Savignano Irpino is a village 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 ...

'' in the province of Avellino, in the

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

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 ...

. Located in

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 territ ...

historical district, the town is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia The Italian Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia ( la, Dioecesis Arianensis Hirpina-Laquedoniensis) is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Benevento. In 1986 the Diocese of Ariano and the Diocese of Lacedonia merged to form the current di ...

, and it is awarded ''

I Borghi più belli d'Italia I Borghi più belli d'Italia is an association of small Italian towns of historical interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the , with the aim of preserving and maintaining villages of quality herit ...

'' ("the most beautiful villages of Italy") quality mark.

Geography

Savignano Irpino lies towards the north-east of the province up in the Cervaro Valley, near the border of the

province of Foggia The Province of Foggia ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, an ...

. Located in the Apennines along

Daunian Mountains Daunian Mountains (in Italian Monti della Daunia or Monti Dauni, or also improperly Subappennino Dauno) are a mountain range in southern Italy, constituting the eastern appendix of the Campanian Apennines. They occupy the western fringe of Capit ...

, its territory is bordered by the municipalities of Ariano Irpino, Greci, Montaguto,

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 ...

and Panni. The village is split into two areas, Scalo is the bottom part where there is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

and a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

area. The upper part is mostly residential and this is where the

Piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

is located.

History

Savignano has historical archaeological remains from the pre-Roman and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

era. In the Ferrara district the ruins of a

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

can be seen. In 1416 it was a

fiefdom A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...

Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'A ...

and, from the 17th century, it belonged to the Guevara family. The name Savignano derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word 'Sabinianum, Sabinus'. Savignano Irpino was previously known as Savignano Di Puglia; this was updated in the mid-20th century as part of boundary changes. In June 2006, Savignano Irpino held a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

to leave

and become part of Apulia again, but failed to achieve a quorum.

Main sights

The main attractions are the Fontana Angelica built in 1912, the Old Church, St Anna's Chapel and the Guevara Castle.

Twin towns

Savignano Irpino is twinned with: *

Savigneux, Loire Savigneux () is a commune in the Loire department in central France. Population Twin towns Savigneux is twinned with: * Essenbach, Germany * Savignano Irpino, Italy * Rosenau, Haut-Rhin, France See also *Communes of the Loire departmen ...

, France *

Essenbach Essenbach is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Landshut (district), district of Landshut, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 9 km northeast of Landshut. It is the site of Isar Nuclear Power Plant. Twin towns Essenbach is t ...

, Germany

People

Renato Carpentieri Renato Carpentieri (born 2 April 1943) is an Italian actor, stage director and playwright. Life and career Born in Savignano Irpino, Avellino, Carpentieri studied architecture in Naples, where from 1965 to 1974 he was engaged in the organizatio ...

, actor *

Dane Propoggia Dane Propoggia (born 24 April 1990) is an Australian professional tennis player and competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour The ATP Challenger Tour, known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series, is a series of international m ...

, tennis player * Angelina Proctor, Nanar * Giuseppe Volpe, Tailor

References

External links

Official website

Website on SavignanoSavignano families genealogy Website
{{authority control Cities and towns in Campania