Nestled in the hills of the province of Avellino, the village of Gesualdo tells a story of art and culture that is unique in its kind.

• 12 Mar 2024
• REPERTUR
• Borghi Antichi

Land of Princes, Musicians and Poets, with a historic center in which alleys and concentric streets intertwine among the most beautiful in Irpinia, Gesualdo stands out with its castle between the Ansanto and Ufita valleys.

A medieval village built as we know it today in the Lombard era, Gesualdo links its history to the family of the same name and to Carlo Gesualdo, the "Prince of Musicians". During his extraordinary life, the castle, built between the Lombard and Norman eras, was transformed into a cenacle of artists in which illustrious guests among writers, musicians and poets such as Torquato Tasso found refuge. The renovation of the fortress, which effectively became a Renaissance court with even a theater inside, is due to the greatest madrigalist of the late Italian Renaissance.

THE CASTLE AND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE

Today, the facade of the Gesualdo Castle follows the canons of nineteenth-century architecture, while the interiors continue to feature furnishings and elements of the original Gothic-Renaissance layout. One of the most fascinating historic centers of all eastern Irpinia revolves around the ancient manor in all its splendor of paved streets. With its late medieval layout, the village of Gesualdo winds through stately buildings such as that of the Pisapia and Mattioli families, squares, fountains, convents and monumental buildings that give a unique charm to the entire town.

THE HISTORICAL PALACES OF GESUALDO (PISAPIA AND MATTIOLI)

Located next to each other near the Castle, the stately buildings of the Pisapia and Mattioli families are part of a curtain of buildings that were built around the 17th century on the plan of structures dating back to the medieval period.

Recovered and completely restored after the terrible earthquake of 1980, today they form a single architectural complex that has become municipal property and a place also designated for cultural activities in Gesualdo.

Some furnishings and interior arrangements of the old Palazzo Mattioli, such as fireplaces and small furnaces from the early twentieth century, have escaped the post-earthquake reconstruction. While from Palazzo Pisapia, instead, after the restoration completed in 2009, some wall paintings emerged that have as their subject the routes of the great navigation of the eighteenth century.

THE DOME

The Church of the Santissimo Sacramento, known and loved by all Gesualdo residents as the “Cupolone” or “Cappellone” is a religious building built in the mid-eighteenth century on a fascinating and unusual design.

On a square plan, in fact, a central cylindrical building stands out, which is in turn surmounted by an imposing hemispherical dome. On top of this, four pillars emerge that support a smaller dome and a cross.

THE LIVING NATIVITY SCENE

The great charm offered by the historic center and the Castle transform Gesualdo into an open-air stage ideal for large costume events. Among these, the Living Nativity Scene is of great appeal, a historical and religious event that since 1991 has attracted visitors from all over Irpinia and involves them in a Christmas atmosphere pervaded by the scent of ancient flavors and illuminated by the dim light of torches that cloak the streets that intertwine throughout the historic center with magic.

THE RITES OF GOOD FRIDAY

Another event of great charm and charm is the one linked to the Easter rites of Good Friday. In a theatrical journey that retraces the Passion of Christ, we start from the Dome, set up as the seat of Pilate's Praetorium from which we will walk to reach Golgotha ​​scenically set up near the Lombard Castle. The entire performance has as its soundtrack the polyphonic music of the madrigalist prince Carlo Gesualdo in a succession of highly suggestive scenic scenes that involve both the actors and the bystanders.

HOW TO GET THERE

Gesualdo is 40 kilometers from Avellino and Benevento and 90 km from Naples and can be easily reached by car. For those coming from the A16 Naples - Bari motorway, just exit at the Grottaminarda toll booth and continue for 9 kilometers keeping left and following the signs for Montella / Taurasi / S. Angelo dei Lombardi / Paternopoli / Gesualdo / Frigento Centro / Bonito / Mirabella / Eclano

WHERE TO SLEEP

In the historic center of Gesualdo there are several solutions for tourists who decide to stop for one or more nights. Among these, the B&B Cembalo, in via IV novembre, deserves a special mention, which also offers an internal restaurant and free WiFi, and the B&B Verde Irpinia in contrada Maddalena 4, which offers access to a pleasant garden with a terrace overlooking the surrounding hills.

WHERE TO EAT

At the foot of the village, in the open countryside, stands the La Pergola restaurant (strada comunale Freda). It is a small treasure chest of hospitality, good food and Irpinia food and wine traditions not to be missed.

Alternatively, not far from the village of Gesualdo, in the Frigento area there is the Agritourism Company "Fontana Madonna", a very prestigious estate immersed in the greenery of the district of the same name. Here you can taste oils and wines of great value but also stay overnight in the rooms incorporated into the areas of the inn.

DRIED TOMATO OF GESUALDO

From a medium-sized but decidedly compact plant, the intense red and slightly squared berries of the dried tomato of Gesualdo, a traditional product of the Campania Region, grow.

Grown like a classic late-harvest cherry tomato, it has always been grown in these districts completely dry, without the use of water. Hence the name “seccagno”, as it is resistant to water stress. For its unmistakable taste, delicate but at the same time strong, it is used essentially for the production of sauce with which Fusilli and cauzun’, the typical ricotta ravioli, are usually seasoned.

THE GESUALDO CELERY

Known by the dialect term “accio”, the Gesualdo celery is a local variety that is grown on the ridge between the Ufita and Calore valleys, recently entered among the Slow Food Presidia of the Campania Region. Thanks to the particular exposure to the sun of the land in which it is grown, this celery has bright green ribs, a green tuft and a lighter stem, almost tending to white.

The Gesualdo celery is sown in mid-January and, after about three weeks, the first shoots begin to appear. The flavor of this ancient variety of celery is sweet and for this reason it is used in pinzimonio or in salads. In the past, Gesualdo celery was also used for decoctions and herbal teas, due to its recognized diuretic and purifying properties.

CECARUOCCOLE

Gesualdo cuisine is a simple cuisine that fully embraces peasant culture. Typical recipes are characterized by ease of execution and the simplicity of the ingredients that come almost exclusively from the work in the fields. One of these is cecaruoccole, a type of pasta very similar to caratelli, served with a sauce made from broccoli fried with Ufita garlic and flavored with Ravece Oil.