Andretta
Andretta (AV)
Hidden gemVillages
The story
An amphitheatre of honey-coloured houses looking out over the Ofanto, homeland of emigrants and of that Ferdinando De Rosa who tried to kill a king. The old centre, stitched back together after the earthquake, is one of the most elegant in the Alta Irpinia.
Access
FREE
The story
Andretta climbs a high hill that dominates the Apennines of Upper Irpinia, not far from the Ofanto. It is a land inhabited since very remote times: at the site of Pero Spaccone a trace of ochre datable between 32000 and 31000 BC has been identified, and Neolithic finds tell of a human presence thousands of years old. In the municipal coat of arms, a rampant lion holds an olive branch.
What to see
The upper village, with its panoramic outlook over the Apennines, is the reason for the visit: a balcony of Upper Irpinia over the valley of the Ofanto. Around it, the harsh and wide landscape of the Irpinian mountains.
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
A high hill village: cool and panoramic, it is comfortably reached by car. Pair it with the other high villages around the Ofanto valley. Come for the position and the atmosphere, more than for a single monument.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Andretta?
On a high hill of Upper Irpinia that dominates the Apennines, in the province of Avellino, not far from the river Ofanto.
How old is the human presence at Andretta?
Very old: at the site of Pero Spaccone a trace of ochre datable between 32000 and 31000 BC has been identified, as well as Neolithic finds.
What does the coat of arms of Andretta represent?
A rampant golden lion holding an olive branch, on a light-blue field.
More gems in Andretta
More gems: Villages
VillagesLa Pignasecca
Montesanto
The oldest market in Naples unspools through the alleys of Montesanto: fish stalls, fry shops and old-time botteghe (traditional shops) in a hubbub that never stops.
VillagesBorgo Marinari
S. Lucia
At the foot of Castel dell'Ovo, the little fishermen's borgo (old village) is now a marina of boats and restaurants: stone, salt air and the legend of Virgil's egg hidden in the foundations.
VillagesMarina Corricella
Procida
The oldest fishermen's borgo (old village) on Procida, an amphitheatre of pastel houses tumbling down to the harbour, where the boats sleep beneath the hanging laundry.
- ◆ Villages
Mercato di Porta Nolana
zona Garibaldi
Beneath the Aragonese arch of Porta Nolana the fish market erupts with voices, crates of seawater and shellfish still alive: Naples at its most unvarnished.
- ◆ Villages
Borgo di Casamale
Somma Vesuviana
The medieval heart enclosed by Aragonese walls and towers, a tangle of alleys where every four years the Festa delle Lucerne lights thousands of little lamps.
- Villages
Marina Grande di Sorrento
Sorrento
Below the town's cliffs, the old fishermen's borgo (old village) with houses faded by the salt, boats hauled ashore and trattorias fragrant with frying.