Along the wine route, the tourist can stop at the village of Sorbo Serpico, to enjoy the green

A panorama of Sannio seen from the vineyard (photo by Campania Region - Department of Tourism)

landscapes of the Terminio Cervialto mountain area. In Castelvetere sul Calore, a little town located on the slopes of Monte Tuoro, near the Calore Irpino river, the main attractions are the Fontana dello Zoppo, once used as a public laundry fountain, and the bell tower of the church of Santa Maria Assunta, which served as a watchtower, in the twelfth century. The town of Taurasi, in the heart of the Taurasi Docg zone,has a medieval historic center and a castle, the Palazzo Marchionale, visited by Torquato Tasso, the famous Italian poet and author of the Gerusalemme Liberata in 1575. The origins of the ancient town of Tufo, in the Greco di Tufo Docg zone, date back to the Longobardic and feudalages; of the medieval Castle, built in that period, three towers and a large part of the walls are still visible.

From the valleys of Irpinia it is easy to reach the mountains of the Sannio area, in the province of Benevento, where a number of Doc wines are produced: Aglianico del Taburno Doc, Sannio Doc, Taburno Doc and Sant’Agata dei Goti Doc. The wine tourist can stop at Foglianise, to admire its churches and religious buildings: Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, the convent of Sant'Annunziata and the hermitage of San Michele, built in the ninth century. Torrecuso deserves to be visited for its central square, dominated by the medieval Palazzo Cito, where the present Town Hall is located. The center of Solopaca preserves historic buildings of great value, such as the former Palazzo Ducale dei Ceva-Grimaldi, built in 1672. Near the church of San Martino, the remains of a circular tower belonging to the medieval castle, can be seen. Not to be missed, when travelling in the direction of Caserta, is the ancient village of Sant'Agata de’ Goti, with its historic center on a tuff rock, surrounded by two rivers.

The fountain in the Royal Palace of Caserta. The palace was built by King Charles III of Bourbon in 1752-74 under the direction of Louis and his son Charles Vanvitelli (photo by Fabrizio Reale)

The most important wines from the province of Caserta are the white Asprinio di Aversa Doc, the white and red Falerno Doc and the white, red and rosé Galluccio Doc. The most important tourist attraction is the famous Royal Palace of Caserta, built for the Bourbon King Charles, of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, by the great Italian painter and architect of Dutch origins, Luigi Vanvitelli (1700-1773). The magnificent Royal Palace is surrounded by majestic gardens. In the town of Mondragone, located near the Lazio border, in the production area of the mozzarella di bufala campana Dop, a lot of archaeological finds attest the ancient origins of the place, from prehistoricto medieval times. It is possible to visit the Museo Civico Archeologico Biagio Greco, with its wine amphorae and a collection of 200 ancient coins (via Genova 1, Tues-Sat,tel 0823.972066). The Collegiate Church in Galluccio is worth a visit, to admire its fine gilded, wooden ceiling and the Gothic bell tower, built in tuff rock.

Going toward Naples, the wine tourist can visit other areas where wine is produced, in the shadow of the Vesuvius and in the beautiful island of Ischia. In Marano di Napoli, there is the important Roman Mausoleo del Ciaurro, with a niche containing the ashes of Tirone, an orator and follower of Cicero. More archaeological remains are present in the necropolis near Quarto, with a monumental mausoleum topped with a pyramid-shaped spire. The island of Ischia, which is the production zone of white and red wines from biancolella, forastera and piedirosso grapes, has a lot of tourist attractions: sea beaches, thermal spas, the wood of Zaro, the beautiful La Mortella gardens and the impressive Aragonese castle on a rocky islet.

Vineyards near Agerola, on the Amalfi Coast

A panorama of Positano. We can distinguish the main beaches of Positano Beach Fornillo (left), Big Beach (center) and The Beach Port (on right) (© Campania Region - Tourism Department. Photo by Massimo Amendola)

Places to visit

Sant'Agata de' Goti, the ancient town

Sant’Agata de’ Goti is a beautiful village of ancient origins, nestling on a tuff terrace in the province of Benevento. During the Second Samnite War, in 315 BC, the area was occupied by the Romans. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Goths and the Vandals arrived. During the Middle Ages, it was first a Longobard domain,then it was conquered by the Normans, the Swabians and the Angevins, The town's name probably derives from the name of the De Goth French family,who, in the fourteenth century were granted the fief of Sant’Agata by Roberto d’Angiò. In the historic center, the Cathedral, built in 970 and rebuilt in the twelfth and then in the eighteenth centuries, preserves some works of art and a Romanesque crypt of great value. The church of Sant’Angelo in Munculanis is also worth a visit for its medieval structure and ancient crypt. In the Norman castle, remodeled in the seventeenth century, there is a hall with interesting mythological frescoes.

Events

Solopaca, a particular of the grape festival (© Campania Region - Tourism Department. Photo by Antonio Capone)

Our Lady of Sorrows Church and Church of the Holy Body of Jesus Christ, in Solopaca (photo by Ept Benevento)

Info Pro Loco tel 0824.977659