Taburno Camposauro is a
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
located in the
Apennines
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 ...
, to the west 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 ...
, 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 of Southern
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 ...
. Its highest peak is the Taburno, at 1,393 m. It is composed of two groups of calcareous mountains separated by a plain. The fauna is affected by human activities, but the birdlife is very diverse. Several historical structures, mainly religious, are located on the massif. A
DOC
DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to:
In film and television
* ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series
* ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom
* "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode
* ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...
wine is produced in the area.
History
The Romans knew the mountain by the name ''Taburnus''. It lay in the
Caudine part of the
Samnium
Samnium ( it, Sannio) is a Latin exonym for a region of Southern Italy anciently inhabited by the Samnites. Their own endonyms were ''Safinim'' for the country (attested in one inscription and one coin legend) and ''Safineis'' for the The lan ...
, near the location of the famous
Battle of the Caudine Forks
The Battle of Caudine Forks, 321 BC, was a decisive event of the Second Samnite War. Its designation as a battle is a mere historical formality: there was no fighting and there were no casualties. The Romans were trapped in an enclosed valley by ...
. The name seems to come from the
Oscan language
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 ...
. The mountain was mentioned by
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
in the ''
Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...
'' and in the ''
Georgics
The ''Georgics'' ( ; ) is a poem by Latin poet Virgil, likely published in 29 BCE. As the name suggests (from the Greek word , ''geōrgika'', i.e. "agricultural (things)") the subject of the poem is agriculture; but far from being an example ...
'', where he described it as "mighty". In his ''Cynegeticon'',
Gratius Faliscus described the mountain as "craggy".
Bands of
brigands
Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who usually lives in a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first recorded usa ...
used the massif as a refuge and a base for their activities, especially immediately after the
unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...
.
Geography and geology
Taburno Camposauro is an isolated calcareous massif in the Campanian Apennines whose formation dates back to the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...
. It lacks superficial waters. Karst phenomena including hollows and caves are frequent on the massif. The southern slopes are much steeper and more craggy than the northern ones.
Because of the type of clay and the fossil sand found there it is believed that in the mid-
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58 via the
Aqueduct of Vanvitelli
The Aqueduct of Vanvitelli or Caroline Aqueduct is a 38 km aqueduct that supplied water to the Reggia di Caserta and the San Leucio complex from the foot of the Taburno massif and springs of the Fizzo Contrada, in the territory of Buccia ...
.
It is located west of Benevento, and it falls wholly within
its province. It is composed of two groups of mountains, the Taburno in the south and the Camposauro in the north, separated by the Prata plain.
The Valle Telesina separates the Taburno Camposauro from the
Matese
The Matese (Italian: Monti del Matese or Massiccio del Matese) is a chain of mountains in southern Apennines, southern Italy.
Geography
The Matese mountains straddle two regions (Molise and Campania) and four provinces (Campobasso, Isernia, Ben ...
mountains, while the densely settled
Valle Caudina
Valle Caudina (Caudine Valley) is a densely settled Italian valley with about 69,000 inhabitants. It is located in Campania, between the Province of Benevento and the Province of Avellino.
Comunes
In the Valle Caudina there are 14 Italian ''comune ...
separates it from the
Partenio massif. The highest peaks are: Taburno (1393 m), Camposauro (1390 m), Alto Rotondi (1305 m), Gaudello (1226 m), Sant'Angelo (1189 m), and Pentime (1168 m), which are placed in a semicircle thus shaping the Vitulano Valley in the center.
Its territory is shared by fourteen ''
comuni
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 ...
'':
Bonea
Bonea is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 40 km northeast of Naples and about 15 km southwest of Benevento.
Bonea borders the following municipalities: Airola, Bucc ...
,
Bucciano
Bucciano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region of Campania, located about 40 km northeast of Naples and about 20 km southwest of Benevento on the southern slopes of the Monte Taburno.
History ...
,
Cautano
Cautano (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) constituted from two countries, Cautano and Cacciano, in the Province of Benevento (until 1861 Province of Avellino) in the Italian region Campania, located about 75 km (46.6 mi) northeast o ...
,
Foglianise
Foglianise (Neapolitan language, Beneventano: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italy, Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about northwest of Benevento.
Foglianise borders the f ...
,
Frasso Telesino
Frasso Telesino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 40 km northeast of Naples and about 20 km west of Benevento.
Frasso Telesino borders the following municipalities ...
,
Melizzano
Melizzano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 45 km northeast of Naples and about 25 km west of Benevento.
Melizzano borders the following municipalities: Amorosi, C ...
,
Moiano
Moiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italy, Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about southwest of Benevento on the western slope of the Monte Taburno, on the river Isclero.
The ec ...
,
Montesarchio
Montesarchio ( nap, Muntesarchio; la, Caudium; grc, Καύδιον, Kaúdion) is a ''comune'' in the Province of Benevento, Campania, southern Italy. It is located south-west of Benevento in the Valle Caudina at the foot of Monte Taburno. The ...
