The municipality of Chiusano di San Domenico is situated on the slopes of Monte Tuoro, in the middle valley of the Calore river, at an altitude of 700 metres. It has a population of around 2,200 inhabitants. The etymology of the name likely derives from the Latin personal name Clasius, to which the suffix -anus was added; the addition San Domenico came later and does not refer to the town's patron saint, but rather to the saint to whom the church at the top of la Ripa is dedicated.

The foundation of the Hermitage of Santa Maria della Valle, also known as that of San Guglielmo, may date back to between 1128—the year in which Guglielmo left Montevergine—and before 1133, the year Goleto was founded. Today, the hermitage consists of two structures built in different periods and styles. The older part has a square base and is topped by a dome; the more recent part is open to the sky and is built like a single-nave church, with four round arches on each side. This section, dating back to the late 16th century, was constructed as a cemetery for the male and female members of the Confraternity of the Buona.

The complex was restored by the Superintendency of Salerno and Avellino following the damage caused by the 1980 earthquake. On the back wall of the small church is a fresco of the Madonna and Child, which can be dated to the first half of the sixteenth century. It reminds passers-by that: “Whoever turns to Her with pure and sincere faith, She is generous with graces and favours.”