Ariano Irpino (formerly Ariano di Puglia or simply Ariano) is an Italian city and municipality in the province of Avellino, in the

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

region. With a population of 22,535 (2017), it is the second-largest settlement of the

Irpinia Irpinia (Modern Latin ''Hirpinia'') is a geographical and cultural region of Southern Italy. It was the inland territory of the ancient ''Hirpini'' tribe, and its extent matches approximately today's province of Avellino. Geography The territor ...

district and the province, with Avellino itself being the largest. Located east-southeast of Rome, the ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' was granted the official status of ''Città'' ("City") by a

presidential decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

of 1952, October 26.

Geography

Overview

At an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

, Ariano Irpino is centered between the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

and the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

. It is 39 km east of

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

, 51 km north-east of Avellino and 62 km south-west of

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

. Formerly called just Ariano, it was built on three hills, and for that reason it is also known as ''Città del Tricolle'' ("City of the Three Knolls"). From the

Norman era England in the High Middle Ages includes the history of England between the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the death of King John, considered by some to be the last of the Angevin kings of England, in 1216. A disputed succession and victory at the ...

, but formally only since 1868 to 1930, it was known as Ariano di Puglia. ''

'' is the name given to the area of the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

between Campania and

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

; the name stems from the Oscan word '' hirpus'', meaning wolf. Ariano lies in the centre of a fertile but rugged district and has only a few buildings of historical importance, as it was devastated by earthquakes in 988, 1456 and 1732. Castello Normanno di Ariano Irpino

Towering over the surrounding countryside, the town was a military position of some importance in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, and it still has a Catholic diocese and retains many public offices and utilities which serve all surrounding smaller towns too. However, many inhabitants reside in farms and still live on agriculture or craftsmanship. Ariano Irpino experiences a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(''Csb/Cfb'' in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

), with moderate rain, occasional snow and quite rare hail.

Surroundings

The municipality borders

Apice Apice is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 70 km northeast of Naples and about 13 km east of Benevento. Apice borders the following municipalities: Ariano Irpino, ...

( BN),

Castelfranco in Miscano Castelfranco in Miscano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 90 km northeast of Naples and about 30 km northeast of Benevento. It is a mountain agricultural village ly ...

(BN),

Flumeri Flumeri (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Located in the Apennines upon a knoll within the Ufita Valley, the town is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia. Its te ...

, Greci,

Grottaminarda Grottaminarda (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino (Campania), situated northeast of Naples, in the southwest of Italy. Grottaminarda is part of Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia and its territory bor ...

Melito Irpino Melito Irpino (Irpino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of south-western Italy. History The remains of the ancient Melito were found in 1880. According to some theories, it could be a suburban villag ...

Montecalvo Irpino Montecalvo Irpino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Located upon a hill oversighting Ufita Valley, the town is known for its bread (), which is granted PAT quality mark, and DOP olive oil. In th ...

Monteleone di Puglia Monteleone di Puglia ( Irpinian: ) is a hill town and ''comune'' of the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of south-eastern Italy. Its territory borders the municipalities of Accadia, Anzano di Puglia, Ariano Irpino ( AV), Panni, San Soss ...

( FG),

Savignano Irpino Savignano Irpino is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, in the Campania region of southern Italy. Located in Irpinia historical district, the town is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, and it is awa ...

Villanova del Battista Villanova del Battista is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Located in Irpinia historical district between the Ufita Valley and Daunian Mountains, the town is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aria ...

and

Zungoli Zungoli is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy, about from the town of Avellino. Located in Irpinia historical district between the Ufita Valley and Daunian Mountains, Zungoli is awarded two quality ma ...

History

The town is of ancient origin; archaeological evidence points to its continuous settlement from the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

( millennium BC) to around at rock site. The foundation of the Roman

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...

Aequum Tuticum Aequum Tuticum was a Roman vicus in southern Italy, about 35 km east-northeast of Beneventum. The site lies beside Saint Eleuterio hamlet, overlooking at an elevation of 575 m, about 15 km north of the modern Ariano Irpino, within Irp ...

, not far from La Starza, was formerly credited to the

Hirpini The Hirpini (Latin: ') were an ancient Samnite tribe of Southern Italy. While generally regarded as having been Samnites, sometimes they are treated as a distinct and independent nation. They inhabited the southern portion of Samnium, in the more ...

Samnites The Samnites () were an ancient Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy. An Oscan-speaking people, who may have originated as an offshoot of the Sabines, they for ...