,
Paupisi
Paupisi (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region of Campania, about northeast of Naples and about northwest of Benevento. It covers approximately . As of 1 January 2020, its population was ...
,
Sant'Agata de' Goti
Sant'Agata de' Goti is a ''comune'' (municipality) and former Catholic bishopric in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 35 km northeast of Naples and about 25 km west of Benevento near the Monte Taburn ...
,
Solopaca
Solopaca (Campanian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about northeast of Naples and about northwest of Benevento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 4,134 and an a ...
,
Tocco Caudio
Tocco Caudio is a village and ''comune'' in the province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. The old town was abandoned after a series of earthquakes in 1980 and 1981.
Geography
As with many ancient towns in this mountaino ...
,
Torrecuso
Torrecuso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 50 km northeast of Naples and about 10 km northwest of Benevento.
Torrecuso borders the following municipalities: Benev ...
and
Vitulano
Vitulano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Benevento in the Italian region Campania, located about 50 km northeast of Naples and about 12 km northwest of Benevento.
Vitulano borders the following municipalities: Campoli ...
. The tallest peak is in the municipality of Bonea. Seen from Benevento the profile of the mountain resembles a sleeping woman; for this reason it is referred to as “Samnium’s sleeper” (''la dormiente del Sannio''). The massif is protected as part of the Regional Park of Taburno-Camposauro, which extends for 12,370
hectares
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ab ...
, with a total population of about 25,000.
Fauna
The fauna of the massif is varied. Although the pressure from human activities led to the disappearance of rare species from the area, and the lack of water courses limits the variety of species, the Taburno Camposauro hosts the most diverse fauna in the province of Benevento, due to the many different environments. Because of this diversity, bird species are abundant: 94 have been observed, of whom 75 nesting species. The
common raven
The common raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least e ...
, the
common buzzard
The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus ''Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across ...
, the
Eurasian nuthatch
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (''Sitta europaea'') is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-stripe. ...
,
redwing
The redwing (''Turdus iliacus'') is a bird in the thrush family, Turdidae, native to Europe and the Palearctic, slightly smaller than the related song thrush.
Taxonomy and systematics
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his ...
s and several
Passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
species can be seen on the massif.
Mammals are affected by human encroachment and extensive road infrastructure. Most common are rodents, bats,
European hedgehog
The European hedgehog (''Erinaceus europaeus''), also known as the West European hedgehog or common hedgehog, is a hedgehog species native to Europe from Iberia and Italy northwards into Scandinavia and westwards into the British Isles.Harris, S. ...
s, moles and foxes. The presence of wolves is uncertain: they are thought to pass through the area during their movements, but a stable population has never been observed. Hares and boars found on the massif were originally introduced for hunting reasons.
The number of amphibians is affected by the lack of water. The
common toad
The common toad, European toad, or in Anglophone parts of Europe, simply the toad (''Bufo bufo'', from Latin ''bufo'' "toad"), is a frog found throughout most of Europe (with the exception of Ireland, Iceland, and some Mediterranean islands), in ...
and, more rarely, the
European green toad
The European green toad (''Bufotes viridis'') is a species of toad found in steppes, mountainous areas, semi-deserts, urban areas and other habitats in mainland Europe, ranging from far eastern France and Denmark to the Balkans and Western Russi ...
can be found in the gullies, while near the springs at a lower altitude are the
Italian tree frog
The Italian tree frog (''Hyla intermedia'') is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, found in Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, and possibly San Marino. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, i ...
and the
Italian stream frog. The presence of two snakes is known, the
four-lined snake
''Elaphe quatuorlineata'' (common names: four-lined snake, Bulgarian ratsnake) is a member of the family Colubridae. The four-lined snake is a non-venomous species and one of the largest of the European snakes.
Description
The species' common ...
and the
Aesculapian snake
The Aesculapian snake (now ''Zamenis longissimus'', previously ''Elaphe longissima''), is a species of nonvenomous snake native to Europe, a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae. Growing up to in length, it is among the ...
, while several smaller reptiles inhabit the massif, among which are the
Italian wall lizard
The Italian wall lizard or ruin lizard (''Podarcis siculus'', from the Greek meaning agile and feet) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. ''P. siculus'' is native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, Serbia
Serbia ...
and the gecko.
Flora
Under 800 metres above sea level, the impact of human activities is strong, and the vegetation is mostly olive trees in the Taburno group and vineyards in the Camposauro group. Between 800 and 1000 metres of elevation the flora is mainly ''
Fraxinus ornus
''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a number of subtropical species are evergr ...
'', ''
Carpinus orientalis
''Carpinus orientalis'', known as the Oriental hornbeam, is a hornbeam native to Hungary, the Balkans, Italy, Crimea, Turkey, Iran, and the Caucasus. and occurs usually on hot dry sites at lower altitudes in comparison to the ''Carpinus betulus' ...
'', ''
Ostrya carpinifolia
''Ostrya carpinifolia'', the European hop-hornbeam, is a tree in the family Betulaceae. It is the only species of the genus ''Ostrya'' that is native to Europe.
