Venafrano is a region ofItaly.
To know
Geographical notes
Affects the eastern part of the Molise and while it borders to the east with the Lazio wedges south into the Campania, a region of which it was once part. The northern border is with theIsernino.
Background
The Samnites created a network of inhabited centers in the area which for a long time opposed the expansionism of Rome. Once subjugated, the cities underwent a rapid Romanization; Venafro it immediately played an important and strategic role so as to be a Roman colony with Augustus (Colonia Augusta Julia Venafrum), and incorporated the characteristic urban layout, partially preserved in the current town. In the Augustan period much attention was given to the aqueduct (Rivus Venafranus) which carried the water of the Volturno river from Rocchetta to Volturno to Venafro. Renowned for fertility and amenities, it is remembered by Horace as a holiday resort, and Pliny the Elder speaks of a diuretic spring located there. In Roman times it boasts a developed economy with the renowned oil which, according to legend, was brought by Licinius who speaks of it in many of his works. Martial testifies to the fertility of the soil and the fame of the Venafrano oil.
Between 774 and 787 the plain of Venafro was crossed by the troops of Charlemagne who clashed with those of the Lombards of the Principality of Benevento. It suffered serious damage in the earthquake of 1349 and that of 1456. In 1495 it gave hospitality to the troops of Charles VIII of France passing through the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples (Ferdinand II of Aragon). After the dark period of the Middle Ages that saw Venafro sink into misery and disease, in the following centuries the city experienced an era of expansion and well-being, just think of the numerous buildings dating back to this era that changed the face of the city with monumental churches and buildings. Venafro has been a bishopric since the 5th century. The last feudal lords were the Savellis, the Peretti and the Caracciolos of Miranda.
In 1811 the district of Piedimonte d'Alife was established, which included the whole north-eastern area of the district of Capua and the districts of Venafro and Colli detached from the district of Sora. With the Garibaldi occupation and the annexation to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, the district was suppressed. On 24 and 25 October 1860 Venafro hosted King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy on his way to go to Teano to meet Giuseppe Garibaldi. The Sovereign came from Isernia where he had arrived on 23 October and had taken up residence in the Cimorelli Palace in Isernia.
On May 10, 1863 there was the annexation to the province of Campobasso, despite the controversies and protests of the citizens and municipal councils of the time, favoring instead to remain part of the province of Caserta. The territory definitively became part of the Molise region.
Between the autumn of 1943 and the spring of 1944 it was the scene (in venafro, Pozzilli, Filignano, San Pietro Infine and other centers) of bitter fighting between the Germans, barricaded in the mountains to the north, and the Anglo-Franco-United States, along the Gustav line, for the conquest of Cassino and Montecassino. Mistaken for the latter by the Anglo-American pilots, Venafro was hit hard by Allied bombing on March 15, 1944 which caused about 400 civilian and military casualties.
In 1970 it was included in the newly formed province of Isernia, of which it is currently part and on whose belonging the municipality, in the periods preceding its establishment, a parochial discussion took place. In the spring of 1984 it was heavily damaged by the earthquake that originated in the nearby Comino Valley, in the province of Frosinone. In 1986 the two episcopal see of the diocese Isernia is Venafro they were united aeque principaliter constituting the current diocese of Isernia-Venafro. The ancient cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta assumed the title of co-cathedral.
Territories and tourist destinations
Urban centers
- Sesto Campano - The Spinola Castle and the Angevin Fortress of Roccapipirozzi characterize the town, which in the toponym wanted the addition Campania to underline its historical belonging to the nearby region Campania.
- Venafro - His long membership in the Campania. City of the Samnites, later a Roman colony, the vestiges of the empire flanked by an important medieval urban heritage, in which the numerous churches stand out, unfortunately in large numbers deteriorated.
How to get
By plane
Venafrano has no airports. The closest one is a Pescara. Another airport to consider is Rome-Fiumicino. ATM regional bus lines [1] they operate a connection with the Tiburtina station in Rome where the trains to Fiumicino airport pass and another for Pescara.
By bus
The main public transport companies operating in the Molise area are the following:- Autolinee C.L.P. S.p.A., ☎ 39 081 5311707, 39 081 5312424, @[email protected]. Direct connection from Naples to Campomarino and Termoli
- Lariviera bus lines.
