BORGHI DELLA TRANSUMANZA

Tiny villages along historic sheep tracks, this is the overall image of the territory of the Ufita and Ofanto valleys; they are the villages of transhumance, a millenary practice in which shepherds lead livestock (mainly sheep) from the plains to mountain pastures and vice versa, following the seasons. This tradition, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2019, is the main theme of this itinerary, an exploration through uncontaminated landscapes, millenary traditions and read more

Tiny villages along historic sheep tracks, this is the overall image of the territory of the Ufita and Ofanto valleys; they are the villages of transhumance, a millenary practice in which shepherds lead livestock (mainly sheep) from the plains to mountain pastures and vice versa, following the seasons. This tradition, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2019, is the main theme of this itinerary, an exploration through uncontaminated landscapes, millenary traditions and historic villages, where the pastoral/peasant culture is still alive. The main stages of the itinerary are: • Lake Conza where nature triumphs, Wildlife Protection Oasis with the HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF CONZA re-emerged beneath the ruins of the modern town that was almost completely destroyed by the 1980 earthquake with a view of Lake Conza where nature triumphs, Wildlife Protection Oasis • the MEDIEVAL VILLAGE CASTELLUM CARISSANUM (the ancient Cairano) where a constant wind whistles between ancient walls, the castle and the churches; • the CITADEL OF ANDRETTA, a small fortified village first Lombard and then Norman • AQUILONIA with the ancient watering hole inside the Montarcangelo forest used by flocks during the transhumance and Carbonara the remains of a human settlement destroyed by the earthquake in the 1930s now an archaeological park • The BORGO MONTIS VIRIDIS (MONTEVERDE) formerly a possession of the Grimaldi of Montecarlo built around the Baronial Castle of San Germano member of the Club "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy", awarded in 2019 by the European Commission as part of the "Access City Award 2019" • LACEDONIA, a village in the valley of the Osento stream, a land of strong winds in a breathtaking landscape, where you can hear the echo of ancient footsteps, enchanted by a wild and uncontaminated nature along the paths of the Transhumance; • The town of ZUNGOLI, built on a tuff hill and characterized by a historic center crossed by cobbled streets and stone stairways, a village of the Club "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy", • The CITY OF TRICOLLE - ARIANO IRPINO in a panoramic position, which opens up a wide horizon on clear days (Monte Vulture, Matese, Partenio, Taburno, Terminio, Formicoso, San Vito, Molara and Cervialto), at the watershed between the Ufita and Cervaro basins, on the hills of Castello, Calvario and San Bartolomeo; always an important crossroads between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic and between the Apennines and Puglia. • THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE OF SAVIGNANO IRPINO on the ancient sheep track that connected Sannio and Irpinia to Capitanata and Daunia dominated by the Guevara castle also in the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy” Club, • MONTECALVO IRPINO with its Roman ruins the “DEVIL’S BRIDGE” along the ancient Via Traiana and the TRAPPETO, what remains of the ancient village characterized by the presence of “cave-houses” of Neolithic origin • CASALBORE the village with a castle/tower whose name derives from Casali Albuli, with reference to the local white stone used in construction, stands on the border with the province of Benevento, along the route of the Regio Tratturo Pescasseroli-Candela and crossed by the Via FRANCIGENA • THE RUINS OF MELITO VECCHIA the town abandoned after the 1962 earthquake; a ghost town: a very suggestive place where, in addition to the ruins of the Castle, there are only the remains of the Old Church of Sant'Egidio. • BORGO CASTRUM BONETI (BONITO) with the Norman Castle and the Church of Sant'Antonio with the annexed former Convent that was the birthplace of the designer Salvatore Ferragamo • IL BORGO TURRICELLA – TORRE LE NOCELLE not far from the ancient Via Appia, whose name is linked to hazelnuts, "nocelle" or "nucelle" in dialect, once produced in large quantities in the area and throughout Irpinia. • BORGO DI TAURASI land of DOCG wines with its Castello Marchionale, also known as "Palazzo Marchionale" home to the provincial wine shop • FONTANAROSA the village characterized by the use of limestone, extracted on site with its beautiful stone portals from the 17th-18th century and several 16th-century loggias. • BORGO DI GESUALDO the "City of the Prince of Musicians", of the refined precursor of modern music and important madrigalist, Carlo Gesualdo, whose Castle dominates the historic center, which winds along characteristic concentric alleys. • BORGO DI GROTTAMINARDA fortified with walls of the Aquino family who built a Castle and several churches here. read less