Maraj Cilento Run

A travelling festival spanning eleven kilometres

The Maraj Cilento Run is not a race, and it doesn't pretend to be. It is a non-competitive group walk of about 11 kilometres that connects Monteforte Cilento to Stio, two small towns in the province of Salerno, in Campania, right in the heart of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park. There is no stopwatch to decide who performed best: there is only the desire to be together, to walk or run in total relaxation, and to traverse at a leisurely pace a piece of the Cilento hinterland that is usually only glimpsed from the main roads.

The idea behind the initiative is as simple as it is ambitious: to transform the road connecting these towns into a meeting place, involving young people in particular and strengthening the ties between neighbouring communities that, in daily life, interact less than geography would suggest.

The route: from Monteforte Cilento to Stio

The track follows the main road that crosses the Upper Alento, the valley of the Alento river that opens up at the foot of Monte Chianiello. After starting from Monteforte Cilento, the group reaches Capizzo, continues towards Magliano Vetere, passes the Magliano junction and the Palazzo Soccorso area, before heading towards Stio, where the finish line is located.

• Start: Monteforte Cilento, in the late afternoon.
• Passages: Capizzo, Magliano Vetere, Magliano junction, Palazzo Soccorso.
• Finish: Stio, with a buffet, music, and entertainment.
• Distance: approximately 11 kilometres on the road, with no rankings or timing.

Those who do not feel up to covering the entire distance are not left out: the organisers provide a shuttle service that allows participants to cover only a section of the route and still reach the finish line with everyone else.

Pit stops, music, and a final buffet

What makes the Maraj Cilento Run different from a simple walk is the rhythm infused into it. Along the route, several pit stops are planned, designed not only to catch one's breath and refuel but also to showcase the villages being crossed, their activities, and their characteristics: each stop becomes a small showcase for the host village.

A DJ accompanies the group for the entire duration of the event, ensuring the music never stops from one village to the next. Upon arrival in Stio, the day concludes with a final buffet, a DJ set, and entertainment: the moment when the walk finally transforms into a community celebration.

Who organises it

The initiative stems from the collaboration of four local associations, with the patronage of the involved municipal administrations:

• OTIUM APS of Magliano Nuovo, the promoter of the initiative;
• Pro Loco Stio, which manages the arrival and the social aspects;
• Associazione Culturale Futura of Monteforte Cilento;
• Comitato Festa Capizzo, a hamlet of Magliano Vetere.

The joint patronage of the three municipalities of Monteforte Cilento, Magliano Vetere, and Stio gives the event a distinctly inter-municipal character, consistent with the territorial alliance that these Upper Alento towns have been building for some years.

The context: the Cilento hinterland

Monteforte Cilento is a village of just over five hundred inhabitants, overlooking the Alento valley from a dominant position, on the slopes of Monte Chianiello, amidst pastures, chestnut groves, and oak forests. Stio and Magliano Vetere, along with the hamlets of Magliano Nuovo, Capizzo, and Gorga, share the same mid-hill landscape that characterises the inland Cilento, which is very different from the more famous coastal area.

For those arriving from outside, the Maraj Cilento Run is therefore also a pretext to discover an area of the National Park made of trails, gorges, mills, and stone villages, where the true attraction is the slow rhythm of daily life.

Who is it for

The non-competitive format makes the event suitable for practically everyone: regular runners who want to run without pressure, walkers, families, and groups of friends. No minimum times or competitive registrations are required, and the presence of the shuttle allows even those with less training to participate in part of the route. It is, above all, an opportunity for the young people of the four villages to meet up and for visitors to get in touch with the lesser-known side of Campania.