Montaguto

The Municipality of Montaguto is located within the area of the Cervaro-Miscano Valley, bordering with Puglia. It's a village with 376 inhabitants, located 730 metres above sea level, at 72 km from Avellino. The territory extends for 18.38 sq km and the adjoining municipalities are: Greci, Orsara di Puglia, Panni and Savignano Irpino.
The etymology of the name derives from the Latin term terra Montis acuti, or “monte aguzzo” (peaked mountain), or from the term form the dialect Montàuto (high mountain) which, over time, would have changed pronunciation to Montaùto, from which, in fact, came Montaguto. The inhabitants are called Montagutesi. Saint Crescentius of Tivoli, Saint Mary of Valleverde and Saint Roch of Montpellier are their patron saints.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Church of Maria SS. del Carmine (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) - Restored after the earthquake of 1980, it stands out for the sacred furnishings of the 20th century and for the stained glass window with the representation of the Dove
House Museum - Furnished as a house of the past, it collects many objects of the classic Montagutese tradition
Procaccini Palace - Dating back to the early 19th century, today it is the municipal seat
Iagulli Palace - Building donated to the community by Nicoletta Iagulli, houses the nursery and elementary school of Montaguto
Pepe Palace - It stands out for its noteworthy portal
Piano dell’Edera - Municipal woodland that stretches for 18 hectares, within which you can admire a small chapel dedicated to the Madonna del Bosco (Madonna of the Woods)
Taverna Pepe - Historic building located in Scalo area
Fountains - Fontana Del Basso, Fontana Del Noce, Fontana del Ponte di Sofia, Fontana di Fragòla, Fontana Nuova, Fontana Paolina, Fontana Vecchia
Springs - Sorgenti di Sopra, Sorgenti di Sotto, Sorgente del Pilone, Fonte di Macchianova, Sorgente di Cavarena
Ruins of the Mill - Located on the road that, from the municipal forest, leads to the springs
Artificial lake - Fisher park for those who love fishing, equipped with barbecue area

EVENTS

Patronal Feast - Religious celebrations in honour of the patron saints, takes place in August
FineConfine Festival - Music and theatre festival shared with the Municipality of Orsara di Puglia (Foggia), held in July
Procession of Valleverde - Pilgrimage from Montaguto to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Valleverde in Bovino (Foggia), held in May
Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel - Religious event, takes place in May
Feast of Saint Anthony of Padua - Religious procession, takes place in June

TYPICAL FOOD AND PRODUCTS

Cicatielli al sugo - Traditional first course, sometimes seasoned with the addition of courgettes
Irpinia Colline dell’Ufita PDO - Extra virgin olive oil deriving largely from the Ravece variety, characterised by a pleasant bitter and spicy taste
Caciocavallo Silano PDO - Semi-hard cheese, with spun curd, produced with milk from different breeds of cows, including Podolica

FUN FACTS

In Montaguto there are still some traditions of local crafts, such as the making of baskets and bread baskets of reeds and willows, practised by some elderly people, and the making of crochet lace and knitted with irons.
In the early 19th century the joining of the Montagutes to the Carboneria was massive. The population returned to the barricades again in 1896 and, during the fascist regime, in 1923. There were also strong protests during the Second World War, to contest both the policy of restricting fundamental rights, and the persistent and repeated requisitions of cereals.

HISTORICAL NOTES

Montaguto (Montis Acuti), place of Samnite and Roman settlements since the 4th-3rd century BC and theatre of the Second Punic War, for many centuries was part of the Barony of Vico and was one of the privileged outposts of the system of defence and control of the Cervaro Valley.
Having become a fief of Maria Donata Del Balzo Orsini, Montaguto embarked on its own autonomous path, in which shepherds and peasants distinguished themselves. The adherence to the Waldensian and Protestant heresy of some families, during the 16th century, was a reason for inquisitions and trials. Decimated due to the plague of 1656, the fief of Montaguto, in 1700, was auctioned by the Sacred Royal Council of Naples and purchased by Prince Luigi Pinto Mendoza, who encouraged some families of the Arianese, Benevento and Neapolitan areas to repopulate it, granting them portions of agricultural land, in exchange for a rent paid in goods, called terraggio.
Struck by the serious mourning of the death of a still adolescent son, Luigi Pinto took the drastic decision to leave Montaguto forever, ceding the fief to his brother Gregorio, with whom the territorial unification of the Montagutese estate took place, through the acquisition from the Mensa Vescovile di Bovino del Casale di Sambuceto, a vast district that alone constituted a third of the entire surface.