Manocalzati

A few kilometers from Avellino, lapped by the river Sabato, Manocalzati is a village with an ancient history and a majestic soul like the Lombard Castle of San Barbato which dominates the valley below The first noteworthy settlement developed in the Lombard period right around the Castle in the current hamlet of San Barbato which until the mid-19th century was common to itself. Among the most beautiful and best preserved feudal manors in all of Irpinia, today it looks like an Aragonese fortre read more

A few kilometers from Avellino, lapped by the river Sabato, Manocalzati is a village with an ancient history and a majestic soul like the Lombard Castle of San Barbato which dominates the valley below The first noteworthy settlement developed in the Lombard period right around the Castle in the current hamlet of San Barbato which until the mid-19th century was common to itself. Among the most beautiful and best preserved feudal manors in all of Irpinia, today it looks like an Aragonese fortress with a square building and two pairs of corner towers placed on the four sides of the walls within which there is a courtyard. The first pair of towers are circular in shape, while those that rise on the northern side have a pointed shape. From the beautiful viewpoint of the Castle it is possible to admire the wonderful landscape of the Sabato Valley. An essential stop both nationally and internationally for aerophones enthusiasts, the Museo del Fluto Traverso in Manocalzati contains 45 specimens that trace the historical evolution of this musical instrument that uses the vibrations produced by the air to emit sound. In the heart of the historic center, on the other hand, stands the Church of San Marco Evangelista, dedicated to the patron saint of the town, with the stone portal and the bell tower on whose walls the Saints Apostles Peter and Paul are portrayed. read less

Origin of name: The etymology of the name comes from the Latin "Manus Calceati", that is "handpiece or troops of shod men", or it is composed of "male" and "calvati", that is "luxuriant land". The inhabitants are called Manocalzatesi and San Marco is their patron saint.

Already inhabited in prehistoric times, Manocalzati has preserved numerous archaeological finds dating back to the Iron Age. The first inhabited nucleus, formed around a castle, dates back to the Lombard period. The fiefdom belonged to the counts of Avellino starting from 1127, and then passed over the centuries to other families, such as the Salza, Gambacorta, Grillo and Poderico families. Annexed to the nearby barony of Candida, it followed its fate for about three centuries and, having becom read more

Already inhabited in prehistoric times, Manocalzati has preserved numerous archaeological finds dating back to the Iron Age. The first inhabited nucleus, formed around a castle, dates back to the Lombard period. The fiefdom belonged to the counts of Avellino starting from 1127, and then passed over the centuries to other families, such as the Salza, Gambacorta, Grillo and Poderico families. Annexed to the nearby barony of Candida, it followed its fate for about three centuries and, having become the property of the Tocco family in the seventeenth century, it remained in the possession of this family until the abolition of feudalism in the Kingdom of Naples 1806. It is also remembered that the territory of Manocalzati was the scene, in 1503, of the clashes between the Angevin and Aragonese militias for the dominance in the kingdom of Naples. read less