Avellino () is a city and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'', capital of the

province of Avellino The province of Avellino () is a province in the Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea ...

in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern 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 Islan ...

region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and is an important hub on the road from

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

Benevento Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) 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 Sabato (r ...

Geography

Climate

History

Before the Roman conquest, the ancient ''Abellinum'' was a centre of the Samnite

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 ...

, located on the Civita hill some outside the current town, in what is now

Atripalda Atripalda is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. History The town is the home of the ruins of ''Abellinum'', the Ancient Roman Avellino. A large than life-size Roman marble statue of a veiled priestess fr ...

. The city could correspond to the ancient ''Velecha'', documented by coins found in the area. ''Abellinum'' was conquered by the

Romans 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

in 293 BC, changing name several times in the following centuries (''Veneria'', ''Livia'', ''Augusta'', ''Alexandriana'', and ''Abellinatium''). However, the construction of a true Roman town occurred only after the conquest by

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

in the

civil wars A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.James Fearon"Iraq' ...

in 89 BC. He razed the old site and in 82 BC founded the colony Veneria Abellinatium on the left bank of the river Sabato. The new city was surrounded by massive walls and had an orthogonal '' hippodamian'' urban layout. In 7 AD

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

changed its name to Livia Augusta in honour of his wife, Livia Drusilla who owned the territories between Abellinum and

Aeclanum Aeclanum (also spelled Aeculanum, , ) was an ancient town of Samnium, Southern Italy, about 25 km east-southeast of Benevento, Beneventum, on the Via Appia. It lies in Passo di Mirabella, near the modern Mirabella Eclano. It is now an archa ...

. In the 3rd century

Alexander Severus Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – March 235), also known as Alexander Severus, was Roman emperor from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. Alexander took power in 222, when he succeeded his slain co ...

expanded the colony under the title of Livia Augusta Alexandrina with a massive immigration of oriental settlers. This helped to spread ancient Levantine cults such as

Sol Invictus Sol Invictus (, "Invincible Sun" or "Unconquered Sun") was the official Solar deity, sun god of the late Roman Empire and a later version of the god Sol (Roman mythology), Sol. The emperor Aurelian revived his cult in 274 AD and promoted Sol Inv ...

in the territory. There followed economic crises (III and IV centuries), violent earthquakes (346) and disastrous volcanic eruptions (472). The town was Christianised around 500, becoming an episcopal seat. There were invasions of the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

(535–555) and the

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

s. After the Lombard conquest of southern Italy, the ancient city was abandoned in 568 (it is disputed if completely or partly) and a new settlement grew on the Terra hill, corresponding to the modern Avellino. Defended by a castle, it became part of the Duchy (later Principality) of Benevento and, after the latter's fall, of the

Principality of Salerno The Principality of Salerno () was a Middle Ages, medieval Mezzogiorno, Southern Italian state, formed in 851 out of the Principality of Benevento after a decade-long civil war. It was centred on the port city of Salerno. Although it owed alle ...

. In 1100, during the

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 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

rule of southern Italy, it was acquired by Riccardo dell'Aquila. Later, King

Charles I of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

assigned it to the Montfort family, who were succeeded by the Del Balzo and the

Filangieri The Filangieri (or Filangeri or Filingeri) were an Italo-Norman noble family that first established as counts and lords in the province of Avellino (). Having established itself in much of Southern Italy in the second half of the 11th century, t ...

. The feudal rights to Avellino were purchased in 1581 by Don

Marino I Caracciolo Marino, Mariño or Maryino may refer to: Places * Marino, Lazio, a town in the province of Rome, Italy * Marino, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide ** Marino Conservation Park ** Marino Rocks Greenway, a cycling route ** Marino Rocks railwa ...

, duke of

, of a patrician family of Naples, who was made Prince of Avellino in 1589. Avellino became the main seat of the Caracciolo. Don Marino's son and grandson were consecutively Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Naples and chevaliers of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

. The grandson, Don Marino II (1587–1630), was the patron of

Giambattista Basile Giambattista Basile ( – 23 February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembered for writi ...

, author of the ''

Pentamerone The ''Pentamerone'', subtitled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' (), is a seventeenth-century Neapolitan language, Neapolitan fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile. Background The stories in the ''Pentamerone'' were colle ...

''. In 1820 Avellino was seat of revolutionary riots. However, the

Unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...

some fifty years later did not bring any benefit to the city, being cut off from the main railway line Naples-Benevento-

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

, and far from the sea as well. In 1943 the city was bombed by Allied planes in an attempt to cut off the retreat of German panzer units over the important Bridge of Ferriera. Avellino has suffered from seismic activity throughout its history and was struck hard by the

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s of 23 November 1980 and 14 February 1981. Avellino has also received ashfall from numerous eruptions of

Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...

which lies almost due west; the city sits on type locality of

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...

deposited from a

Plinian eruption Plinian eruptions or Vesuvian eruptions are volcanic eruptions characterized by their similarity to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The eruption was described in a le ...

of Vesuvius about 3800 years ago.