- SATI bus lines.
- Molise Trasporti bus lines.
The main public transport companies operating in the Molise area are the following:How to get around
What see
- Cathedral, Pandone Castle, Roman Theater and Amphitheater a Venafro.
- Spinola Castle and Angevin Fortress a Sesto Campano.
Itineraries
- Castles in the province of Isernia - There are numerous manors of theMolise Apennines in the countries ofUpper Molise, ofIsernino and Venafrano. Some are in ruins due to war or earthquakes; others have been recovered; many have a military aspect, with little or no external architectural evolution of transformation into a stately home.
What to do
At the table
Dishes
- Pampanella Pork dish cooked in the oven and abundantly spiced. The dish originates from the town of San Martino in Pensilis.
- Panonta - Originally from the country of Miranda, Panonta is fresh pork sausage garnished with peppers, grated pecorino, parsley and garlic.
- Pied - Originally from Capracotta, the Pezzata is a dish based on sheep meat cooked over low heat in copper pots and seasoned with aromatic herbs.
- Cazzarielli with beans - Fresh pasta similar to gnocchetti seasoned with fried borlotti beans together with bacon, chilli and chopped celery, onion, carrot and then boiled in abundant tomato sauce.
- Cheese and eggs - balls of cheese and breadcrumbs cooked in a full-bodied tomato sauce.
- Torcinelli - lamb intestines stuffed with lamb sweetbreads. Usually, it is eaten cooked on coals, but sometimes it is also eaten with meat sauce.
- Rattatura pizza - a pizza bread created by remixed, salted and oiled in the right way from the scraps of flour from the oven, generally goes well with sauces and cold cuts. Typical of Castelmauro.
- Friarielli - fried green peppers.
- Sfringions - fried batter in the shape of a sausage.
- Cavatelli - fresh handmade pasta, usually seasoned with sauce.
- Pizza and soup - country vegetables and a pizza made with maize flour.
Desserts
- Caragnoli - Typical sweets with a helical shape prepared for Christmas and Carnival with a dough made from flour and eggs which, after being fried in olive oil, is sprinkled with honey.
Typical products
- Truffle - Widespread in the Matese mountains and in the Mainarde. The Molise towns best known for truffle harvesting are Carovilli is San Pietro Avellana. The latter is called "the homeland of the White Truffle" (prepared to season fettuccine)
- Olive oil - "La bella del Molise" is the name of the olive, known especially to Larino, but not only that, which produces a fragrant and tasty oil unique in Italy.
Cheeses
- Tattered - An elongated dairy product, made from cow's milk.
- Burrino - Typical cheese of southern Italy with stretched curd made from cow's milk, with a heart of butter.
- Pecorino di Capracotta - Cheese made from aromatic sheep's milk and a little spicy if aged. It has a hard, nut-colored rind and a compact texture with rare watery holes. The curing phase can last from 3 months up to 2 years.
- Scamorza Molisana - Produced with milk from alpine brown cows reared in the wild, it has the characteristic shape of a pear with a severed head. Eaten fresh or after a few days, it is excellent grilled.
Salami and sausage meats
- Pietracatella sausage - Made with pork with abundant quantities of fat, salt, wild fennel, sweet and spicy chilli.
- Soppressata from Molise - Obtained from pork, lightly smoked, it is consumed after maturing or stored in fat in glass jars, but also in crates containing wheat to keep the product fragrant in the summer.
Each country then has its own typical products that follow ancient traditions handed down from generation to generation. A tip for those who decide to visit Molise is to explore these places and their typical products, you can rediscover a simple but wonderful cuisine.
Drinks
Wines
- Tintilia del Molise - Obtained from a native grape of Molise, Tintilia is a red and rosé DOC wine with an intense flavor and a strong color. It follows the Molise tradition according to which good wine must "stain" the glass.
- Pentro wine from Isernia - It is a DOC white wine with an intense flavor.
- Biferno - White, red and rosé, it is one of the most prestigious DOC in the region.
Safety
Thefts and robberies are a minimal risk in Venafrano as in the rest of the region which is safe from every point of view.