, although there is no evidence of this (except for the Samnitic

Oscan Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian. Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including th ...

word ''Tuticum'', meaning "public"); in any case, it was only within the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

that the vicus became the crossroads of the

Via Traiana Via Appia ''(white)'' and Via Traiana ''(red)'' The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusi ...

and and highways. However, soon later Aequum Tuticum dramatically declined following the onset of the barbarian invasions. Ariano Irpino cattedrale

As a result of this, the three hills started to be inhabited, a high and easily defendable place, and it is here that Ariano proper was born, a fortified city in a strategic position; however its ancient and formidable defensive walls are hardly recognizable today. In a secure place away from the invasions of the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...

and Byzantines, Ariano is a fortified town of the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

. Around 800 the was built to defend the city against the Byzantines which, although ruined, still proudly stands in the panoramic city park. Successively conquered by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

, in 1140 it was the place where the king Roger II of Sicily promulgated the

Assizes of Ariano The Assizes of Ariano were a series of laws for the Kingdom of Sicily promulgated in the summer of 1140 at Ariano, near Benevento, by Roger II of Sicily. Having recently pacified the peninsula, constantly in revolt, he had decided to make a mov ...

, the then-new constitution of the

Kingdom of Sicily The Kingdom of Sicily ( la, Regnum Siciliae; it, Regno di Sicilia; scn, Regnu di Sicilia) was a state that existed in the south of the Italian Peninsula and for a time the region of Ifriqiya from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 un ...

. This legal corpus would be adopted almost complete and with a few variations into the

Constitutions of Melfi The Constitutions of Melfi, or ''Liber Augustalis'',Also called the ''Liber Constitutionum Regni Siciliae'' or ''Constitutiones Melphitanae'', from which its informal name, Constitutions of Melfi, derives. The name Liber Augustalis was invented by ...

of the Emperor Frederick II. In the same venue Roger II minted the

ducat The ducat () coin was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later Middle Ages from the 13th to 19th centuries. Its most familiar version, the gold ducat or sequin containing around of 98.6% fine gold, originated in Venice in 1284 and gained wi ...

, a coin that would last for seven centuries, until 1860. In 1255,

Manfred ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of a Gothic fiction. Byr ...

, son of Frederick II, besieged the city, which resisted strongly thanks to its walls and the combative nature of its inhabitants. During the siege, a group of soldiers from

Lucera Lucera ( Lucerino: ) is an Italian city of 34,243 inhabitants in the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia, and the seat of the Diocese of Lucera-Troia. Located upon a flat knoll in the Tavoliere Plains, near the foot of Daunian Mount ...

pretended to be deserters from Manfred's army, and were welcomed into the town. During the night, they revealed their identity, sacking and destroying the city with fire, and killing or deporting many inhabitants. There is still a road marking the event, called ''La Carnale'' (The Carnage). More than ten years later, in 1266, Charles I of Anjou rebuilt the city and gave it two thorns of the crown of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

, still conserved in a reliquary within the , beside the town's Romanesque cathedral. All these events are commemorated every year (in August) in the ''Rievocazione Storica del Dono delle Sante Spine'' (Historical Reinvocation of the Gift of the Sacred Thorns) and the reproduction of the ''Incendio del Campanile'' (Belltower Burning), a pyrotechnic event that lights the main square of the city and the side of the cathedral. After the

Capetian House of Anjou The Capetian House of Anjou or House of Anjou-Sicily, was a royal house and cadet branch of the direct French House of Capet, part of the Capetian dynasty. It is one of three separate royal houses referred to as ''Angevin'', meaning "from Anjou" ...

lost control of Sicily to

Peter III of Aragon Peter III of Aragon ( November 1285) was King of Aragon, King of Valencia (as ), and Count of Barcelona (as ) from 1276 to his death. At the invitation of some rebels, he conquered the Kingdom of Sicily and became King of Sicily in 1282, pres ...

in the

War of the Sicilian Vespers The War of the Sicilian Vespers or just War of the Vespers was a conflict that started with the insurrection of the Sicilian Vespers against Charles of Anjou in 1282 and ended in 1302 with the Peace of Caltabellotta. It was fought in Sicily, C ...

, the city passed to the Provençal family of Sabran from 1294 to 1413; and then into the hands of the

Carafa Carafa is a surname held by: * Tony Carafa, Australian rules footballer * Members of the house of Carafa The House of Carafa or Caraffa is the name of an old and influential Neapolitan aristocratic family of Italian nobles, clergy, and men of a ...

family and the

House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua) Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Duke ...

