In a confinements division of 1187, among the abbot Falcone of Cava and the executioner and disputable Guglielmo of Sanseverino, is sign of the «serra sancti joanni de retina ».

About the casalis of San Giovanni is also news in a donation of January 1225. On November 27, 1463, Ferrante of Aragon, with privilege signed to Terlizzi, revenges mixed «imperio» of S. Giovanni and Guarazzano to Roberto Sanseverino. In the 1513 Sigismondo of Sangro, in contemplation of child's marriage Alfonso with Brigida of Capua, gave the village of San Giovanni to his child.

In 1517 Giovan Baptist Caracciolo purchased it, with the feud of Cessina, also some feudal rights on San Giovanni, if in 1524 Giovan Consalvo of Sangro asked the «relevio» of the feud for succession from his father Alfonso. In 1749 Nicola Ventimiglia (death 6 November 1781) purchased it from the duke of Casalicchio (casals veil), Ignazio Baretta, Porcili (Stella Cilento), Guarazzano, Mala Fede and also San Giovanni. Then the Cedolario informs that the village, for succession, passed (10 March 1737) to Anthony Caesar Ventimiglia.

Giustiniani speaks about « San Giovanni Cilento » and situates it 46 miles away from Salerno and 4 from the sea, on a hill, to the strata of the Stella mountain, bordering with «Omignano, Acquaveila, Casalicchio, Pollica, Celso, Galdo, Santomauro and Porcili», then Stella Cilento, of which it suffered the fates. He adds that the inhabitants were all devoted to the agriculture, also dealing their products (oil, fig trees and dry pears) with Naples and with Amalfi coast.