Montemarano

The Municipality of Montemarano is located in the Calore Valley area. It's a village of 2,821 inhabitants, located 820 meters above sea level and 25 km from Avellino. The territory extends for 34.01 sq km and the adjoining municipalities are: Cassano Irpino, Castelfranci, Castelvetere sul Calore, Montella, Nusco, Paternopoli and Volturara Irpina. It's crossed by the river Calore.
The etymology of the name could come from the Latin Marius to which the suffix - anus is added, indicating belonging. The inhabitants are called Montemaranesi and their patron saint is Saint John.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Medieval castle - Probably built in the 2nd half of the 8th century, it dominates the town from the highest point of the village, at 820 meters
Church of Santa Maria Assunta (Saint Mary of the Assumption) Mother Church and cathedral until 1818, it was mentioned for the first time in a papal bull of Pope Stephen IX
Medieval Crypt - Ancient underground environment of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta: restored in 1984 and reopened for worship on the 16th of February 1985, it preserves the relics of Saint John
Ethnomusicology museum - Museum, centre of international studies and research of the musical tradition, dedicated to Celestino Coscia and Antonio Bocchino
Museum of Sacred Vestments - Collection of Italian fabrics made between the 16th and 20th centuries in the Church of the Purgatory
Other - Episcopal Palace, Martucci Palace, Church of the Cuore di Gesù (Sacred Heart of Jesus), Church of the Immacolata Concezione (Immaculate Conception), Church of S. Giovanni Vescovo (Saint John the Bishop), Church of the Purgatory, Church of the SS. Giovanni e Paolo (Saints John and Paul)

EVENTS

Montemaranese Carnival - Event of great importance that attracts thousands of tourists, with the typical masked parades and the traditional tarantella of Montemarano
Feast of the Woods - Also called "Feast of the Emigrant" it's held in the woods of Montemarano on the 17th and 18th of August and it's characterized by music, food stands, wine and tarantella of Montemarano
Feast of Saint John - Feast dedicated to the patron saint on the 21st of August, accompanied by a very popular food event
Tarantella Mirabilis - Event promoted by the Tarantella school of Montemarano on the occasion of "Tarantella for Africa" which is carried out on the 14th and 15th of August

TYPICAL FOOD AND PRODUCTS

Maccaronara - Typical handmade pasta topped with pork ragu, called ragu alla montemaranese
Taurasi DOCG - Wine of great tradition, made thanks to a very ancient grape variety: well structured, elegant and austere but, at the same time, balanced and tannic; suitable for a very long ageing, also thanks to its structure, minerality, good alcohol content and fullness
Coda di Volpe Rossa Grape PAT - Grapes rich in bloom and with a thick dark red skin, this variety can be used as a table grape, or for the production of the homonymous wine
Montella Chestnut PGI - Chestnut produced from seeds with white pulp, crunchy and with a pleasant sweet taste, it has high characteristics of preservability, flavour and fragrance and is considered among the best chestnuts produced in Italy
Caciocavallo Silano PDO - Semi-hard cheese, with spun curd, produced with milk from different breeds of cows, including Podolica

FUN FACTS

Giambattista Basile (1566-1632), great writer and first to use the fairy tale as a form of popular expression, was lord of Montemarano from 1615 to 1617, as governor of the Caracciolo family, and there he completed his masterpiece "Lo cunto de li cunti".
In the Upper Basilica of Assisi, among the frescoes painted by Giotto on the story of Saint Francis, there is the one entitled "Confession of the revived woman", which represents the miracle of a woman from Montemarano who, after dying without being able to confess, was resurrected by Saint Francis, to the amazement of family members.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The history of Montemarano began in the era of the wars between the Romans and the Samnites. The ancient origins of the town are also testified by the existence of a temple dedicated to Jupiter, on the hill where, today, the Church of the Santa Maria Assunta (Saint Mary of the Assumption) stands.
According to tradition, its founder was Mario Egnazio, a valiant warrior from Irpinia, known for having made the territory of Montemarano invulnerable to the barbarian incursions. Having become a diocesan seat, under the episcopate of Saint John, Montemarano experienced a period of peace and splendour, which was followed by a succession of various families: Della Marra, Caracciolo, Della Leonessa, Strambone, Cattaneo and Berio.
The last lord of Montemarano was, in fact, the Marquis Giacomo Berio, librettist of the composer Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868). However the long diocesan dynasty ended in 1818, when it was merged with that of Nusco.