Between the charm of its churches, the Museum of Popular Religiosity and the breathtaking views that embrace the Tavoliere delle Puglie, this small town is a precious custodian of the memory and culture of Campania.

• 04 Jun 2024
• REPERTUR
• Borghi Antichi

A land of winds and landscapes, of ancient sheep tracks and uncontaminated paths, Lacedonia is the village that watches over the Osento torrent and guards the secrets of a thousand-year-old history tangled along the routes of the Transhumance

The genesis of the name of Lacedonia has its roots in the Oscan language that defined this territory with the name of Akudunniad or "Mother of the Storks". It is no coincidence, therefore, that this bird appears on the city's banner. Later called Al Cidonia or also Cedogna until 1800, it finally became Lacedonia.

From the Neolithic to the present day, the history of Lacedonia is a continuous stratification that can be found in the urban layout of the village and in the remains, more or less visible. that the various dominations have left on the territory. Well-preserved archaeological finds are those from the Roman era, with pools, spas, an amphitheater, wash houses, public gardens and, in the area called "Capi dell'acqua", those of a station intended for the "mutatio", the change of carts and horses, a sort of ancient pit-stop. More recent are the city walls and the four gates to protect the city built by the Orsini family in the post-earthquake reconstruction of 1456.

THE CASTLE OF PAPPACOTA

Built as a fortress to defend the territory, affected by numerous restorations that have altered its original layout and appearance, the Castle of Pappacota, named after Lord Ferdinando Pappacota who ordered its construction, dates back to the early 1500s and is distinct from that of the Orsini family of which there is no longer any trace.

Built with three towers, loopholes for the mouths of the cannons, a moat and several underground walkways, it has been damaged several times by seismic events that have required extensive restoration work that has transformed it over the years into a decidedly more noble residence. Today, despite all this, the Lacedonia Castle still preserves intact the battlements of the tower on the south side, many of the loopholes as well as the ancient well.

THE VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL MUSEUM

A number: 1801. That of the photographs. A name: Frank Cancian. The American anthropologist who condensed his experience in this part of Irpinia in a book "Lacedonia, an Italian town". All condensed and preserved in the MAVI, the "Irpinia Visual Anthropological Museum".

The itinerary set up inside a historic 19th century building, formerly the site of the district prison, then renovated and used as a museum space, hosts the collection of photos taken in Lacedonia in 1957 by Cancian and which represent an extraordinary intangible heritage for the Lacedonese and Irpinia community. These are 1801 shots that between January and July 1957 captured the spirit of the time and of that small ancient world, made up of everyday life, religiosity and peasant traditions.

Among the most important cultural spaces in all of Irpinia, the MAVI organizes events and sets up projects every year, often linked to the world of photography but also to the social sciences, which attract curious people and scholars from Italy and abroad to Lacedonia.

CO-CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA ASSUNTA

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is considered to be a cathedral and depends on the diocese of Ariano - Lacedonia. Built at the end of the 17th century by order of Bishop Gian Battista La Morea, it was consecrated on 19 October 1766 by Bishop Nicola D'Amato, who was also responsible for the interior decoration of the building and its elevation to a basilica.

The original layout included a single large nave, but in 1860 the two lateral ones were added, which make up the current layout. The façade has a gabled shape with a beautiful central stone portal and a travertine bell tower built in 1751. The interior preserves works from the 17th and 18th centuries, a wooden altar from the 16th century on which a triptych of fine workmanship is painted, but of uncertain attribution, in which a Madonna is depicted blessing in the center, holding a swallow in her left hand, with Saints Peter, John the Baptist, Michael and Nicholas on the sides.

ORIGLIO BOARD AND THE GREAT CERRO DEL TESORO

A few kilometers from the town of Lacedonia there is a green area with crystal clear springs and centuries-old trees. It is the Origlio wood, which is home to monumental trees such as the so-called "Cerro del Tesoro" declared to be of regional importance. It is a tree over 300 years old with a trunk circumference of almost 6 meters and a height of over 25.

Legend has it that the Turkey oak, at the time of Brigandage, was chosen as a favorite place by bandits, precisely to hide the spoils of their raids, being easily recognizable within the forest for its immense proportions. Among these, Camine Crocco, the most famous of all, buried a fortune around the roots of the Turkey oak and since then this "treasure" was never found again. Hence the name "Treasure Oak". A rarity also from a landscape point of view - together with the entire Turkey oak grove - among the hills and rounded mountains of this part of Irpinia where mostly cereals are grown and the gentle reliefs are mostly barren.