San Rufo is a village and comune in the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of southern Italy located in the Vallo di Diano.

Another reason for the choice of location was the marshy nature of the wide Vallo di Diano plain, which sits at an average 450 metres above sea level.

This pass between the two mountain ranges, called Passo della Sentinella (Salerno), has since prehistoric times provided a strategic link between Vallo di Diano and Cilento regions.

Casalvetere was the original home of the stone wayside post that now stands near the site of the Pellegrini Palace, on the main street crossing the town.

While it existed, it was a key site in the defence strategy of the Vallo di Diano, since it had an excellent vantage point from its elevated position.

The new village took root at the foot of a high rock which protected it from the rear, leaving only the side overlooking the valley vulnerable to attacks.

Tradition incorrectly attributes the founding of San Rufo to Gubello Pellegrini, in the late 13th century, in honour of Saint Rufus, the third bishop of Capua.

The inhabitants of the fortified village that settled around the Castle took refuge inside its walls, working on the owner's land in exchange for protection.

Numerous fortifications were built on hilltops as the main means of defence against the constant incursions by the fearsome Saracen pirates, the later Norman invasions, and the frequent fighting between towns and villages over land and power.