Rocca San Felice
Rocca San Felice (AV)
Hidden gemVillages
The story
Rocca San Felice gathers its houses around a ruined castle, not far from the Mefite, the sulphurous pool the ancients believed to be a threshold of the underworld.
The story
Rocca San Felice is a small village of Upper Irpinia, little more than seven hundred inhabitants, with its castle, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore and the sanctuary of Santa Felicita. But what makes it a unique place lies just outside the built-up area: the Valle d'Ansanto, the Lacus Ampsanctus of the ancients. Here, around a boiling pool, the Irpini venerated from the seventh century BC the goddess Mefitis — an Italic divinity of the waters, «she who stands in the middle», an intermediary between life and death — to whom they dedicated a sanctuary. The altar of the goddess is today kept in the museum of Capodimonte.
What to see
The Valle d'Ansanto is a rare and unsettling natural spectacle: not a lake, but a mofette, a pool that boils from the emissions of gas from the subsoil — carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide — among the most intense in the world. Around it, the earth is almost devoid of vegetation: a landscape that the ancients read as a threshold towards the afterworld. In the village, the castle and the churches complete the visit.
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
Attention, here real caution is needed: the exhalations of the Valle d'Ansanto are highly dangerous for humans and animals. Do not approach the pool or the hollows where the gases stagnate, stay on the paths and respect the safety instructions. It is a place to look at with respect more than to explore up close. Arrive by car; check in advance the access conditions of the area.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Valle d'Ansanto?
A mofette near Rocca San Felice: a pool that boils from the emissions of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide from the subsoil, among the most intense in the world. It is not a bathing lake and it is dangerous.
Who was the goddess Mefitis?
An Italic divinity tied to the waters, «she who stands in the middle», an intermediary between life and death, venerated by the Irpini who dedicated a sanctuary to her in the Valle d'Ansanto as early as the seventh century BC.
Is the Valle d'Ansanto dangerous?
Yes: the gaseous exhalations are highly dangerous for humans and animals. It should be observed from a distance, staying on the paths and respecting the safety instructions.
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