The specific epithet ''carpinifolia'' means "hornbeam-leaved", from , the Latin word ...
'' and
field elm
''Ulmus minor'' Mill., the field elm, is by far the most polymorphic of the European species, although its taxonomy remains a matter of contention. Its natural range is predominantly south European, extending to Asia Minor and Iran; its northern ...
. Above 1000 metres of elevation, the trees that dominate the Taburno are the
European silver fir
''Abies alba'', the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and the Carpathians, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and sou ...
and the
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
, accompanied by plants such as
common holly
Brigitte Naggar, better known by her stage name Common Holly, is a Canadian musician from Montreal, Quebec. As Common Holly, Naggar has released two full-length albums.
History
Naggar's first album, ''Playing House'', was released in 2017. The a ...
and
belladonna, while the Camposauro has a mixed woodland, with a prevalence of
evergreen oak
Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks.
...
in the northwest and on the peak, and the presence of
downy oak
''Quercus pubescens'', the downy oak or pubescent oak, is a species of white oak (genus ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'') native to southern Europe and southwest Asia, from northern Spain (Pyrenees) east to the Crimea and the Caucasus. It is also fou ...
and
maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
on the northern slopes.
The European silver firs found on the Taburno were planted by the
Bourbons
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...
around 1846, and are now part of the State-Owned Forest of Taburno (''Foresta demaniale del Taburno''), which extends for 614 hectares and hosts mostly beeches.
Landmarks
The ruins of the
abbey of Santa Maria in Gruptis are located in the Camposauro group, on the side of a gorge overlooking the Valle Telesina. It was founded in the 10th century and used by several
monastic orders
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...
, before being deconsecrated in 1705.
On the southern slopes of Mount Taburno, in the ''comune'' of Bucciano, is the
Sanctuary of the Virgin of Taburnus, built at the end of the 15th century and used by
Dominican friars
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...
. The complex includes a church, a convent, a
cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
and a bell-tower. After falling into disrepair, it was slowly restored starting in 1892.
In the Taburno group, there are the ruins of the ''Casina Reale'', a hunting lodge used by the Bourbon royalty. The rocky southern mountainside hosts several caves, among which is Saint Simeon's cave, with frescoes dating back to 1600.
In the northeastern part of the massif, high above Vitulano, is the
Hermitage of Saint Mennas built in the 9th century. On the exact point of the tallest peak of the massif is a large cross with a
CAI summit book.
Wine production
Italian wine
Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...
, both red, white, ''
rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
'' and sparkling, under the Taburno
DOC appellation
The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
* ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”),
* ''Indicazione geografica tipic ...
comes from vineyards in the foothills around the mountains in Campania. Grapes destined for DOC production must be
harvested up to a maximum
yield of 13 tonnes/hectare, with the finished wines fermented to a minimum
alcohol level
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
of 11%.
[P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pg 136 Firefly Books 2004 ] The Taburno DOC is currently a subzone of the
Sannio DOC
Samnium ( it, Sannio) is a Latin exonym for a region of Southern Italy anciently inhabited by the Samnites. Their own endonyms were ''Safinim'' for the country (attested in one inscription and one coin legend) and ''Safineis'' for the The ...
label.
Red and ''rose'' Taburno is a blend of 40-50%
Sangiovese
Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape i ...
, 30-40%
Aglianico
Aglianico ( , ) is a black grape grown in the southern regions of Italy, mostly Basilicata and Campania. It is considered with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo to be one of the three greatest Italian varieties. Aglianico is sometimes called "The Barolo ...
with up to 30% of other grape varieties (both red and white), such as
Barbera del Sannio
''Barbera del Sannio'' is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Campania region of southern Italy. Despite the similarities in name and appearance, the grape has no close genetic relationship with the Piedmont wine grapes Barbera or ...
, permitted to fill in the remainder of the blend. The whites are made from 40-50%
Trebbiano
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it h ...
, 30-40%
Falanghina
Falanghina, also called Falanghina Greco, is a variety of wine grape, ''Vitis vinifera,'' used for white wines. It is an ancient grape variety which may have provided a basis for the classical Falernian wine, and has considerable character.winep ...
and up to 30% of other local white grape varieties. A sparkling ''
spumante
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne reg ...
'' is produced under the Taburno DOC from a minimum 60% blend of
Coda di Volpe and/or
Falanghina
Falanghina, also called Falanghina Greco, is a variety of wine grape, ''Vitis vinifera,'' used for white wines. It is an ancient grape variety which may have provided a basis for the classical Falernian wine, and has considerable character.winep ...
with other local white varieties permitted to fill in up to 40% of the blend. Taburno wines labeled as
Riserva
Reserve wine is wine of a higher quality than usual, a wine that has been aged before sale, or both. Traditionally, winemakers would reserve some of their best wine rather than sell it immediately, coining the term.
In some countries the use of t ...
must attain a minimum alcohol level of 12% and be aged for at least three years prior to release.
References
{{reflist
External links
List of all flora species found on the massif (pdf)Official website of the regional park
Mountains of Campania
Samnium