Avellino
Avellino is a town and
comune, capital of the
province of Avellino in the
Campania region of southern
Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountans 42
km (19
mi) north-east of
Naples and is an important hub on the road from
Salerno to
Benevento. Avellino is the seat of a
diocese.
Before the Roman conquest, the ancient
Abellinum was a centre of the Samnite
Hirpini.
The town was Christianized around 500 AD, becoming an episcopal see. There followed the invasions of the
Goths and
Vandals. Subsequently Avellino became a
Lombard centre, with a castle on the Terra hill. In the early Middle Ages it was part of the
Duchy (later Principate) of Benevento and, after the latter's fall, of the Principate of Salerno.
In
1100, during the Norman rule of southern Italy, it was acquired by
Riccardo dell'Aquila. Later king
Charles I of Anjou assigned it to the
Montfort family, who were succedeed by the
Del Balzo and the
Filangieri.
The feudal rights to Avellino were purchased in 1581 by Don
Marino I Caracciolo, duke of
Atripalda, of a patrician family of Naples, who was made Prince of Avellino in
1589. Avellino became the main seat of the Caracciolo. Don Marino's son and grandson were consecutively Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Naples and chevaliers of the
Order of the Golden Fleece. The grandson, Don Marino II (1587-1630), was the patron of
Giambattista Basile, author of the
Pentamerone.
In
1820 Avellino was seat of revolutionary riots. However, the
Unification of Italy some fifty years later did not bring any benefit to the city, being cut off from the main railway line Naples-Benevento-
Foggia, and far from the sea as well.
In
1943 the city was bombed by Allied planes in an attempt to cut off the retreat of German panzer units over the important Bridge of Ferriera.
Avellino has sufferred from seismic activity throughout its history and was struck hard by the
earthquakes of
23 November,
1980 and
14 February,
1981.
Some ruins of the ancient
Abellinum can be seen near the modern village of Atripalda, 4 km (2.5 mi) East of modern Avellino.
The
Cathedral, with its
Romanesque crypt, stands on the site of a rich and famous
Roman villa which was built around 129 BCE and abandoned after the eruption of
Vesuvius and associated earthquake in AD 346.
There are some remains of the
Lombard castle in Corso Umberto.
The fictitious crime family depicted in the
American television series The Sopranos trace their origins to this town.
*
Official Site*
Giuseppe Stefanachi's site*
Caracciolo di Avellino: genealogy of the dukes of Avellino