Government

Economy

The

1980 Irpinia earthquake The 1980 Irpinia earthquake () took place in Italy on 23 November 1980, with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). It left at least 2,483 people dead, at least 7,700 injured, and 250,000 homeless. Eart ...

represented a turning point for the town and for the entire

. Large amounts of money flowed in for infrastructure investment, and the extra money generated innovation and economic expansion more generally. By 2008 a per capita annual income level of €20,180 placed Avellino well above the regional average in terms of individual prosperity.

Agriculture

Agriculture was at the heart of Avellino's economy until the mid-1970s, since then many younger people have moved away from family farms, and sometimes also migrated away from the area, in pursuit of higher wages. Nevertheless,

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

and especially the production of

hazelnuts The hazelnut is the nut (fruit), fruit of the hazel, hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or fil ...

remain important to the local economy and, with increased investment in recent years, employ a number of people.

Industry

The manufacturing sector plays an important role in Avellino, with two industrial zones on the eastern and western peripheries of the main urban area, at ''Pianodardine'' suburb, Montefredane,

Prata di Principato Ultra Prata di Principato Ultra is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. The town spread along a hill on the left shore of the Sabato river Benevento ( ; , ; ) is a city and (municipality) of Cam ...

and Pratola Serra. Many small and medium-sized businesses are located in the industrial zones, including notably FMA (''Fabbrica Motori Automobilistici'', Automobile Engine Factory) who produces

Fiat Pratola Serra modular engines The Fiat Pratola Serra modular engines (also known as family B engines for the 4 cylinder units, and family C engines for the 5 cylinder units) are a family of engines produced by the Fiat Group since 1994 and used in Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia an ...

for

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

and

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

, and creator of the "multi-jet" (fuel injected) car engine.

Transportation

Air

The nearest airports are those of Salerno-Pontecagnano, to the southwest and Napoli-Capodichino, to the west.

Rail

The station, located where the city limits of Avellino meet

, was once the terminus for passenger rail services to

, Cancello, and

Rocchetta Sant'Antonio Rocchetta Sant'Antonio ( Foggiano: or ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It was part of the province of Avellino The province of Avellino () is a province in the Campania Campania i ...

. The station provided a reliable link with

and

. A few long-distance trains to

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

were also added to try and reinvigorate the local economy, but these services came to an end in 2010, following cuts that saw the closure of the railway between Avellino and Rocchetta Sant'Antonio. A regional decree dated 9 August 2012 forced the closure of the remaining 19 local rail services. However, in response to protests from rail users a small number of services were reinstated on 28 October 2012.''Ferrovie riaperte in Campania'', in "I Treni" n. 354 (dicembre 2012), p. 4

Road

Avellino is served by two access points (''Avellino Est/East'' and ''Avellino Ovest/West'') on the A16 Autostrada (originally numbered A17, and known also as "Autostrada of the two seas") which runs approximately west–east and links

to the west with

Canosa di Puglia Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa (), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located between Bari and Foggia, on the northwestern edge of the plateau of the Murgia which ...

and

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

on the farther side of the country. Near Naples the A16 connects with the A3 Autostrada, ensuring good road access with the principal population centres across Italy. Also important is the so-called "Ofantina" superstrada (dual carriageway) linking with several locally important towns to the east and south, en route to

Public transport

Public transportation in Avellino is provided by

AIR Campania Campania is an administrative region of Italy located in Southern 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 island ...

. Since 2023, the service includes

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

es (locally referred to, inaccurately,''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 365 (September–October 2022), p. 209. National Trolleybus Association (UK). . as the ''metropolitana leggera'', or light metro), on a new trolleybus route that opened on 3 April 2023. A trolleybus system previously operated in Avellino from 1947 to 1973.

Sport

U.S. Avellino 1912 Unione Sportiva Avellino 1912, commonly referred to as US Avellino 1912, is an Italian professional football club based in Avellino, Campania. It competes in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football. It is the official continuity club of ...

, a football club based in the town *

S.S. Felice Scandone S.S. Felice Scandone was an Italian professional basketball club based in Avellino, Campania. Founded in 1948, the team has been a regular in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the first tier of basketball in Italy, for 19 years (2000/01 to 2018/19). ...

, a basketball club based in the town

Main sights

The ruins of the ancient Roman Abellinum are situated near the modern village of Atripalda, east of modern Avellino. They include the ''

forum Forum or The Forum may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example * Internet forum, discussion board ...

