Baiano

The Municipality of Baiano rises in Lower Irpinia. It's a town with 4,742 inhabitants, located 196 metres above sea level, at 22 km from Avellino. The territory extends for 12.30 sq km and the adjoining municipalities are: Avella, Mugnano del Cardinale, Sirignano, Sperone and Visciano. It's crossed by the stream Gaudio-Sciumminaro.
The etymology of the name would seem to come from a property of the Roman era Praedium Badianum, that is, farm of Badio, linked to the nearby centre of Avella. The inhabitants are called Baianesi and Saint Stephen is their patron saint.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Church of Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen) - Dating back to the 16th century, it houses an artistic altar and the wooden statue of the patron saint of Baiano
Hermitage of Jesus and Mary - Dating back to the 16th century, it's a place of hermitage, as you can also see from the typical architectural elements in stone
Church of the Santi Apostoli Filippo e Giacomo (Holy Apostles Philip and James) - Religious building of the 18th century, it has a splendid façade in Neapolitan Baroque style, with precious marble and wooden sculptures inside
Church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross)- Church of late medieval origin, in which Alphonsus Maria de Liguori preached
Vesuni district - beating heart of the historic centre, characteristic and picturesque
Roman rustic villa and funerary monument - Archaeological and Roman remains that Baiano still preserves

EVENTS

Feast of the Maio - This feast is celebrated on Christmas day, but the preparation is long and starts on the 13th of December, the day of Saint Lucy
Hazelnut Feast - It's held in autumn and many visitors come from all over Campania, ready to experience the event with music, dance, theatre, outdoor circus performances but, above all, with hazelnut-based delicacies
Feast of the Epiphany - On the days of the Epiphany, a two-day celebration takes place with inflatables, funfair and entertainment for children, in a covered and heated tensile structure
Il Giovane... Maio - Initiative by the Forum Giovani (Youth) organization which takes place on the 22nd and 23rd of December and brings together the local food and wine and the historical traditions of the place, with the collaboration of the many organizations from Baiano

TYPICAL FOOD AND PRODUCTS

Hazelnut - The Avellana/Irpinia hazelnut - nux avellana - with its strong historical, cultural and socio-economic link to the geographical area of origin represents a gastronomic excellence that has a rich assortment of varieties: Mortarella, San Giovanni, with a more elongated fruit (more than two thirds of production) Tonda Bianca and Tonda Rossa di Avellino
Capicollo PAT - Sausage deriving from a cut of meat obtained from the back of the pig's neck, from which the name derives
Baiano Bread PAT - This bread, with an elongated shape and elastic crumb, it has large, uneven holes and a thick, crispy crust
Fiocco di prosciutto PAT – Also known as “Culatello di Mugnano”, it's a highly prized smoked cured meat, obtained from the femur of the hind legs of the pig after a long manufacturing process
Caciocavallo Silano PDO - Semi-hard cheese, with spun curd, produced with milk from different breeds of cows, including Podolica

FUN FACTS

With the ancient tradition of Feast of the Maio, from the 13th of December (Saint Lucy) until Christmas Eve, the people of Baiano participate in the "Mess'e notte" - night Masses - which begin at five in the morning, in order to allow people to go to work after the celebration.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The origins of Baiano are very ancient. In Roman times the territory, after being assigned by the Galeria tribe, was subjected to the Lombard dominion and that of the Duchy of Benevento. Later, it was a fief of the Orsini and then was part of the Barony of Avella.
In 1715 it became an autonomous municipality with the name of Baiano and, in the past, it was part of Provincia di Terra di Lavoro, the current Caserta. With the unification of Italy, Baiano was merged with the province of Avellino for compensation. Over time, it experienced a strong demographic development, especially during the 19th century, thanks also to the inauguration of the Naples-Baiano railway station.
Until 1923, the village was the capital of the district and the seat of the district court, the district prison and other administrative offices.