Centola Palinuro
Legend has it that the town's name, Centola, comes from the armies of a centurion, faithful to the Byzantine General Belisarius, that established themselves here in the 6th century AD. However, the first substantive, records of a settlement in this area date back to the time of the foundation of the Basilian abbey of Santa Maria degli Angeli which was then demolished to make space for a 13th century Benedictine monastery. To this day, the town is rich of testimonies of its Byzantine past, still visible, for example, on the 9th century belltower of San Basilio. The maritime resort of Palinuro is the town's gem, having been awarded the blue flag, an eco-award given to beaches and Marinas for water quality and sea life preservation. According to a local myth, Palinurus was the helms man and companion of the Trojan hero Aeneas, and because an oracle had predicted that the hero would not be able to set foot in shore until a Trojan man died. The god Somnus caused Palinurus to fall asleep and fall overboard in these waters that now bear his name
