Irpinia

Irpinia(Modern LatinHirpinia) is a geographical and cultural region ofSouthern Italy.It was the inland territory of the ancientHirpinitribe, and its extent matches approximately today'sprovince of Avellino.

A typical landscape of Irpinia

Geography

The territory is largely mountainous, with an intricate network of hills and valleys and a predominantlylimestoneKarst topography.To the north-east, however, the rocks are mostlysandstone,and the land's elevation is relatively lower. Irpinia is centred on the section of theApennineswhich spans from the northernSella di Arianoto the springs of theSele River;the highest peak isMount Avella(1,591 m). To the south are thePicentini Mountains,which include the highest peak of the region, MountCervialto(1,809 m). Irpinia is bordered on the east by theOfantovalley, while to the north it merges withSannioandDaunia.

History

Ruins of the townAeclanum.

The name "Irpinia" derives from theOscanword "hirpus", which means wolf, and the wolf remains Irpinia's symbol to this day. Oscan tribes of theSabines,under demographic pressure, migrated towards this area in the 6th century BC from what is nowUmbria.TheHirpinioccupied the regionSabato,Calore,Cervaroand Ofanto, becoming differentiated with time from theSamniteswho settled the area fromMoliseandMatese.The main centres of the Hirpini wereMaloenton(modernBenevento),Aeclanum(Mirabella Eclano),Aequum Tuticum(Ariano Irpino),Vescellium(nearRoseto Valfortore),Trivicum(Trevico),Compsa(Conza),Aquilonia(Lacedonia), andAbellinum(Atripalda).

No certain date for the arrival of the Hiripini in the region can be given. They were already settled here at the time of theFirst Samnite War(342 BC). Their name is found in sources from 280 BC, when theGreekgeneralPyrrhus of Epirusmade his expedition into Italy. A bronze medal reveals that they signed an alliance with the Samnites in 275 BC.Maloentonwas early conquered by theRomans,which renamed itBeneventumand transformed it into a colony in 268 BC. The Hirpini suffered internal divisions at the time of theSecond Punic War.Caius Mariusgave them Roman citizenship in 87 BC, but they were deprived of any privilege under the former's victor,Sulla(80 BC).

Some Roman roads passed through Hirpini's territory:Via Appia,Via Aemilia,Via Traiana,Via Herculiaand few other ones.

After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire,Irpinia came successively under Byzantine,Lombard,Hohenstaufen,Anjou,Aragoneseand finallySpanishdomination. As part of theKingdom of Naplesit was included in thePrincipato UltraorUlterior,one of the few land-locked province of the kingdom. Feudalism was abolished in 1806, the same year in which Avellino was declared capital of the province.

Irpinia became part of thenewly unitedKingdom of Italyin 1861.

The district has been subject to a number ofstrong earthquakes.On November 23, 1980, the 6.9 M_w earthquakeaffected the area with a maximumMercalli intensityof X (Extreme), killing 2,483–4,900, and injuring 7,700–8,934.

Traditional produce and tourist sites

The medieval Castle and the surrounding public park ofAriano Irpino

Irpinia has a proud tradition of producing wines such asFiano di Avellino,Greco di TufoandTaurasi,all of which are classified asDOCG.Its cheeses, includingscamorzaandcaciocavallo,have a high reputation. Irpinia'ssalami(Sopressata) andsausagesare popular, as are itschestnuts,itshazelnutsand the blacktrufflesofBagnoli Irpino.

Tourist amenities are the ski resort Laceno, with a lake near Mount Terminio, and some villages. The most popular Irpinia's town isAriano Irpino,which lies on the top of three steep hills and is provided with ancient sights (a medieval castle and aromanic cathedral), some museums, majolica shops and traditional restaurants. Other noteworthy centers areMirabella Eclano(with the ancient townAeclanum),Gesualdo(with the castle which was the home of the "prince of musicians"Carlo Gesualdo),Rocca San Felice(Mefitis'site),Calitri(Castle village) andZungoli(a well preserved Medieval town).

Among the religious sanctuaries there are Montevergine (Mercogliano), the Shrine of St. Gerard (Caposele), the Sanctuary of Carpignano (Grottaminarda), and theSanctuary of Valleluogo(Ariano Irpino); the latter is located near an ancient mill in a green valley, where in the Middle Age the Madonna showed up.

See also

• Ariano Irpino
• Avellino
• Campania
• Duchy of Benevento
• Hirpini
• Irpinian dialect
• List of earthquakes in Irpinia
• Oscan language
• Province of Avellino
• Samnites

External links

• Irpinia Stories: English language blog about Irpinia
• Irpinia land
• A tour in Irpinia: discovering the villages and typical foods