Aquilonia

The Municipality of Aquilonia is located in the Upper Irpinia area. It's a town with 1,617 inhabitants, located 750 metres above sea level, at 93 km from Avellino. The territory extends for 56.15 sq km and the adjoining municipalities are: Bisaccia, Calitri, Lacedonia, Melfi, Monteverde and Rionero in Vulture. It's crossed by the great river Ofanto, the stream Osento and Lake Saint Peter where the dam is located.
The etymology of the name, originally Carbonara, would seem to come from the Latin meaning bruna, "dark", referring to the vast and thick woods formerly present, or derive from a schist stone present in the area which, by burning, produces heat without being consumed. The name Aquilonia was given after 1861, due to the political will of the liberal administration of the time. The inhabitants are called Aquilonesi and Saint Vitus is their patron saint.

PLACES OF INTEREST

"Beniamino Tartaglia" Ethnographic Museum - Among the largest in Italy, it recovers the memory of the life, work and culture of the peasant and artisan society in its daily life, humble and dignified, concrete and ingenious
Carbonara Archaeological Park - Of considerable historical interest, it has the original urban layout intact. It's located less than 1 km from the centre and is the historical memory of all the inhabitants of Aquilonia
Museum of Itinerant Cities - Located in the Archaeological Park, it is set up with historical documents, graphics, photos, period films, videos and explanatory panels
Abbey of San Vito (Saint Vitus) - Religious building whose origins date back to the mid-13th century and which today has a gabled façade, characterized by a square portal, with a central architrave
Lake Saint Peter - Also known as Aquilaverde Lake, it's located in the Osento Valley and it's a luxuriant place of lush flora and extraordinary fauna
Vitale Palace - Historic building in the village of Carbonara, divided into three levels. The typological system dates back to the second half of the 18th century. In addition to being a "Study Centre of Local and Mediterranean Crops", it is a candidate to become a "Taste Bank"
Churches - Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), Church of San Giovanni, Church of the Immacolata Concezione (Immaculate Conception)
Historic fountains - Fountain of the Old Town, San Vito Fountain, Fountain of Pozzo Monticchio, Senna Fountain, Lu Pisciolo Fountain and the Angel's Fountain
Other - ruins of the Pietrapalomba castle, traces of the castle of the village of Carbonara and its walls, Pietrapalomba hunting lodge, Prince Capece hunting lodge, Polestra large farm with annexed chapel of S. Alfonso De' Liguori, Remains of the mills of the S. Pietro, Giurazza and Dionino dam, Millstone for the milling of olives in Pietrapalomba, Natural trail "Valle dei Mulini Monte la Guardia", Monte Arcangelo, Sassano and Pietra Palomba forests

EVENTS

Feast of Saint Vitus - Traditional celebrations for the patron saint, scheduled for the months of May and June
The Night of Wheat - Event with scenes of rural life, music, culture and typical products, scheduled for the month of June
Feast of Saint Peter Martyr - The event takes place on the 29th of April and it mainly involves the farming world
Food festival - It takes place in August on the streets of the town and in the ancient Carbonara, to revive the dishes and the ancient gastronomic tradition

TYPICAL FOOD AND PRODUCTS

Corresce re cocozza janca PAT - Typical of Aquilonia, they come in the form of thin pumpkin fettuccine with white pulp, dehydrated in the sun and with an unmistakable taste
Caciocavallo irpino di grotta PAT - Spun curd cheese, produced with milk from small and medium-sized farms, mainly from brown cattle, traditionally aged in caves
Caciocavallo Silano PDO - Semi-hard cheese, with spun curd, produced with milk from different breeds of cows, including Podolica
Wheat - Ancient and valuable varieties, such as Senatore Cappelli
Productions - Wine, Barley, Corn, Sausage, Sopressata and Olive oil

FUN FACTS

Some historians believe that the famous and bloody battle of Aquilonia, fought between Romans and Samnites in 293 BC and narrated by the Roman historian Livius (Ab Urbe condita, books X, 38-40), in which sixty thousand men would have participated, took place in the valley of the Calaggio stream, today's industrial area not far from the inhabited centre.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The very ancient origins of Carbonara, called Aquilonia later, are attested by the numerous archaeological finds in the area, especially on the Ofanto plateau, of a settlement of Samnite origin dating back to the 5th and 4th centuries BC Precisely in that historical period Carbonara-Aquilonia, as well as other neighbouring centres, was involved in the wars against Rome.
We also know of this land that in the Middle Ages it became a military centre, a garrison of the Osento and Ofanto valleys, enriching itself with a fortress.
It was after the bloody popular pro-Bourbon uprising against the Italian unification that, in 1861, Carbonara took the name of Aquilonia.
The town was completely destroyed by the 1930 earthquake and was later rebuilt in a place even higher than before.