Grotta del Rosario”, outside Contursi on the left bank of the Tanagro. Many flint tools were found in the cave dating back to the Eneolithic period, to which that rock sculpture also belongs. Perhaps depicting the protective deity of the oldest inhabitants of the area, in which Plinio placed the Lucanian tribe of the Ursentini. More certain is that between Contursi and Campagna stood, in Roman times, the citadel of Saginara, which has given unequivocal traces of its existence during the construction of the highway. It was then razed to the ground by the Goths of Alaric in 410 AD.
The starting point of the documented history of Contursi is in the IX century, around 840, at the time of the Lombards, when the count of Conza, Orso, with the goal of protecting the borders of the young Principality of Salerno, noticed that the hill naturally guarding its rivers was the most favorable place to create a military outpost, capable of preventing and countering enemy presences. And so, castrum comitis Ursi was built, from which according to some historians the name Contursi derives. The castrum attracted groups living dispersed in the valley and who settled all around it to take advantage of its defense. The Normans then thought, in the XII century, to protect the entire town that grew up on the hill by surrounding it with mighty walls. However, these were not enough to prevent its destruction by the Durazzesque soldiers in the XIV century. Even before being so severely hit, Contursi was among the possessions of the Sanseverinos, and then it had been stolen by Luigi d'Angiò-Durazzo in 1348. But the powerful family soon returned in charge to remain there for a few more decades, followed by many other lords in the following centuries, up to the overcoming of the feudal order.
This long and complex story is told by the buildings of the village, the simplest houses and the noble palaces - above all, the fifteenth century Palazzo Arone of local stone and Villa Marolda that welcomed Prince Umberto of Savoia in 1937 - the narrow streets, numerous churches and the long staircase that leads right to the main entrance of the historic center, at the top of the hill. And then, in the center of the main square, the Rosapepe Castle, whose original nucleus dates back to the defensive structure built by Orso in 839. Obviously, over time there have been many rearrangements, restorations, additions, changings made also for the transformation from a fortress to a noble residence for the Parisanos in 1675. The name Rosapepe is linked to the family that bought it in the nineteenth century.
The mother church dedicated to Santa Maria degli Angeli is as old as the town, razed to the ground by the earthquake of the 1980 and then rebuilt. Among the many churches of various eras and different styles, Chiesa del Bambino Gesù, formerly dedicated to Saint John of the door, due to its location above the arch of one of the city gates, and to Saint Lucy, was dedicated in the seventeenth century to the Baby Child, after the parish priest of the time had brought from Naples a statue that was perfect in proportions and covered with robes embroidered with gold; the eighteenth-century carved organ and the statues of Holy Mary Immaculate Conception and Saint Mary Sorrowful are also noteworthy. In the upper part of the town stands the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, to which the expansion of 1656 left a Baroque facade; it is also known for the altar dedicated to St. martyr Filomena, to thank her for saving the town during the plague of 1656, and for a statue of the Madonna considered miraculous. Worth visiting is also the 16th century church of the Carmine with a representation of the Last Judgment on the ceiling. It was February 12, 1714 when the church of San Vito martyr was inaugurated outside the town. According to an ancient custom, repeated every year on the feast of the Saint, the faithful make three laps around the chapel of St. Vito in order to make a wish. We so recall the work shifts in use by the faithful shepherds, who stopped with the flocks outside the temple: the animal entering the church last became property of the Saint. And then the church of St. Sofia from 1338, where the "tredicina" to St. Antonio is recited, honored in the church of Sant’Antonio al Ponte, on the right bank of the Sele, near Melfa Bridge.
Around the hill, in the valley, the pine forest with the Maurizio Caves is all to be experienced. Splendid for the presence of rivers, nature conquers with multiple appeals. Along the course of the Sele, the river park offers the opportunity to bathe in the river and even to dive safely, taking advantage of the depth of the water and the lack of pitfalls. But just move to the stretch of rapids to have fun practicing rafting.
THE THERMAL SOURCES
The ancients claimed that touching Sele’s water transformed everything into stone. First observation of the particular properties that in that area characterized not the water of the river, but the thermomineral springs present in the locality that took the name of Bagni di Contursi, south and downstream of the hill of the city, in full river reserve with its luxuriant vegetation of white poplars, willows and holm oaks.
The Romans instantly noticed their healing properties, mentioned by Virgil, Strabone and Pliny the Elder. There are eleven springs dispensing health and well-being to the visitors of the thermal establishments and spas of Contursi. Sulphureous and calcium carbonate, the waters are used for mud and bath therapy and aerosol. Cantani spring with its 42 degrees is the richest in carbonic acid in Europe. Volpacchio spring gives alkaline bicarbonate mineral water at 12 degrees. Radium source at 32 degrees is indicated above all for skin diseases, while Sant’Antonio gushes at 42 degrees, and then Spring of Pruno Sottano, Prodigious Spring and the Lauro Spring. The water of the spring of Sant'Antonio al Monte at 42 degrees is also bottled and distributed in Italy and abroad, that of the sources Ferrata I and Ferrata II is sparkling and rich in iron and the source of don Carlo calcium bicarbonate can be diuretic and it’s indicated for low sodium diets. Each has characteristics particularly suitable for various types of pathologies (respiratory, gastrointestinal, genital, dermatitis, arthritis and osteoarthritis), for rehabilitation after trauma and for skin care and wellness.
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