Castel Baronia

The Municipality of Castel Baronia is located in the Baronia area. It's a town with 1,102 inhabitants, located 639 metres above sea level, at 56 km from Avellino. The territory extends for 15.37 sq km and the adjoining municipalities are: Carife, Flumeri, San Nicola Baronia, Sturno and Trevico.
The etymology of the name seems to come from the Norman castle around which the settlement was originally built, while the specific "Baronia" has a double meaning: it refers, in fact, both to the district in which the village falls (Baronia di Vico), and to the belonging of the place, understood as "barony", of its ancient lords. The inhabitants are called Castellesi and the Madonna delle Fratte is their patron saint.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Church of Santa Maria delle Fratte - Made in Gothic style, it houses a painting of Madonna delle Fratte, an 18th century high altar and a 12th-century sacred icon
Mancini Palace - Dating back to the mid-18th century, it was the birthplace of the Italian jurist and politician Pasquale Stanislao Mancini: it is the current town hall
Fountain/wash house - Located at the entrance to the town, it was formerly used by women as a wash house for clothes
Churches - Church of Santo Spirito (Holy Spirit) and convent of San Francesco (Saint Francis), Church of Sant'Euplio Martire (Saint Euplius the Martyr), Church of the Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows), Benedictine Convent of San Giovanni in Valle (Saint John) and Congrega del Purgatorio (Congregation of the Purgatory Chapel)
Other - Andreotti Palace and Ducal Palace

EVENTS

NonSolOlio (Not only Oil) - Food and wine initiative that takes place in October and focuses on extra virgin olive oil, a typical production of the village
Feast of Saint Anthony - Celebrations in honour of Saint Anthony of Padua
Passeggiata Ecopaesologica (Eco-village Walk) - Cultural and environmental event held on the 1st of May
Fair of Saint Anne - Historic fair that also welcomes visitors from neighbouring towns
August Nights - A program full of initiatives dedicated to joy and fun: concerts, festivals, fairs, festivals, markets, food, wine and concerts

TYPICAL FOOD AND PRODUCTS

Irpinia Colline dell'Ufita PDO - Extra virgin olive oil deriving largely from the Ravece variety, characterized by a pleasant bitter and spicy taste
Ufita garlic PAT - Product with an aromatic flavour characterized by a high quantity of essential oils and active ingredients
Ufita cherry tomato PAT - Of medium-small size, it has a bright red colour and numerous seeds inside
Caciocavallo Silano PDO - Semi-hard cheese, with spun curd, produced with milk from different breeds of cows, including Podolica
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

FUN FACTS

In Castel Baronia, on the 17th of March 1817, Pasquale Stanislao Mancini (1817-1888) was born, an illustrious statesman and jurist, parliamentarian of the Kingdom of Italy from 1862 to his death, Minister of Public Education in 1862, of Grace and Justice in 1878, of Foreign Affairs in 1885.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The origins of Castel Baronia are uncertain and suggest some primordial settlement that between the Roman and medieval times, in a real link among populations from Abruzzo, Lazio, Campania, Puglia and Basilicata.
Starting from the period of Norman domination, Castel Baronia was a hamlet known as "Castello", belonging to the Barony of Vico: its history, therefore, was closely linked to that of the Loffredo family, owner of the entire fief.
With the abolition of feudalism, which took place in 1806, the town, which in the meantime had acquired the name of Castelbaronia, became the capital of the district of the same name in the District of Ariano. Even after the Unification of Italy, the Municipality maintained its role until 1926, the year in which it was incorporated into the province of Avellino, progressively assuming the definitive and current name of Castel Baronia.