. Today are there still in the town buildings that belonged to the Spanish families that governed at the time. On 2 August 1545 the city rebelled against the feudal regime and became a ''Città Regia'' (city-state) dependent on the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

of the Kingdom of Sicily.

Culture

Majolica

Ariano is known for the production of

majolica In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery. Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, was ''maiolica'', a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...

, a tin-glazed pottery. The first examples date from the 13th century under the Moorish influence of the Spanish, but became more refined around the 18th century, when the first amphorae and pitchers appear, often simple in the shape, but thinly elaborated. Today's production is even large, including flask, busts, cups, plates, figures, and amphorae. All pieces are splendidly decorated by the craftsmen of Ariano, and often have a fine and elaborate shape.

Museums

Ariano Irpino - Museo Civico della Ceramica

Today the town houses some museums: * the City Museum and Ceramics Gallery * the , which displays artifacts from and

* the , in the * the , with works of art from the diocese of Ariano-Lacedonia * the , in the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

, which displays two

sacred thorn Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or Reverence (emotion), reverence among believers. The property is often asc ...

s of the crown of Christ gifted to the town by King Charles I of Anjou in 1269 * the Museum "Giuseppina Arcucci", at the .

Research activity

In the town are located (the European Centre of Norman Studies) and

BioGeM The BioGeM Institute (''Biologia e Genetica Molecolare'', "Biology and Molecular Genetics") is a nonprofit consortium formed by the National Research Council (CNR), the University of Naples "Federico II", the LUMSA of Rome, the Trieste AREA S ...

(Biology and Molecular Genetics in the Mezzogiorno).

Food

Ariano Irpino's country-people produce food from traditional agriculture. Many shops and restaurants offer produce as bread, pasta, pizza, meat, cherries, and ', a typical cheese.

Dialect

Ariano Irpino is home to the

Arianese dialect The Arianese dialect, typical of the territorial area of Ariano Irpino, is a vernacular variety of the Irpinian dialect, belonging in turn to the Neapolitan group of southern Italian dialects. Like all Romance languages, it descends directly ...

, a variety of the

Irpinian dialect The Irpinian dialect, or Irpino, is the dialect of Neapolitan language spoken in almost all of the comuni in the Province of Avellino in the Italian region of Campania. It differs from other varieties in certain phrases, pronunciation and the ...

Health

was built in 1972 as a utility for the Campanian health district No. 1, that includes 29 municipalities with a total population of 87,993. Actually an ancient ''Hospitalis pro Peregrinis et Infirmis'', along with a pavilion for lepers, was founded thereabout in 1410, but it was relocated in 1731 in the neighboring St. Jacob Palace, where today is the scientific and educational center. In the north-eastern outskirts of the town there is also the headquarters of MIR ''(Medicinal Investigational Research)'', a department of

University Consortium that is involved in medical and pharmaceutical research.

Transport

The connects the town to A16 (Naples-Bari motorway)

junction and A14 (Bologna-Taranto highway)

junction. From (located 6 km away from the town centre), daily trains reach

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 3h30, and

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

in 2 hours. The nearest airport is Naples-Capodichino airport, linked to Ariano Irpino by Air busses; these also reach the towns of Avellino,

and

People

* Ottone Frangipane (1040-1127), saint *Saint

Elzéar of Sabran Elzéar of Sabran, T.O.S.F., Baron of Ansouis, Count of Ariano, was born in the castle of Saint-Jean-de-Robians, near Cabrières-d'Aigues in Provence, southern France, in 1285. He died in Paris, France, on September 27, 1323. He was a tertia ...

(1285-1323), Count of Ariano * Hieronymus Angerianus (1470-1535), humanist *

Diomede Carafa Diomede Carafa (1492–1560) was an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal. Biography A member of the House of Carafa, Diomede Carafa was born in Ariano on 7 January 1492, the son of the noble House of Carafa. He was a relative of Giov ...

(1492-1560), bishop and cardinal * Pietro Paolo Parzanese (1809-1852), poet *

Ortensio Zecchino Ortensio Zecchino (born 20 April 1943) is an Italian academic and politician, former Minister of University and Research. Biography After teaching History of Medieval Institutions at the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples, Zecchino jo ...

(b. 1943), academic and politician *

Luca Morelli Domenico Luca Morelli (born 31 December 1987) is an Italian motorcycle racer Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and o ...

(b. 1987), motorcycle racer

References

External links

Official website

Città di Ariano

{{authority control Cities and towns in Campania Hilltowns in Campania