Candida is a small town and ''
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 ...
'' (municipality) in the
province of Avellino
The Province of Avellino ( it, Provincia di Avellino) is a province in the Campania region of Southern Italy. The area is characterized by numerous small towns and villages scattered across the province; only two towns have a population over 20,0 ...
within 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 of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. It sits on top of a hill, at an elevation of and has around 1,100 inhabitants. It is from
Avellino
Avellino () is a town and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento. ...
.
The economy is based mainly on agriculture.
History
The first human settlements in the territory date back to the Roman times. Many ruins have been found in the localities of Cesine, Vigna, Selvetelle, Scandravoli, Giardino, Ponticelli, Gaudi, Toppa S. Andrea. The name of the town derives from the Latin "locus candidus" which means clear, shining place.
The first historical mention of the town appeared in 1045 when Candida was included, under the
Lombard domination, in the Avellino county. From that time many feudal lords followed one another. The
Filangieri
The Filangieri (Old Norman ''Fitz Anger'', Latin ''Filii Angerii'' meaning "sons of Angerio") were an Italo-Norman noble family with origins (c.1100) near Nocera in the Kingdom of Sicily, but they rose to prominence at Naples. Famous members inclu ...
family owned the fiefdom from 1187 with
Alduino de Candida, until 1420 when Caterina Filangieri de Candida gave the fiefdom of Candida as a dowry to
Sergianni Caracciolo
Giovanni Caracciolo, often called Sergianni (c. 1372 – 19 August 1432), was an Italian nobleman of the Kingdom of Naples, prime minister and favorite of queen Joan II of Naples.
Due to his relationship with queen Joan (starting around 1416), C ...
. Then the fiefdom passed to the De Cardona, Magnacervo, Grimaldi, Saulli families back to the Caracciolos that kept it until the abolition of the feudal system.
Main sights
*Church of ''SS. Trinità '' (monastery of ''Sant'Agostino''), originally in Gothic style. It was rebuilt in Renaissance style after 1550.
*Monastery and church of Montevergine, built in the 15th century.
*Collegiata Church (1540).
*Remains of the Lombard castle
References
Cities and towns in Campania
{{Campania-geo-stub