Perched on a hill overlooking Irpinia, the village of Cairano enchants with its breathtaking panorama and the authentic charm of a timeless place.

• 04 Jul 2023
• REPERTUR
• Borghi Antichi

Like a green and yellow whale emerging from a sea of ​​grass and hay, Cairano greets visitors who follow the course of the Ofanto river and immerse themselves in the heart of Alta Irpinia

Located almost 800 meters above sea level and inhabited by less than 300 inhabitants, Cairano is a village dedicated to the wind, contemplation, slowness. Its strategic position, halfway between the Ofanto and Sele valleys, has made human settlements favorable since the Iron Age. This made it an ideal citadel to fortify both in Roman and Lombard times to defend the territories and nearby Compsa.

CAIRANO LAND OF CINEMA

The village, crossed by a strong depopulation starting from the post-war period, in 1963 was the film set of the film “La Donnaccia”, a pearl of neorealist cinema, based on the texts of Camillo Marino and Giacomo D'Onofrio, prominent Irpinia intellectuals and creators of the film art festival “Laceno d'Oro”.

CAIRANO LAND OF THEATRE AND EVENTS

Today Cairano is an open-air theatre, not only because of its peculiar position, but also for the main and most fascinating cultural events that take place in Irpinia during the summer and that range from Theatre to architecture, from botany to free flight.

Birthplace of the set designer and event creator Franco Dragone, founder of the Circus du Soleil, the village has been crossed in recent years by a cultural Renaissance that has brought to the shadow of the Rupe highly attractive events such as the Cairano 7X kermesse, an art and visionary festival that aims to promote the beauty of the village, or the masterclasses of the same Dragone on the professions of the Show that have led to the creation of an open-air amphitheater like the Odeon. But also Recupera Riabita, an event dedicated to bio-architecture in small villages and inland areas or Borgo Fiorito, an event characterized by floral artistic creations in public and private spaces of the village. Cairano, moreover, is the ideal place for lovers of free flight who every year, towards the end of July, meet for the Festa dell’Aria and launch themselves from the cliff with a hang glider or paraglider and experience the thrill of the void.

THE ROCK

Located on the top of the large tuff bank that serves as an altar to the town of Coppoloni, to use the title of the book dedicated to Cairano by Vinicio Capossela, the Rupe di Cairano is undoubtedly the main reason to climb among the clouds and reach the historic center through the stone streets. From the cliff you can enjoy one of the most exciting and spectacular landscapes in all of Campania. From here, the gaze can embrace the whole of Irpinia, flying over enchanting villages such as those of old Compsa, Andretta, Nusco and Sant’Andrea di Conza or range along the valley of the Ofanto and Sele up to Vulture in Basilicata.

THE WIND ORGAN

In one of the most panoramic points of the Rupe, in 2019 the Wind Organ was installed, a system of three groups of seven pipes in zinc and titanium, the tallest reaching 5 meters and having a diameter of 20 centimeters, grafted into three hollow wooden bases in which the wind gathers to generate natural chords that modulate according to the direction and intensity of the wind.