'', faced by temples, baths, parts of the

Serino Serino is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. Famous for its very clean water source, Serino is from Naples, from Salerno, from Avellino and from Rome. Serino is known for its production of chestnuts a ...

aqueduct and a patrician ''

domus In ancient Rome, the ''domus'' (: ''domūs'', genitive: ''domūs'' or ''domī'') was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the ma ...

''. There was also an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

and a brothel. Avellino Cathedral, with its Romanesque

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

, stands on the site of a rich

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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

villa which was built around 129 BC and abandoned after the eruption of

, and an earthquake in 346 AD. The church and convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie were built in 1580. There are some remains of the Lombard castle in Piazza Castello (Castle Square). Because the castle was built at the base of a small valley, its tactical purpose continues to puzzle modern-day historians throughout Europe. Avellino2

The Fountain of Bellerophon was executed in the 17th century by

Cosimo Fanzago Cosimo Fanzago (Clusone, 12 October 1591 – Napoli, 13 February 1678) was an Italian architect and sculptor, generally considered the greatest such artist of the Baroque period in Naples, Italy. Biography Early life and education Fanzago was ...

Museums

* National Gallery of Selachoidei, housing one of the largest collections of

cartilaginous fishes Chondrichthyes (; ) is a class of jawed fish that contains the cartilaginous fish or chondrichthyans, which all have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or ''bony fish'', which have skeletons p ...

in Italy. * Museum of Art (MdAO – Museo d'Arte) * Museum of the Cathedral and the Diocese of Avellino * Provincial Archaeological Museum * Provincial Art Gallery, in the “Carcere Borbonico” * Zoological Museum of invertebrates "L. Carbone”

Notable people

* Sonia Aquino (1977 – ), actress *

Milly D'Abbraccio Milly D'Abbraccio (born 3 November 1964) is an Italian actress and pornographic actress. Life and career Born in Avellino, the sister of stage actress , she started her career in 1978, winning the Italy pageant, then she appeared in a numbe ...

(1964 – ), pornographic film actress *

Luigi Di Maio Luigi Di Maio (; born 6 July 1986) is an Italian politician who has been serving as European Union Special Representative, EU Special Representative for the Persian Gulf, Gulf region since 1 June 2023. Di Maio also served as Italian Minister of ...

(1986 – ), politician * Carmine Biagio Gatti (1988 – ), footballer *

Carmen Giannattasio Carmen Giannattasio (born 24 April 1975 in Avellino) is an Italian operatic soprano. She studied at the Conservatoire Domenico Cimarosa of Avellino and simultaneously at the University of Salerno (degree in Russian and English Literatures). From 1 ...

(1975 – ), operatic soprano *

Joe Grim Joe Grim (born Saverio Giannone; March 16, 1881 – August 18, 1939) was an American boxer of the early 20th century. Grim was born in Avellino, Campania, and he and his family emigrated to the United States when he was ten. As a boxer, he engaged ...

(1881–1939), Italian American boxer *

Maurizio Lanzaro Maurizio Lanzaro (born 14 March 1982) is an Italian football coach and former player. Playing career A central defender, he made his professional debut with AS Roma on a Serie A league game against Piacenza on 9 May 1999. He successively moved ...

(1982 – ), footballer *

Antonio Maccanico Antonio Maccanico (4 August 1924 – 23 April 2013) was an Italian constitutional specialist and politician who served in various capacities in the Italian Parliament and federal administrations of Italy. He was the former general secretary of th ...

(1924–2013), politician *

Gianfranco Rotondi Gianfranco Rotondi (born 25 July 1960) is an Italian politician. A member of the Italian Parliament since 1994, he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 1996, from 2001 to 2006, and since 2008, as well as a member of the Senate of ...

(1960 – ), politician * Ralph Sazio (1922–2008), Italian Canadian football player and coach * Cesare Uva (1824–1886), painter *

Antonio Baccarini Antonio Baccarini (7 July 1887 – 6 February 1971) was an Italian merchant and chemist, born in Avellino. Antonio later moved to Florence and became qualified in chemistry and science. Background and career Antonio was born on 7 July 1887 t ...

(1887–1971), merchant and chemist

In fiction

In the HBO television series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'', mob boss

Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...

has his family roots in Avellino. All four of Tony's grandparents emigrated from Avellino to the United States in the early 20th century. In the episode " In Camelot", Tony's uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano claims "The whole village of Avellino settled in this area" in which the main characters live, in

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is one of the centrally located counties in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's second-most populous county,< ...

Notes

Sources

External links

*
Official website

Il Magazine della città di Avellino

Quality of Life in Avellino
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Campania