Avellino, heir to the ancient one Roman colony Abellinum, is located in the heart ofIrpinia, surrounded by the Picentini Mountains, Mount Tuoro and the well-known Montevergine Massif. The famous 1980 earthquake caused such severe damage that the city was almost completely rebuilt.
The city bears witness to the inexorable passage of centuries and eras, starting with the prehistoric traces displayed in the Irpino Museum: as well as an archaeological exhibition of approximately 2,000 m2, the museum also houses a nativity scene collection, a library, theNewspaper library, where newspapers and magazines are collected, the Network Center and the Media library.
We then move on to the archaeological area of Abellinum, located on the left bank of the river Saturday. Here you can admire the remains of the fortifications of the previous Samnite settlement, the following Roman wall circuit, the spa, one domus in Hellenistic-Pompeian style and the forum. Along the perimeter of the Church of Sant'Ippolisto were also brought to light necropolis And burial sites.
The story then leads us to the family plots of the eighteenth-century Villa Amendola, private residence equipped with a large Botanical Garden and today Civic Museum. The cultural symbol par excellence is certainly the Bourbon prison. Penitentiary structure until 1987, currently the characteristic monumental complex houses some sections of the Irpino Museum, theState Archives, an auditorium, and rooms designated for conferences and artistic and cultural events.
The forests surrounding Avellino and the provinces are very famous especially for the goodness of the chestnuts that are found there; every autumn excursions are organized for a beautiful harvest, especially in Montella.