In a panoramic position, which opens up a wide horizon on clear days, Ariano Irpino, known as the "City of the Tricolle", has always been an important crossroads between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas and between the Apennines and Puglia.

• 27 Feb 2024
• REPERTUR
• Borghi Antichi

Central to the two seas, the Tyrrhenian and the Adriatic, always a crossroads of ancient itineraries, Ariano Irpino is the Norman city par excellence and a jewel of the internal areas of Campania

Clinging to the hills of Castello, Calvario and San Bartolomeo, Ariano Irpino is known for this as the city of the Tricolle, but its primordial settlement, dating back to the Neolithic period, developed in the Camporeale area where the most important pass of the entire Campanian Apennines still passes, the Sella di Camporeale, which connects the Miscano - Ufita basin, on the Tyrrhenian side with the Cervaro valley, on the Adriatic side.

In Roman times, the settlement moved further down the valley to the crossroads of ancient routes such as the Via Aemilia, the Via Traiana and what would become the Via Herculea. Crossed by all these consular roads, Aequum Tuticum arose, which was mentioned for the first time by Cicero in 50 BC in a letter as a Post Station on the road from Rome to Puglia and a crucial junction on the sheep track that from Pescasseroli in Abruzzo reaches Candela in Puglia. This extraordinary position, however, exposed Ariano to numerous problems and so it was that in the Lombard age, first, but above all in the Norman age, then, the settlement moved to higher ground, thus giving rise to the current Ariano Irpino.

THE NORMAN CASETLLO

With the shift of its center of gravity towards the hills, in the period between the Lombard and Norman domination, the foundations of that imposing fortress were laid that still dominates the valleys of Ufita, Cervaro and Miscano. On the perimeter of the trapezoidal plan stand the four cylindrical towers that form the Castle of Ariano Irpino and that communicate with each other through wonderful and imposing corridors. At the top of the manor stands the ruin of the ancient keep from which one could see all the way to the sea.

THE MUSEUM OF NORMAN CIVILIZATION

Inside the Castle of Ariano Irpino is the Museum of Norman Civilization with its valuable Hall of Arms, an exhibition area where about 200 authentic examples of weapons from various eras are preserved, the Ducal and Augustal coins, the parchments, the cloak of King Roger II and the wonderful model of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 which was decisive for the expansion of the Men of the North towards the Mediterranean. The Museum represents a space rich in history and culture in which the extraordinary importance of Ariano, one of the first, most branched and best structured Counties of the Early Middle Ages, is repeatedly highlighted.

THE CATHEDRAL OF ARIANO IRPINO

A place of worship and devotion not only for the community of Tricolle, but for the whole of Irpinia, the Cathedral of Ariano, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary to Sant’Ottone Frangipane and Sant’Elzeario da Sagrano, whose statues dominate the portals that open onto a treasure chest of works of art from various periods, was recognized in 1940 as a National Monument, while in 1984 it obtained the title of Minor Basilica from Pope John Paul II.

The current building stands on the ancient ruins of a temple of Apollo built shortly before the year 1000 and immediately played a prominent role for the entire community, becoming, like and more than the castle, a symbol of strength and prestige for the city. Of the ancient Cathedral today only the superb façade in green sandstone from Roseto and in Romanesque hut style remains standing. The portals also date back to the sixteenth century. Inside, nine chapels and a series of works of great charm capture the gaze of the visitor. Among all, the canvas of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven, a work by an anonymous Roman artist, commissioned by Bishop Tipaldi in 1745, and the painting of the Annunciation by the Flemish painter Wenceslas Cobergher from 1590.

THE RE-ENACTMENT OF THE HOLY THORNS

As a testament to the prominent role of Ariano in History with a capital H, the costumed re-enactment of the gift of the Holy Thorns transports the Ariano community back in time in a three-day event of great charm and attraction for the entire Ufita Valley. According to legend, the re-enactment begins with the siege of the Saracens of Lucera in 1255, continues with the victory of Charles I of Anjou over Manfred, and ends with the arrival of the Angevin sovereign in Ariano in 1269. And it was during his stay on the Tricolle that the King of Sicily decided to donate two Holy Thorns from the Crown of Christ to Bishop Pellegrino.

THE CIVIC MUSEUM OF CERAMICS

In addition to having been one of the most prestigious counties of its time, Ariano is today counted among the most important cities of majolica and ceramics and the Civic and Ceramics Museum, set up inside Palazzo Forte, is proof of this. With its 250 majolica and ceramics ranging from the 9th century to the present day, the Museum offers a rich testimony of the styles and techniques of workmanship that have followed one another for over a thousand years.

ARIANO FOLK FESTIVAL

But Ariano is also a city of music and cinema and its name in the last 20 years has begun to circulate around the country thanks to two events that over time have become top-notch in the national scene such as the Ariano Folk Festival which hosts the main artists of the world, folk and gypsy music scene from all over the world

ARIANO FILM FESTIVAL

the Ariano International Film Festival, a film festival that also associates its name with a Cosplay competition inspired by the world of animation for children.

UFITA GARLIC

The characteristic lands of the Ufita Valley have always lent themselves to the cultivation of a garlic with very particular organoleptic properties: Ufita garlic, characterized by a high content of essential oils and active ingredients and a strongly aromatic flavor. This product comes in white bulbs tending towards pink, of medium size, which are woven into crowns and then adequately dried.

In Irpinia cuisine, Ufita garlic is one of the main ingredients for making some dishes such as fresh garlic omelette, Grottaminarda ciambuttella, a ratatouille made with peppers, potatoes and tomatoes and many condiments for first courses.