Monteverde

The Municipality of Monteverde is located in the area of Upper Irpinia. It's a village of 771 inhabitants, located 740 meters above sea level and 98 km from Avellino, on the extreme eastern edge of the province of Irpinia. The territory extends for 39.23 sq km and the adjoining municipalities are: Aquilonia, Lacedonia and Melfi. It is crossed by the great river Ofanto and the Osento.
The etymology of the name seems to come from the Latin Mons Viridis which combines the presence of the mountains and the richness of the vegetation. The inhabitants are called Monteverdesi and Saint Catherine of Alexandria is their patron saint.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Baronial Castle (Princes Grimaldi) - Built in local stone by the Lombards to defend the borders of the Duchy of Benevento
Cathedral of Saint Mary of Nazareth - Religious building dedicated to Saint Mary of Nazareth
M.I.GRA museum - Museo Interattivo del grano (Interactive Grain Museum - The woman in the peasant culture) - Nine rooms that describe the growth of the female figure in peasant life, in parallel to that of wheat
Lake Saint Peter - Artificial lake immersed in the green of boundless woods, with picnic areas and scenery of "The great water show"
Serro della Croce - Naturalistic path also accessible to those with motor, hearing and visual difficulties
Borgo Monteverde - Historical and cultural path that winds along the streets of the village and leads up to the castle, being able to visit some architectural structures, such asthe Elephant's Home and the porta Murata (walled gate)
Churches - Santa Maria del Carmine (Our Lady of Mount Carmel), Church of Sant’Antonio (Saint Anthony), Church of San Rocco (Saint Roch)
Serro dell'Incoronata - Accessible religious path with Via Crucis for the blind. Once you reach the Church, built in 1700 and renovated by emigrants to America in 1948, it's possible, according to tradition, to make a wish after completing the three turns around the Church while ringing the bell
Path of the Palmenti - Vats dug into the rocks, dating back to around the year 1000, some of which are an expression of high quality rural architecture

EVENTS

The Great Water Show - An extraordinary event that evocatively tells the life and values of Saint Gerard Majella through water shows, lights and dances
The Town of Lights - Charming evening events always organized on Saturdays from May to September, with tastings, in the illuminated village
Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel - Feast where the procession to the Abbey of San Michele in Monticchio takes place
Feast of Our Lady of the Snow - Feast that takes place on the 5th of August
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Feast celebrated on the 18th of August

TYPICAL FOOD AND PRODUCTS

Caciocavallo Silano PDO - Semi-hard cheese, with spun curd, produced with milk from different breeds of cows, including Podolica
La focaccia contadina - Made of corn flour and used instead of bread, or to enrich the boiled meat with vegetables
Homemade pasta - Ravioli, orecchiette, cavatelli, lasagne
Cured meat - Pork as sausage, capocollo and soppressata
Cheese products - From wild cattle breeding, such as scamorza, caciocavallo, ricotta, mature and fresh cheese
Serrocroce Beer - Entirely produced from an agricultural supply chain, with locally grown barley
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

Monteverde is part of the prestigious network of "I Borghi più belli d'Italia" (Italy's Most Beautiful Villages) and, in 2015, on the TV programme "Kilimanjaro", on Rai Tre, it was elected the 2nd most beautiful village in Italy.
In 2019 it won the Access City Award in Brussels, the recognition of the most accessible village in Europe, conferred by the European Commission.
The project “Un Paese Accessibile” (An Accessible Town) represented the Campania region at the European award of regions “Regiostars”.
For 15 years there has been a beautiful event in the area of the municipality: the nesting of a wonderful pair of black storks, a unique and rare event.

HISTORICAL NOTES

The history of Monteverde has Neolithic origins, with evidence dating back to over 4,000 years ago. In particular, in the locality of Serro della Croce, several lithic artefacts from that era have been found.
Between the 4th and 3rd century BC the Irpinia settlement was born on the site, through an agricultural-pastoral village, fortified with an imposing wall of which some remains are still visible today. In 293 BC, The Romans and the Lucanians destroyed the settlement, and the few survivors continued to resist by inhabiting the caves of Serro del Castello.
During the Middle Ages, a small diocesan community was born, merged with nearby Carbonara (today Aquilonia). Then Monteverde underwent the Norman domination in 1059 with Godfrey, its first lord.
Instead, the document in which the Castrum Montis Viridis appears (today's Monteverde) dates back to the Lombard era.