Montefusco
Montefusco (AV)
Hidden gemVillages
The story
Perched at seven hundred metres, the old capital of the Principato Ultra looks out over the hills of Irpinia, while the Bourbon prison still keeps the silence of the patriots locked within these walls.
Access
FREE
The story
Perched at about seven hundred metres, straddling the Avellino and Benevento areas, Montefusco was for centuries the «capital of the Principato Ultra»: from 1581 to 1806 the offices of the Regia Udienza, the highest governing body of the Irpinian hinterland, had their seat there. To its importance was tied the prison: in the Bourbon age the ancient castle-court became a penal colony for the anti-Bourbon patriots, so harsh that Montefusco was nicknamed «the Spielberg of Irpinia». Among others, Carlo Poerio, Nicola Nisco and Sigismondo Castromediano were imprisoned there, and left moving memoirs of it.
What to see
From its height Montefusco offers a very wide panorama, over both the Irpinian and Benevento sides. The heart of the visit is the former Bourbon prison — «the Spielberg of Irpinia» — today a civic museum: in the underground you visit the cells carved into the rock where the patriots of the southern Risorgimento were imprisoned. Around it, the old centre is arranged along the ridge, among glimpses and views over the countryside.
How to get there
- Car needed
Public transport. Il trasporto pubblico in quest'area interna è limitato: i collegamenti in autobus sono radi e non sempre giornalieri. In pratica il luogo è difficilmente raggiungibile senza un mezzo proprio; per eventuali autolinee e per la stazione ferroviaria utile più vicina, verifica su Unico Campania e sui canali ufficiali degli operatori regionali (AIR Campania). · fonte: Fallback onesto — area interna, routing transit non disponibile
Hours and prices
Free entry.
Tips
Count on the coolness of the altitude and on a clear day for the double-sided panorama; the car is the right means. The former Bourbon prison, today a museum, is the main reason for the visit: check hours and access on the official channels before setting off.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Montefusco the «capital of the Principato Ultra»?
Because from 1581 to 1806 the offices of the Regia Udienza had their seat there, the governing body of the Irpinian hinterland that formed the province of the Principato Ultra.
Why is Montefusco called «the Spielberg of Irpinia»?
For its Bourbon prison: the ancient castle-court was turned into a penal colony for the anti-Bourbon patriots, in very harsh conditions. Among others Poerio, Nisco and Castromediano were imprisoned there. Today the former prison is a visitable civic museum.
At what altitude is Montefusco?
At about 700 metres, on a height straddling the provinces of Avellino and Benevento.
More gems in Montefusco
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.